# Do we need private profiles? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 21, 2022, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-need-private-profiles/973602 "2022-10-21T17:38:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-need-private-profiles/973602/1 "2022-10-21T17:38:07Z")
Profiles in this board serve almost no purpose. If I hide my profile, I am not removing the ability for other posters to look at my activity. I’m just making it inconvenient. Specifically, if I hide my profile, other posters can’t click the “only show Johnny’s posts” button. This is a _super convenient_ feature for quickly reviewing what a poster has been arguing in a thread. I can still do a search for @Johnny_Bravo inside the topic, but the results aren’t nearly as easy to parse. There are no requirements whatsoever to include personal information, email addresses, or other identifying material in profiles. As best I can tell, the only people who benefit from hidden profiles are those who want to obfuscate their **activity** from other members of the community, not those who want to protect their identities. So - what value is added by letting posters hide their profiles? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-need-private-profiles/973602/2 "2022-10-21T17:43:23Z")
None. But I don’t think we can turn that off. Hiding Email Addresses is fine and normal. Not accepting PMs is a reasonable option. But the hiding profile option is not really of use on this site. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-need-private-profiles/973602/3 "2022-10-21T17:44:58Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > None. But I don’t think we can turn that off. [I believe a site admin can turn off the ability to hide profiles.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-don-t-care-for-the-way-discourse-handles-private-profiles/929498/4) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-need-private-profiles/973602/4 "2022-10-21T17:48:45Z")
So looking at Preferences, the 2 basic features I mentioned, don’t seem to be available. This is probably a thread for Site Feedback and not ATMB. > **Incorrect information** > > Every other message board software I know lets you hide your Email from all but the Staff. If there is a PM function, there are settings for it. > > I’m thinking if we cannot let people hide their Emails, we have to let them hide their profiles. Terrible, but it might be all we have. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-need-private-profiles/973602/5 "2022-10-21T17:49:02Z")
There is already a thread discussing this here: > [@If you have a hidden profile it is more difficult to follow your arguments](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-a-hidden-profile-it-is-more-difficult-to-follow-your-arguments/973302): > > Continuing the discussion from [Why do Dopers start contests regarding grave matters?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/235): I said it is hard, not impossible. The interface may be different for you because you are a moderator, but this is my experience. Doing a search is about ten times as difficult as a filter. You only see a preview of each post. You have to click on each one to see the full text, at which point the search results are hidden. To jump to the next post you must first click the search icon again to show the resul… I will close this one. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-need-private-profiles/973602/6 "2022-10-21T17:49:07Z")