Anonymity has two separate meanings in Overeaters Anonymous.
Today I wish to talk about anonymity at the level of public media or social media such as Facebook. On the Region One webpage when Board members write an opinion piece called a blog, I can post that blog without including their last name or email address. I can also post that same blog on Facebook, as the administrator to the Region One page. When people respond to the blog on the Region One website, they can put their first name and last initial, or a fake name if they want to do so. They do have to include their email address, but it does not get published. Therefore, they remain anonymous.
However, when anyone posts a comment in response to a posting on the Facebook page, Facebook does not allow the person posting the comment to remain anonymous. They include the person’s first and last name and, as in my case, my maiden name – since that’s the way I signed up for Facebook.
Because Facebook’s whole purpose is to connect people with each other by name and they do not allow comments or even “likes” without full names, Region One has an obligation to protect members' anonymity. That is the reason Region 1 will not allow any responses to Blog posts or events which are on the Region 1 Facebook page.
If you have a comment about a blog post, I encourage you to visit the www.oaregion1.org website. Check out the whole website and the blog postings are on the Board Blog page.
Margie G. - Region 1
- First, protecting those in OA from being known as OA members at the public level.
- Second, it has the spiritual meaning of remembering that we are all the same in OA – no one has greater worth than others.
Today I wish to talk about anonymity at the level of public media or social media such as Facebook. On the Region One webpage when Board members write an opinion piece called a blog, I can post that blog without including their last name or email address. I can also post that same blog on Facebook, as the administrator to the Region One page. When people respond to the blog on the Region One website, they can put their first name and last initial, or a fake name if they want to do so. They do have to include their email address, but it does not get published. Therefore, they remain anonymous.
However, when anyone posts a comment in response to a posting on the Facebook page, Facebook does not allow the person posting the comment to remain anonymous. They include the person’s first and last name and, as in my case, my maiden name – since that’s the way I signed up for Facebook.
Because Facebook’s whole purpose is to connect people with each other by name and they do not allow comments or even “likes” without full names, Region One has an obligation to protect members' anonymity. That is the reason Region 1 will not allow any responses to Blog posts or events which are on the Region 1 Facebook page.
If you have a comment about a blog post, I encourage you to visit the www.oaregion1.org website. Check out the whole website and the blog postings are on the Board Blog page.
Margie G. - Region 1