[QUOTE=Askance]
But that’s no excuse for not even giving what country you’re in, and probably the state or province would be OK too (except Montana).
[/QUOTE]
It all depends on how it’s done.
You see, Montana (which is not the least populous state, BTW) is really big. Saying I’m in Montana gives away less in terms of physical location than saying I’m in NYC, for example.
Giving GPS coordinates, however, is different. Someone living in a 40-story building in NYC that gives coords with a 500-foot radius will narrow their identity down to one of a few thousand people. That same precision here uniquely identifies my house.
Heck, stating my profession(s) and the town I live in darned near locks it down.
ETA: Realistically, with a bit of work I think many of us could be identified. I’m sure I’ve posted enough over the years and it would be hard to believe a determined stalker couldn’t find many of the other 1,000+ post members from little tidbits and trivia they’ve posted.
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat]
ETA: Realistically, with a bit of work I think many of us could be identified. I’m sure I’ve posted enough over the years and it would be hard to believe a determined stalker couldn’t find many of the other 1,000+ post members from little tidbits and trivia they’ve posted.
[/QUOTE]
Heck I have given links to my business website that up until a few months ago had my home address on it.
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried]
MHO - I think that the location field is more useful when it does actually include the person’s real location. I wouldn’t bother pitting people who leave it blank or put in a joke, but my advice would be to put in a clue as to where you really are: it makes several types of threads easier to understand.
Using it to make fun of Leaffan is a joke that will quickly get old.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, mother.
This whole thread is utterly juvenile and fails to address key points made by the OP! Just inserting Leaffan’s pseudo into your location field does not tell a funny joke or make some cogent point about privacy. We are the proud members of the Straight Dope Message Board, and we must stand together…
I mention my location when it’s relevant, don’t mention it when it’s not, get a kick out of people thinking I’m British, love it when people base their arguments on me being American since I get to point and laugh, and Leaffan can suck it.
[QUOTE=Aangelica]
But before I moved to NYC, I lived on the west coast where “Hicksville” was common usage slang for “out in the boonies”. When I told my west coast friends my new address, they were all like “Hicksville, really and truly? I didn’t know it was an actual place!” We all thought it was a metaphor.
[/QUOTE]
A citified friend who was of the opinion that I live in the back of beyond was absolutely delighted, upon Googling my location one day, to find that a nearby town was named Hicksville.
I restrained myself from harshing his squee by pointing out the origin of the name.
And when we all change our location fields back to normal, this thread won’t make any sense at all. A year from now, someone will say "Remember when **Leaffan ** became a meme for a little while? Link. " And everybody will say “I don’t get it.”
