From: Robin Patton
As promised, once the activations/reactivations were caught up, I have taken a look at the decision to post TDR subscriber last names on the TDR website.
While no final decision has been made (today is the first day I’ve been able to sit and quietly study all of the input I have received) I am taking action to TEMPORARILY suppress the user title field. This will make your last name invisible to everyone but the TDR administrative staff and moderators. I stress this is a TEMPORARY situation; it will allow a cooling-off period for those of you who have allowed this to become an emotional issue. It also allows me time to seek additional input from users, Internet professionals, the TDR moderators and legal staff.
User concerns. As I understand from your posts, e-mails and telephone calls, the key issues are:
- “I’m afraid of identity theft. ” Please keep in mind that the ONLY information that the TDR is disclosing is your last name. We do not require or even suggest that you post any other identifying information (you can even suppress your e-mail from viewing by others). The only way you are identified on the TDR Website is via your username (which you can select and request it be changed, as needed) and your last name (i. e. Diesel Fanatic/Patton).
- "I'm afraid someone will ‘spam’ my e-mail account. ” Please note that several users choose to use free Hotmail, Juno or any of a host of other free e-mail services for purposes of setting up their TDR Website account. They keep their “personal” e-mail accounts private and use their free e-mail accounts to gain access to public forums. Note that with this new software, you can change your e-mail address (as well as password and all other personal information and signature) easily and as frequently as you like.
- “I’m afraid someone will be able to physically locate me. ” Again, keep in mind that the ONLY information that the TDR is disclosing is your last name. Any other identifying information that is posted, you posted and you can delete at any time.
- “I’m afraid that D/C or Cummins will void a warranty claim I may present. ” Again, keep in mind that the ONLY information that the TDR is disclosing is your last name. Only for the very few of you who have very unusual last name’s should this be a serious concern.
Organizational concerns. We have attempted to censor the site and/or reprimand people participating in the TDR Discussion Forums very little. We struggle with a few individuals posting inappropriate comments, disrespecting others and their views, suggesting (with some level of authority which they may/may not possess) that truck owners do things that would not be in the best interests of their vehicles. The ability to remain totally anonymous discourages personal responsibility. Fortunately, 99% of the TDR members exercise tremendous restraint in what they post. Unfortunately, 1% does not. And that 1% makes it difficult for the rest of us. I believe that some personal accountability increases the value of the material posted/information offered/courtesy extended.
Resolution. I have received an abundance of constructive criticism this past week. Since very little of that input has offered meaningful suggestions that would eliminate users’ concerns while minimizing the organizational concerns, I have to assume that there is no easy answer. If there were an easy answer, we would have found it by now.
In an attempt to address both sets of concerns, I have drafted the following plan. This is a draft only; it is subject to change based on input from users, moderators, Internet professionals and legal staff.
- Temporarily turn off users’ last names from view to the public.
- Effective October 1, 2001 (or as soon after that date as we can organize this process) we will reactivate this field (last names) for viewing.
- At any time, for anyone wanting to “disassociate” from prior posts (for any reason or for no reason at all), the TDR Staff will be glad to set up a new username and password for you. If we “delete” your old username, old posts will be reflected as posted by “Guest,” removing concerns regarding historical posts. If we “inactivate” your old username, old posts will remain viewable to the public just as they were posted. If you elect this option, we encourage you to set up a free e-mail account to further insure you remain anonymous.
If you have constructive ideas for improving this plan, I would like to hear them. Please e-mail me at
rpatton@ix.netcom.com. But please, constructive input only. To be honest, I’ve had more than enough badgering, threatening, and discourteous comments from the 1%.
To the rest of you, thank you for your business and your continued support of the TDR magazine as well as website. Your support is truly appreciated and valued.
Prepared and posted: June 9, 2001
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
. Do you shred every piece of mail,. I'm just saying there are bigger risks out there. So thanks for googling me if you're in Colorado stop by I'll smoke ya a brisket
