User talk:Eric Wheeler West

Personal Information on your Userpage
Hi Eric Wheeler West. My name is Backslash Forwardslash. I am a Wikipedia administrator, and I noticed you have recently created a userpage. I don't intend to scare you away or attempt to intimidate you, but I thought you might want to reconsider some of the items on your userpage. You may have not realised that the items on your userpage release personal information about yourself (real name or age etc), which could be used against you in the future. While 99% of all the editors on Wikipedia are friendly, welcoming and harmless, there is a chance your personal information could be misused by editors not so 'high-minded'. A handful of editors have even felt real-world implications due to their Wikipedia edits and release of personal information.

Protecting your privacy, and remaining anonymous while on the internet — on any site — is a good idea. The internet is a worldwide and largely unregulated medium, and while Wikipedia is one of the safer sites, there are definite risks while online. With cyber-bullying and cyberstalking becoming increasingly commonplace, it is important that you take every precaution to remain safe.

I have deleted some revisions of your userpage in respect to your privacy for the time being, just in case you wish to reverse on your decision to have such content on public display. As a result, the information is only available to administrators. You are, of course, welcome to ask myself or another administrator to restore them, but I just wanted to make you aware of the risks involved with releasing personal information on such a public forum. If you wish to have the personal information removed so that even administrators cannot view it, I can request oversight on your behalf. You are also welcome to discuss this with me on my talk page, or privately via e-mail if you have any concerns. Again, I do not want to scare you. Wikipedia is a fantastic place with an incredibly supportive community. I'm just trying to ensure you are fully aware of the risks involved in editing, which are very similar to the risks you come across every day online. Hope to hear from you. \ Backslash Forwardslash / (talk) 23:40, 31 October 2009 (UTC)