Reply To The Anonymous

This is a page created to address the anonymous about important issues.

About clarity in who is speaking

20080609 DonaldNoyes in addressing the deletion of a remark, appearing to be his own:

Oh? So, why are you deleting my comments to Davy boy?

• Why? Because it may appear to some to be a comment from me, since my signed remark appears directly below it.
  • Not so, the comment that you deleted of mine was directly below your comment and your signature. I simply restored the original comment and corrected a spelling error, but other than that it sits in its original position on Dave's page. Sounds like some sort of confusion, but what else is new. All's well that ends well.

Donald - I note with satisfaction, but no pleasure, that while I was being harassed and having my edits reverted, deleted, or maliciously and subtly changed, your attitude was that it would all work out for the best and that you had great faith in the future of this wiki, but now that your edits are being reverted you go running to Ward to ask him to fix it and sort it out. I'm sure you'll claim the situation is entirely different, but from where I'm sitting, the similarities outweigh the differences.

• As I am one who believes in PositiveDialogue, at least between civilized and reasonable people, I also believe that there are some situations where dialogue does not work, where the issues between people are not negotiable, or where one of the parties continues to make things worse. You will note that I have made earlier entries, all of which I signed by me and directed at Dave and his bot, about this one situation having to do with what had become a wiki tradition, thanks to JeffGrigg and others: the pages having to do with recording changes after they fall off RecentChanges. This is the first, and only time I have asked Ward to do anything about a situation which is damaging to the operation of his wiki. As to the situation being different, I do not know who you are, so I do not know what reversions you speak of.
• While I have a hopeful outlook on my own and others participation and the future of this wiki, I am also a realist, and I note that many of the people who make such a future likely, have left, for various reasons, but mostly because the internet is changing, and because of blogs and other forms of expression and interaction, as well as wikis by the thousands which have been tailored to meet specific and various agendas. I have participated in quite a few of these as well, but will continue to participate here, regardless of the outcome of this issue. This is a historical and an important place, and I will do my best, as far as my part is concerned, to keep it that way.

-- DonaldNoyes.20080609.1148.m06

Donald: You appear to be mis-attributing comments, not understanding points, not seeing the issues, and to be honest, I can't be bothered trying to help you understand. You appear to be benevolent, honest, and well-intentioned, and I wish you good luck. -- A different Anonymous.

It is hard to attribute anonymous comments. Points and Issues clearly stated are obvious, and I am glad you see that I am well-intentioned. As to luck, I am not lucky. I think to trust to luck over making and executing plans is foolish. I further believe that names and naming are an important part of everyday life. There are times when it is advantageous to be anonymous, as in contributing to a charity anonymously. Although I have on occasion used an anonymous tag, it was because I felt less confident and unsure of how what I said would be taken. I prefer to use my RealName, because I can confidently associate my name with the words, points, and issues I touch upon. I desire honesty and clarity, politeness and understanding, thinking them to be far better approach than what is opposite.

As far as the issue of clarity, the initial subject of this page, the remark deleted would not have been deleted, (and in fact now appears on the page in another place), if it had been signed, or placed in another position, instead of between my comment and its predecessor. I am glad it has been restored, and that continuing interchange with others has occurred. -- DonaldNoyes.20080609.1432.m06

I agree completely that there is value in names and naming. Until those names are protected, however, from misuse and harassment, I will not use them. I've seen what can happen. You say that you prefer to use your RealName - what happens when someone else uses your RealName? -- Name withheld.

This occurs from time to time, but since the majority of participants here are respectful and courteous, I rarely experience the use of my RealName by others. When I detect the use of my name by others I handle it by either deleting it, or if an important point can be made about what was stated using my name or appearing to be made by me, to insert my real position or opinion on the matter on the page where it appears or sometimes I create a new page on the matter, as I have here. I also save any page I modify with a dateTimeStampWithRevisionNumber to my artifact. DonaldNoyesRevisionsC2 folder -- DonaldNoyes.200807171629.m06

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