Post anonymity update
Do you remember the "Post anonymity update" e-mail from Steve Roth, who styles himself "Managing Editor, AccountingWEB.co.uk"? It included the statement "If you have any problems at all, please email Member Services". I did, but have not had the courtesy of a reply, so I wouldn't recommend any other members to try to contact them. I do not believe that AccountingWeb has any understanding of the concept of providing "member services" - they think they know it all and are providing a free service to which members contribute nothing. I will therefore post my "problem" as a question.
I do not seek anonymity, but as I understand it, in the brave new world after 14 July, there will be only two options for displaying the authorship of questions and answers - Anonymous and the Username for logging onto the site. The old website's 'Firstname Lastname' will not be available, so all my past questions and answers which appeared as "Euan MacLennan" will be renamed "remaclennan", as will all future ones. So there will be no more Rebecca Benneyworth, David Winch, Penny Chambers, Clint Westwwod, Swiss Toni et al, unless we type our names at the end of our comments.
This is another retrograde step in moving from the old platform to the new. If there is anyone at AccountingWeb who listens to the members, can we please reinstate 'Firstname Lastname' as a display option instead of (or in addition to) 'Username' for those of us who do not seek anonymity?
Euan MacLennan
- 594 reads
- login or register to post comments
- Add to a social bookmarking site
Latest questions on 
Are we sure that AWEB isn't being run by the government?
The new site seems more like a job creation scheme every day. I'm with you, Euan.
Richard Willis
Member servies reply
Hi Euen,
Ed Martin and myself (Gareth Beck) deal with the majority of member services enquiries and since the new sites when live have answered somewhere in the region of 400 to 500 emails - so we're replying and helping people with the new sites. I would reccomend that anyone who has a problem email us.
I was concerned that you have not had a reply and having looked can't see your original email - could you resend it please?
As far as your username is concerned you are correct in that, currently, it won't show first name, last name. However, I can change your username to 'Euan MacLennan' which will resolve the issue.
We are listening to all member feedback and the flexibility of the new system means that making changes is far easier than it was before.
We also really apprecaite your feedback and need it to make AccountingWEB.co.uk the best community it can be, so please keep it coming.
Kind Regards,
Gareth
.
Hey I agree.
To be honest, I don't mind clicking "anonymous" and adding my name at the bottom.
But what I don't like, is sometimes you want to post a question anonymously - perhaps about another accountant or to protect client confidentiality etc... and avoid recriminations from HMRC due to my anonymous comments re "Conspiracy".
But I just went to who's who and clicked "show my profile". I'm happy for that to be seen.
But attached to it are all my comments and questions, including ones potentially sensitive if clients saw the question and related it to me.
So I unclicked (or whatever it's called) the show my profile on Who's Who immediately.
So I think i will have to have 2 user accounts; one for anonymous posting one for not so I can get on who's who with non-sensitive data.
Paul
Most forums and bulletin boards ...
... allow you to create a signature text string (possibly with embedded images), saved in your user profile, which are automatically appended to messages when posted.
With kind regards
Clint Westwood
Still no satisfactory reply
I am in a position where I have asked over the years more than 100 questions and posted some 1400 comments. Am I right in thinking I have until mid-July to go into my profile and tick the anonymity box against each and every post or I will be 'outed'?
I would need to take a week off work for this. I maintain I should not have to do anything of the sort, but hereby announce to the powers than be that I wish to retain my anonymity and that if the only way to do this is to tick 1500 boxes, then perhaps someone at Sift would care to do it on my behalf?
Thanks in advance!
Still no satisfactory reply - answer
Hi,
To confirm all posts that were anonymous will remain anonymous on the 14th July with no work required from you.
You can currently see all the posts that you have made so that you can make any amends that you need to, but after the 14th July this will change so that only posts in your name will be visible.
So, in short, no need to take a week off!
Hope that answers the question. If you've got any questions feel free to email member-services@accountingweb.co.uk, post here, PM me or ring on 0117 915 9616.
Thanks,
Gareth
Flexibility of the new system?
Gareth
Thank you for responding to my question on the website. As requested, I have re-sent my e-mail to Member Services and if that is the only way to do it, Yes, I would like to accept your offer to change my username to "Euan MacLennan" (complete with capitals and the space) so that I don't have to type it in every time.
But what is this flexibility that you talk about? It is obvious to everybody, except perhaps the people at AccountingWeb, that the new system is very rigid and inflexible because it is taking you so long to re-instate facilities that were taken for granted on the old platform and which any half-competent analyst at AccountingWeb should have specified at the outset for the new platform. It shows a complete lack of understanding of what makes the site work.
Euan MacLennan
I'm too busy doing P11Ds
But in fairness they have been pretty good about dealing with my emails re the new site.
Gareth
Thank you for your reply. I don't think it is a satisfactory answer.
Let me explain.
My username, set up years ago, is my employer's name. Stupid, I know but it was never a problem until now, and shouldn't even be a problem now! The name I have used for questions and answers is a pseudonym - ie. a form of anonymity that is better than 'anon'. I am happy for my pseudonym to be visible, but not for my employer's name. My understanding is that when the usernames are switched on 14 July, my employer's name will show but not my pseudonym. I have explained this more than once in private e-mails with member services but have received empty general reassurances (standard replies, I guess) but not one that properly addresses my particular circumstances.
So, is my only option to take a week off work to tick box all 100 questions and 1400 comments?
Over to you.
Not quite right
Hi,
We used a broad match on this so where the display name for the post was different from the first name, surname in the account we have marked the post as anonymous.
So any comments that were made with a pseudonym will be anonymous.
We can also change the username so that it has your name as well.
If you want to PM me a new username then I'll change it.
Thanks,
Gareth
Yes
As the previous respondent says, it is pseudonyms that we want preserved for old and new posts and questions!
ebenezer cuckpowder
i now have two log ons
Just to be sure I have a created a new log on with my pseudoname, however i suppose this will be my normal log on in future. I understood that all my previous pre changeover postings, where i had typed in Democratus will in future automatically be shown as anon.
I still can't believe that there wasn't a focus group used to pre plan the changes, most of us just wanted a better search engine and some people wanted to be able to private message other members.
Typing this from home on a day off - Andrew Murray has just won the second set so it's 1 set all.
Separating "annon" post and non "annon" post in user profile
Can Aweb make that feature available so that users know what is posted "annon" and what is not?
Changing user name
Beware of changing your user name as Gareth suggests. I asked Ed to change my user name to safegauard my future anonimity and I can no longer access my past posts, which means I have no way of stopping my old posts going "live" with my name attached on 14th July.
This is extrmely worrying for me. I am about to resend my email to Ed for the third time. I do hope he responds with a solution before 14th July.