So we have all been on those kinds of forums where they stickied a little thread asking you to post your picture even though they really are not stalkers, or at-least you would hope right?
There have been instances where people have posted their pictures and got harassed and stalked online, so is it really safe to post your picture on those threads and is it something you have on your forum?
I would recommend not to post your personal images in forums and open communities. It is always better to keep them safe with you and your friends, because you never know about strangers.
I am guilty of posting my photo online and haven't had any problems. I do not have a 'Post Your Photo' on the forum I operate. I figured if you want to be seen then you could just use a photo of yourself as an avatar.
I don't know how real the said dangers are. People post pictures everywhere, and some already did on their avatars without being asked by such threads. As long as the pictures are SFW, and there's no children posting their pictures in the forum, I think it's really up to the members to weigh their own safety boundaries.
I don't put my name in those, for privacy reason. I generally try not to give out my IRL picture, ever: even to people that I trust. It's just way too easy to find my entire life's details that way and cyber stalk me. 😛
I don't participate in such discussions, nor do I allow such discussions on my own forum. The Internet is dangerous enough without strangers knowing who you really are and wanting to stalk/harm you in any way. Safety first!
I don't have a topic for it on my forum. I mean I guess its no worse then Facebook. At least its just a picture then. I don't have a big issue with it. Especially considering I do have a picture of myself on my blog. But people do have to be more careful these days sadly.
IMO a photo is different to personal details such as names, account details and even contact information. With how technology is progressing, it's more and more difficult to keep your details secure online. I doubt a photo of yourself will cause an issue, especially on a bulletin board where you're susceptible to someone becoming more than a fan simply due to the content you post in text form.
If you're that concerned of strangers on the internet, you should probably stay off forums and other websites where anonymous accounts can e-stalk you.
