margenorman I could tell you the general area of most of the forum regulars, and that is probably why a lot of the regulars don't keep re identifying there general area; it is known to the other forum regulars. Also, many people have their state in their profile (click my page next to the username).

I do agree with you as far as if you are new to gardenweb or new to the real estate forum and you are asking a question about the market, customary issues, inspections, legalities, etc do identify the area you are talking about even if it is as general as metro-NYC, western Idaho, Ontario, Canada, etc. It helps folks answer.

This is actually a pet peave of mine on here. It seems like most people don't have their state in their profile. The same thing happens on Building a Home.

it's a pet peeve of mine as well though not as peevish as some forums and websites LOL ie...
my grandma willed me a little yellow dish with a flower on it.. can you tell me the value?
my washer won't wash, what's wrong with it, it worked yesterday?

For some it might be a privacy issue - we get used to keeping mum about personal details on the net, and forget that a real estate forum is probably the one place you should reveal your location.

Hi Margenorman,

Actually I don't see why people in most of these forums don't better identify their location. There apparently are people from foreign countries posting also. Can someone suggest a reason not to mention their city and/or state when asking a question?

It comes down to an insecurity of participating in full disclosure. The basic reason most people avoid identifying themselves and their locations is that they have a fear of being personally known and confronted.

I faced this fear close to approaching a decade back and chose to play non-anonymously... and amazingly I have *NEVER* (not once, ever) had anyone seek out & negatively approach me or confront me in the material world.

Its a habit that remains in online communities everywhere, though. I don't see it shifting dramatically anytime soon.

Cheers,
(the real..)
Dave Donhoff
Strategic Equity & Leverage Planner

I sure wish more people would give their areas!
Kathy G in MI

Some of it also depends on how you ended up on GW. Those that started over on the garden side almost always have their locations listed on their profiles. It's nigh on impossible to give relevant horticultural advice if one doesn't know whether you're located in So FL or Montana. So, people coming here from the garden side usually have at least their zones noted. Since gardeners know the USDA zone maps we can pretty well guess locations. Not pinpoint exactly but usually close enough.

As already noted, the regulars get to know each other's locations. When a question appears & location makes a difference in the answer...one of us almost always asks the poster for more info. Or, we will put a qualifier in our answer that conditions vary.

Nice to have another attorney around the Forum. I'm a banker & my DH is an attorney/banker. I mention DH becaue I frequently tap him for info when a Forum question makes it appropriate. We are a commuter family that divides our time between NY & Mystic, CT. I've worked as a bank commercial work-out officer in half a dozen states CA to New England with a few stops in between the coasts. My location is on my Profile page.

/tricia

* sue-36 -"This is actually a pet peave of mine on here. It seems like most people don't have their state in their profile. The same thing happens on Building a Home."

Sue36, your member page says "I live in: United States". What 'state' is this in?

margenorman-"Can someone suggest a reason not to mention their city and/or state when asking a question?"

If it is relevant to the question then it makes sense to mention it. Otherwise, I don't see the point in providing very much personal info in a public forum. JMHO.

Many people, including myself, have discussed offers to sell/purchase. Because of the small but still possible chance that someone involved also participates in this forum, I'm relucant to post too much info. I'd like to, because I'm actually curious if anyone else here is in my same area, but haven't wanted to chance anything.

I usually preface an answer with "I'm in Atlanta" if it's pertinent. Depending upon how mad I make people, I figure I'm still fairly incognito.... ;0

the small but still possible chance that someone involved also participates in this forum

I met a new neighbor on my block. She said they were renovating their apt. before moving in, including the kitchen.

I said, Hey, you should check out this kitchen forum, I'll give you the website later. Great, she said, I've seen some forums like that.

Ten minutes later she comes back across the room and says, "wait a minute, I 'know' you, I read your posts all the time on the forum. I saw our pics of the kitchen and though, Gee, that looks a lot like the ones in this apt. complex!"

(My screen name correlates to my real name. which makes it more likely. But I bet she'd have made the same connection based on the pics alone)

There have been several occasions on this forum where posters have been "outed" and discovered by others involved with their transactions.

-On the kitchen forum there was a lady who'd been chronicling her kitchen cabinet builder's problems. She ended up having to go to court over it. Somewhere in all of this, the cabinet builder found her postings on the forum and threatened to sue her for publicly disparaging his name.

-On the pool forum there was another example of a poster who chronicled his rotten pool build. The pool builder was informed of the posts, and also threatened to sue.

-Right here on this forum, a poster was venting about some RE transaction problems he was having. Someone told his realtor, and s/he ended up here on GWeb and confronted the poster about it.

There's just no way I feel comfortable posting specifics, and also a location. General questions/comments, maybe. But not specifics. That won't stop others from figuring it out (for example, maybe remembering me posting my location or specific city in a previous thread), but if there are details that are ongoing in a RE transaction, I wouldn't advise anyone post too much info. You never know who will see that info or how that knowledge may be used against you.

Somewhere in all of this, the cabinet builder found her postings on the forum and threatened to sue her for publicly disparaging his name.

It's possible that the builder had signed up for Google Alerts, a service that lets you know whenever certain search terms, like your name, come up on the internet.

Then there are those of us who don't care what people know about us!