# Public Poster Information **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 24, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067 "2004-03-24T03:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/1 "2004-03-24T03:20:25Z")
Are “Join Date”, “Posts” and “Location” the only details about a poster that can be made public - i.e. for everyone else to see? If not, what else can be shown, and how does one go about showing them? If yes, I have two other details that might be useful to have shown - birthdate/birthday, and gender. Of course, like “Location”, these details would be optional. 😉 Anyhoo… ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/2 "2004-03-24T15:04:36Z")
I like the idea of putting gender up. It would save me having to guess when replying to threads! ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/3 "2004-03-24T15:11:38Z")
Gender has always been something I thought would be a very good idea. First, as **AngelicGemma** says, it helps with pronouns. Secondly, it helps a great deal with some of the MPSIMS threads that relate to dating and other such issues. Claifies things a bit. Of course you wouldn’t have to fill it in if you did not want to, but I think it would be a definite aid. ---
**Author:** ![Parallax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Parallax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parallax)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/4 "2004-03-24T15:16:17Z")
You could always put your gender as part of the location data. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/5 "2004-03-24T19:20:48Z")
Personally, I like the occasional gender confusions. They add spice to the discussions. And if your gender is relevant to a post that you’re making, and it’s not immediately absolutely obvious from your username, then you should just put it into the post. As for birthday, I can’t see any value to it other than MPSIMS birthday parties, which hardly seems like a justification. ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/6 "2004-03-25T22:07:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Personally, I like the occasional gender confusions. They add spice to the discussions. That’s why I suggested it only be an optional detail. But, some people might not want to go through the trouble of correcting other posters’ false assumptions. > [@](#): > > As for birthday, I can’t see any value to it other than MPSIMS birthday parties, which hardly seems like a justification. I find it sometimes highly informative in a discussion to know how old another poster is. Threads about favorite athletes, books, films, musicians, and such could benefit from knowing such a detail. And, again, some people might not want to bother explaining that they weren’t alive when a popular television show was on the air, for example. Again, this would be an optional detail. Many people are still rather shy to give their age, even if conversation betrays them. 😉 Anyhoo… ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/7 "2004-03-25T23:06:24Z")
Perhaps some posters are not comfortable with putting their gender in their profile. I know, too, that we have some posters who are transgendered. As **Chronos** said, if your gender is relevant to a post, you always have the option of stating it. This is also the case with age. If I feel that my age is relevant to a post I’m making, I simply state it or make a note that, for example, I was a teenager in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2004, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/8 "2004-03-27T20:15:13Z")
zoo **girl** , okay that part’s allright! Age - over 21 and under “dead”! 😉 (ok, 44 :rolleyes: ) ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/9 "2004-04-01T11:40:00Z")
Just like location is an option, gender and age could be made optional. I support this proposition. Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/10 "2004-04-02T01:46:29Z")
> [@](#): > > If I feel that my age is relevant to a post I’m making, I simply state it or make a note that, for example, I was a teenager in the 70s. Which would make you… Let’s see… 29, right? [sub](hey, it never hurts)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/11 "2004-04-02T07:07:03Z")
Aren’t gender and birth date options to show in profiles? I f given another field to post something in like location, I would probably use it as yet one more creative or nonsense outlet anyways. BTW, **Chronos** , I see you! ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/12 "2004-04-02T09:01:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Personally, I like the occasional gender confusions. They add spice to the discussions. And if your gender is relevant to a post that you’re making, and it’s not immediately absolutely obvious from your username, then you should just put it into the post. > > As for birthday, I can’t see any value to it other than MPSIMS birthday parties, which hardly seems like a justification. That’s just silly. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/13 "2004-04-02T13:26:03Z")
in the meantime, you might append these to your signature… € for men  for women ‚ for boys ƒ for girls „ for those really young ones ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/14 "2004-04-02T23:16:50Z")
> [@](#): > > in the meantime, you might append these to your signature… What I see is: a rain (or snow) cloud, a person in a miniskirt, a couch, a video game controller, and a bed. I suppose the miniskirt makes sense (miniskirt wearers being predominantly female), but I don’t get the logic of the other four. Were they supposed to be something else? ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-poster-information/236067/15 "2004-04-03T18:38:36Z")
they’re the ‘webdings’ font - a man, a woman, a boy, a girl and a baby. didn’t know they would ‘transform’ without the same fonts installed…