ALWAYS use a pseudonym. Choose a good pseudonym that does not give away your name, location, occupation, or any other identifying information about you.
NEVER give out any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, that could serve to identify you. Remember that a small tidbit in one posting may seem like no big deal, but many small tidbits in many postings can add up quickly.
NEVER post your real name. Never post the real names of your family members or friends.
-snip-
These tips were written for bloggers who post on a political site. The writer warned about folks who might be collecting information or noting person's positions & activism as part of governmental and/or governmental spying activity. The writer and other commentors warned that there were crazy people out there who might harrass or threaten [or have harrassed and threatened] bodily harm to an individual and his or her family because of positions that the blogger has taken in online posts. In addition, some comments addressed concerns about identity theft and other grave consequences that may occur as a result of non-anonymous blogging.
I'm wondering if folks here think that these concerns might be relevant for people posting on Mudcat and other music/folk culture sites. Needless to say, I've done all of these things, but I never really gave a thought to whether it was safe to do so or not.
I'm also very interested in 'Catters' [and Guests'] opinions about whether people should post identifying information because on Mudcat threads I have asked people to provide such information {for instance I routinely ask folks contributing to children's rhyme threads if they would include demographical information such as the geographical location {city/state if in the United States or city, nation if outside of the United States} where they learned a particular children's rhyme.
And on my website I encourage individuals to include that kind of demographical information along with the examples of rhymes or other material that they may submit. It appears that a number of children and youth are among the 'informants' who have sent in material to my website. Although I don't request that people provide their first & last name, some people do. My practice has been to post the name that the person provided if & when I post the material that they send. A small percentage of the children/youth and adults who send in material for that website, give their first & last name AND the name of their city/state. Given that online diary, I'm unsure if I should continue to post full names of respondents, particularly if I post the person's geographical location.
However, it seems to me that in the interest of research, collection, and analysis of children's rhymes and other cultural artifacts {like fraternity or sorority chants, and slang},it's important to gather as much information from informants as possible. It seems to me that having additional information about the informant adds to the richness of the examples that are collected, and aids in achieving a more accurate and full interpretion of that example. For these reasons, I request that folks submitting material to my site include such demographics as the decade when the material was recited, the race/ethnicity, and gender of the person reciting the material, and the performance method {such as if children's rhymes whether the rhyme is 'done' with accompaning movements such as jump rope or handclapping routines}. Maybe this doesn't need to conflict with the advise that people should blog anonymously. But I certainly feel that such a conflict is possible.
All this to ask:
Is it advisable for a person to post using his or her real name on Mudcat or any other site?
And on my website, if I'm given the first and last name of children/youth or adults who send in an example of a rhyme or any other material, should I post that child's or youth's or adult's full name or just post their first name {or nickname or screen name} and the initial of their last name?
Your comments on this subject and responses to those specific questions will be greatly appreciated.