Sometimes Anonymous is appropriate, such as when you're asking about a deal in progress you don't want 'out there' but need insights.

I have zero problem with people asking an anonymous question.  I'm sure they have a valid reason which is none of my business.  If I do not choose to answer, so be it.  Why is this a problem for you?  And, you never know when you may feel the need to protect your own privacy.

Last thursday an agent posted (anonymous) his delema about buying a 2 bed home for his family of six.

The haters came out, attacking him personally. Basically telling him he was not an informed agent...one responder chastised him as not being a proud realtor because he spelled realtor with small letters instead of caps.  Who cares about a spelling?  Or the word realator, realter, or rel-a-tor?

It is OK to debate and contradict if you stick with the topic...with personal attacks and rudeness like that, who wants to put their name out there?

The poster deleted his question within about an hour of having eggs thrown at them.

THAT IS PROBABLY WHY SOME PEOPLE POST ANONYMOUS...

Eve

PS:...and I thought it was great that a home buyer was actually buying below their budget.

If a member really didn't want their clients to see their question, it could be a good reason. Or if a buyer or seller didn't want to be inundated with contacts from the AR membership, that's another good reason. Or if it were a "real" question that is not straight out of a real estate handbook, that's another good reason. But since we have what we have, why not just ignore questions you don't like? It's never ok to lambast someone, I believe, because it makes YOU look bad. IMHO

It's allowed, and even long time members use it now and then. There are legitimate reasons to post anonymously.

There have been a couple of times that I wanted to ask my question anonymously because of an ongoing and present situation that I didn't want compromised. Though it is rare for me others may not have the confidence to say who they are.

You are not alone. We have circled that wagon more than once. Some discussions suggested that there may be a reason a person wants to ask anonymously.  As for your suggestion ... I know this may sound shocking ... but we have had some fake profiles too. Members creating other "fake" profiles that come in here and stir the pot or game the system for the almighty points. 

There are situations where an anonymous question is valid but many are not.  When in doubt, I channel Susan Emo and keep my eyes on my own paper.   

I agree....but I think AR people who service this site are up to their eyeballs in tasks ...

I so agree with you on this subject.

I don't know why these questions are asked "anonymously." What are they afraid of?

I don't normally respond to anonymous....

As Candice A. Donofrio said - that would be the only reason I could think to be anonymous!

After reading some of the comments I can see why some would prefer to post anonymous at times.

As   Candice A. Donofrio wrote.

I don't respond on anonymous posts, just move on.

It's been a debated question for some time. Candice A. Donofrio has a good answer. Given some of the questions I do wonder why people choose to be anonymous

 Gloria,

I think that Candice A. Donofrio made a valid point.  A

It seems to be overused lately, but I do think there are valid reasons for anonymous.  We have agents in the same markets and even the same brokerages here on AR.  Perhaps someone doesn't necessarily care about being anonymus to everyone, but doesn't want their broker or local peers to see the question and know it was them. -Kasey

That exact question has been asked many times Gloria Valvasori, ASA and I think it's a valid question but sometimes when I look at the question I understand why they didn't want their name associated with such a question.

I wouldn't mind if the anonymous were the general public seeking an answer to a question.  And, I don't want the general public having to become a member just to ask questions.  That would defeat the purpose of "Members Only" posts.

Unless it becomes a serious problem, there are some things we just need to ignore.

Exactly... anonymous should be banned

It's been discussed ad nauseum. Most people just skip their questions. I think the last bunch were students.

Often debated here, I do tend to not take "anonymous" seriously, so I'm not sure the value of it for the answers they receive are commonly tongue in cheek vs. helpful.

I have never figured out WHY they can ask a question anonymously.

I have no problem with some asking a question Anonymously (many times there could be a valid reason for privacy). Like anything if you don't want to answer the question we have the right to move on and ignore the question.

Depends on the question. Some have been asked so many times like with  water rights. 

Everyone has their reasons for going anonymous ... many of those reasons have already been mentioned.

It does not bother me, but often I feel it is unnecessary to hide your identity. 

I think people should be allowed to post anonymously, as that is appropriate for some q's.  But, when it's a general q, I think it's best to be open about it as you will generally get better answers.

The benefit of posting anonymously is when the topic is sensitive or confdential. The vast majority of "anonymous" posts don't fall in that category, and, for that reason, I agree with you.

I have never asked the AR management team, shareholder(s), directors or programmers this qustion.  Decisions were made by the appropriate personnel, as they have solely determined, that it was appropriate to allow people to ask questions as "anonymous" .

Gloria Valvasori, ASA I see it as mostly the Utah students who don't want to set up a profile. They are required to ask questions here as part of their class work and do the minimum to get their questions on the site. We all have a choice to answer their questions or go on to the next question. I don't see it as a big deal.

Identifying oneself benefits those that do....

It does not bother me.

Per Bob Stewart the Anon feature exists for people who need anonymity due to asking a question about an ongoing transaction or an issue where other parties could be in the rain and it would/could cause issues if they directly knew that they were asking the question.  Such as issues with a Broker or thinking about leaving.

Asking a student question is a violation of this feature.  Asking questions like "what is the best flyer program" is also a violation.  You can, and I DO, report them.

Jeff Pearl nailed this one!

I actually agree with you Gloria Valvasori, ASA - but then again I don't make the rules ;)

Make your suggestion to the staff.

I don't care if people want to post anonymously. There could be a good reason for a real estate professional to post without using their name (perhaps in the middle of a deal?).  I just skip the anonymous ones I can't help and move on to the next one. 

On the whole, I agree, especially it it is clear that the asker is not a member of the public needing some specific information. Everyone seems concerned that someone might see the question and get some "advantage from it." Personally, I've never had anyone call me up and say they saw such and such question from me and it hurt them in some way. And if the question really is all that sensitive, I wouldn't address it in this forum... I'd be getting advice outside this forum. And let's face it, a lot of the questions asked anonymously are not especially sensitive.

I guess maybe they post anonymously out of embarassment that they don't know the answer?

Gloria Valvasori, ASA - there may be a reason for them not to disclose their names. As long as the question is reasonable, I think it is okay. Though I prefer to share with everyone who I am and what my question is.

It is perturbing!

   .

It has always been part of the recipe to encourage questions from people who may want to avoid the embarrassment of asking questions that may make them appear foolish.

maybe they do not know how to do it

There are times when it is ok, but i think it is muss-used often