Posted by Neal on January 22, 2001, at 15:44:36
In reply to Re: Guinea pigs and their words--no copyright, posted by anna78 on January 18, 2001, at 16:16:35
I object to the term *guinea pigs*! I prefer to be thought of as a lab rat :-)
Seriously though. I don't understand the reasoning of this privacy issue. Anyone concerned with privacy should pick a screen name unique to this board, and certainly not their real name. Also, all the posts are < already on the internet! >, where they can be read by anybody in the whole world. I'm sure thousands have visited this site, whereas how many people are going to read an obscure scholarly journal.
Having said this, I do think that a lot of people think of this site as a sort of wood-panelled room with a fireplace, where a group of friends share ideas and feelings. I think of it that way too, many times. I think Dr Bob should keep this aspect in mind. But it sometimes comes as a jolt when you realize all the posts are on the Internet, to be read by anybody, mostly good people, but also troublemakers, the drug companies, the DEA, you name it.
I do have a problem with this site. The name. I think the site is neither for *psychos* nor is it a *babble*. And yes, I know that the term *psychobabble* is used in popular usage, and the name is meant to be a light-hearted play on words. But I wonder if the site hasn't outgrown the name, and a more appropriate name, based on the seriousness of the issues involved, isn't in order some day. The word *psycho* has unfortunate connotations, and are we really just *babblers*? The name is humorous, but is the site humorous?
poster:Neal
thread:232
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20001124/msgs/280.html