Is Anonymity Important to You?

[allnurses]

Is your anonymity on allnurses important?  Please respond in the poll and then post here why your anonymity on allnurses is important.  Also, feel free to post what else that allnurses offers is important. 

Thank you.  We appreciate your participation and your input is important.

[FNPtobe2020, MSN]

I’ve been on this site since 2001. Mostly now as a browser but rarely a poster/commenter . So this is not my original user name.  I  have followed @Davey Do & his Wrongway Saga and @SilverBells issues.
 

At one job over 20 years ago, I mentioned this site to a coworker. Said coworker found a post I had made and turned me into HR. Even though I didn’t list any personal ID and made no HIPAA violation. Yet I still was reprimanded. I had Admin delete the post and my original User ID, so yes, anonymity is important to me.

[Guest 1152923]

I can't believe this is even really a question (anonymity) that needs to be asked?  Kind of a 'no brainer'!

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

Anybody who knows me could probably figure out who I am on here. It'd actually be pretty darn easy as my primary email address is a variation of my user name here. That being said, at least being supposedly anonymous gives me the ability to claim plausible deniability if I am questioned about something I said here.  

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

People who know me (and people who don't, hahahaha) have identified me. I am me, wherever I go! So I don't really care much anymore. ?

[nursel56]

Yes, anonymity is important to me, but mostly to protect the privacy of patients and co-workers when sharing work-related anecdotes.  I never really talked much about my involvement here with my co-workers or gave them my username.  Like others have mentioned, it's possible someone could go through all my posts and piece together enough bits of info to guess who I am.

[nursel56]

15 hours ago, FNPtobe2020 said:

I’ve been on this site since 2001. Mostly now as a browser but rarely a poster/commenter . So this is not my original user name.  I  have followed @Davey Do & his Wrongway Saga and @SilverBells issues.
 

At one job over 20 years ago, I mentioned this site to a coworker. Said coworker found a post I had made and turned me into HR. Even though I didn’t list any personal ID and made no HIPAA violation. Yet I still was reprimanded. I had Admin delete the post and my original User ID, so yes, anonymity is important to me.

So sorry that happened to you FNPtobe2020.  It's hard to comprehend that there are people that pointlessly vindictive in this world.  Makes me glad I decided not to mention my membership to very many people.

Imagine if anonymous communication were not protected by the First Amendment.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

15 hours ago, FNPtobe2020 said:

I’ve been on this site since 2001. Mostly now as a browser but rarely a poster/commenter . So this is not my original user name.  I  have followed @Davey Do & his Wrongway Saga and @SilverBells issues.
 

At one job over 20 years ago, I mentioned this site to a coworker. Said coworker found a post I had made and turned me into HR. Even though I didn’t list any personal ID and made no HIPAA violation. Yet I still was reprimanded. I had Admin delete the post and my original User ID, so yes, anonymity is important to me.

I never told anyone about allnurses or my posts.  Sad that we have to worry about coworkers stabbing you in the back like that.  I think if anyone questioned me I would deny it and say hey I don't even have a cell phone. LOL

However, I finally have an old flip burner phone now and I'm considering getting a more modern cellphone like an I-phone, but probably a used one.  No way am I going to spend a $1,000 for a phone.

I didn't even use my regular email when I set my account up to keep my employer or others from doing a dark web or deep web search of my comments.

[2BS Nurse, BSN]

Do employers really have time to read Allnurses posts?

I choose to be anonymous on the internet as a whole. I've experienced too many strange patient behaviors (A PA I worked with had to shut down her FB and LinkedIn accounts d/t a patient stalking her). 

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

9 hours ago, nursel56 said:

Imagine if anonymous communication were not protected by the First Amendment.

Actually there is no constitutional protection of anonymous speech. As a person must be identified to be singled out for consequences,

Hppy

 

[Emergent, RN]

I think the important thing here is just to be careful what you say. Some posters give too many details when they describe situations in their workplace that aggravate them.

[Davey Do]

12 hours ago, 2BS Nurse said:

Do employers really have time to read Allnurses posts?

The HR director at Wrongway had the time to make a folder with "Glossy photos with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back and what each was, to to be use as evidence against us".

It was Alice's Restaurant all over again.

[amoLucia]

15 hours ago, 2BS Nurse said:

Do employers really have time to read Allnurses posts?

 

YES, they do!!

Been a member since 2012 and I never really made too revealing comments. But one post a few years in reeeally changed my mind.

An HR personnel rep posted in to request the identity of a poster here. That poster commented some not favorable comments about her employing facility. Thing was, she named the facility (DUMBBBBB!)!

HR posted in 'wanting to talk with her'!

This made a lasting impression with me re the security & identify safety of web site posting. This is the MAIN reason I usually recommend new members to change their revealing screen names. Once, just for funsies, I was able to track someone pretty much to their job!! Me! I'm lucky I can spell C O M P U T E R! But if I could do it ... I rely on a site's endeavors to provide anonymity as poss.