The Price of Being a Nameless Poster on Podiatry Arena

l was at a high risk foot conference a while ago and asked some young pods if they were on Pod arena, the response was "No, it's boys club and if you not in the click you will quickly become a victim"

Whether you perceive it to be here or not, Bulling is here and it does put a lot of the young players off.

If they/ anyone post a question that comes over naive or it opposes your thoughts, answer them so that their dignity is not splatted all over the screen:butcher:

l guess what l am saying is a little kindness, respect for another human and some old fashioned manners could go a long way and it wont hurt you, promise, well it might hurt some to do so, but its worth a try.

 

Fabio:

I believe you have the perfect attitude of how best to grow intellectually as a medical professional. I have also learned that if you don't ask a question, you are unlikely to learn. It is a shame that more of the lurkers here on Podiatry Arena aren't like you....unafraid to ask a question that you want the answer to and unafraid to be perceived as not knowing everything.

When I was a student, podiatry resident and young podiatrist first in practice, I asked many questions from more experienced practitioners and my professors. Some of these questions were stupid but some of them probably were very good and when answered around others like me, helped all of us younger students/clinicians understand the problem much better. That is the way I have always helped myself to learn.... by asking questions from those that are more knowledgeable than me. For me it has always been much better to be a little bit embarrassed than to be ignorant.

Now, why do I spend so much time here on Podiatry Arena? It is because I feel I am partially repaying the debt that I owe to all of my professors and experienced clinicians who took the time to teach me....by me taking the time to teach others who have less experience than I do.

I hope that others will become more like you, be unafraid to ask questions so that they and numerous other lurkers can learn from their questions. In addition, I hope that those who are considered the "regulars" here always keep in mind that we were all young and inexperienced at one time and that we should all respectfully try to answer the questions from the people who, in turn, respectfully ask for our advice and want to learn from our accumulated knowledge.

For myself, I am going to try, even at my advanced age (56 in a few weeks), to mellow out some so that the educational experience here on Podiatry Arena is optimized for everyone involved and, expecially, so that more young clinicians are more willing to participate in discussions here.:drinks

 

Is tough spiders your "real name"? Must look great on your business cards

 

Kevin,
I'm concerned by the language you use here. Do you also consider it lacking in common courtesy when people post questions or ask for help, anonymously, in other public spaces - like on a college or church bulletin board?

I am personally and deeply aware, as is Lucky, I suspect, of how much damage others can do to you through the abuse of personally identifying information submitted to the permanent public record that is the internet.

Although I have been lurking around PA for 7+ years, and have had an account (not this one) for years, I have not posted a single time (despite my interest in many topics) because I was aware of the general disdain for the anonymous participant that the most prolific members of PA have.

I wrote this post in the hopes that, at least in this thread, the anonymous voice wouldn't be disregarded as just another potential troll, or Shavelson/Glaser/Rothbart sockpuppet.
I truly wish that the Arena would change their minds regarding receptivity to anonymous posts - as there are probably more people than myself who would love to participate, but can't risk professional or personal backlash from the abuse (especially misrepresentation by those with malicious intent - not Arena members) of our identities on a public forum.

Cheers!

AWG

 

Its the nature of social media; its the way the world works. Ridiculous claims will always be greeted with ridicule and disdain....The solution: don't make ridiculous claims.

As I said previously, wearing my Admin hat, I have no problem with people who want to post anonymously. Its just that your case will be stronger in an argument if you identify yourself, especially if you are going to take 'pot shots' at individuals. Certain posters (eg Kevin) simply are more likely to respond to posters who are not-anonymous. That is fine too. That is there choice and not Podiatry Arena's policy.

 

Actually Paul,

It's Demelsa Clitterbottom, hence the requirement for anonymity
but i guess toughspiders is more reflective of my personality!!!

and you did say i could use a false name

 

I don't get it - you just posted anonymously here now? No one stops you doing it, I think the majority of us are just saying its a few people who spoil the party for everyone else. How could you take any piece of medical advice or discussion point seriously if you don't know WHO it is coming from?

 

Agreed. I'm not particularly enthused with the collection of personal data held online either - whether that be accessible publicly or not. But it is the malicious and defamatory comments made by anonymous members that concerns me. Why not make it mandatory to register your identity on registration with an option to keep it hidden from public display. It would however be retained by Admin and may be disclosed to other members in the event of a complaint being raised?

 

Agreed, twice. I have said this before; I have no problem with entering into dialogue with pseudonyms/anons per se, but we should not tolerate defamatory comments by either named or nameless posters.

As an aside; when you register for the Arena you do have to agree to the T&C which include;

 

This ^^^ I agree with, perhaps the thread titled ought to be:

The potential price of being a named poster.

I have posted on here in the past but mainly I've used this forum to learn from and I am deeply indebted to those who chose to share their great knowledge with the world. BUT, they should be aware, they are sharing with the world. What they say will be a permanent record.
As an anonymous poster on here I would never want to use my real name.
A couple of days ago I googled my name. My address and phone number came up in the first page alongside photos of myself, charity and work colleagues. I don't want to see posts or debates that I've engaged in coming up too.

There are other reasons though.
There is a culture of ridiculing and intimidation on this site. I've seen some threads that degenerate into what looks like playground bullying. Most unpleasant. Perhaps that is hard to see as frequent posters but it happens. Perhaps this is an opportunity for some to take a look at their posting style?

Its great Kevin that you are getting referrals as a result of your posts. That is because they are professional and backed up with evidence. We judge you by what you post and we like what we see.
The same goes for everyone who has chosen to name themselves on here. The public is judging you too. If you ridicule or are less than respectful, we are judging you for it. While you Kevin are getting referrals I can think of several posters on here I would never refer a patient to, because of what they have said on here.

There is also the risk of exposing yourself to complaints and investigation through thoughtless comments. This has happened as a result of posts on here and rightly so.
If everyone were thoughtful and respectful with all their posts then perhaps less people would be afraid using their real name?

 

In which case it's probably a bad idea.