What is the purpose of marking all your questions, answers and contacts as private?

Question

I'm just curious, I have found that many on here ask questions but have those questions marked as private. Some times I feel like I have nothing to contribute to a particular question but would like to see what others have given in the way of an answer. When I go to their avitar their questions, answers, and contacts are marked as private. Why is that?

Answer 1

I was trying to change my screen name and ended messing everything up!  If i can figure out how to unlock the darn thing i will!

Answer 2

My questions are open, but I do know several people here who have had to close their questions to private because of what one or two others had chosen to do with going in and mocking their answers or as some people here refer to as "stalking".  It's sad really.  Some days I feel like I'm back in high school (and while I appreciate the sense of feeling younger, I'm not sure I want to feel that young).

Answer 3

I think alot of people do it so you can't see the history of what they've asked or answered before and see if they're being hypocritical or intentionally inflamatory.  I don't do it to mine.  I'm not claiming I'm perfect - and I know you and I disagree on alot of things Lori, but at least you can know where I stand!  

If someone asks a question that I think is a "fake" question (something that belongs on Jerry Springer) I like to take a look at their previous questions and answers to get a framework of whether or not this is real, and how I should answer.  If they have them private, I usually assume it is a fake question and just ignore it.

Answer 4

None of mine are private.  I have a delet button if anyone starts to bother me...which no one has.  I rarely contradict myself - unless I've changed my mind - so have nothing to hide

Answer 5

What BPD said, exactly

Answer 6

I was being stalked here on Yahoo Answers thus my going private.  I had no problems and nothing to hide but there are people with nothing else better to do than to read every single answer and question of yours and then pretend they know you personally and send you e-mails and such.  It was very creepy and it bothered me so I went private.

It isn't right or wrong it's just a personal preference and I give many answers with a great deal of detail in family and relationships and it's better to prevent stalkers than to get rid of them.

Answer 7

When I first joined I read many of the threads before coming here. I blocked them before my first posts, which apparently infuriated them. They started stalking me and sending threatening and filthy emails.Then they started making up names similar to mine like "noodlesisnuts = adoptionsickandsad" and/or creating new accounts like healing adoptee/hello/lilalu, to get in and falsely report all of my questions, a lot of my answers and got them deleted. I had to make them private.

Here's a link you might enjoy reading:

eta: and they are still furious. Childish thumbs down, lol.

eta: poor healing/hello/lilalu. You've got it so backwards. You just admitted what you did. I blocked you because of your nonsense, trolling, threats, slander, false violation reports, stalking and harassment. You didn't bother answering Lori's question. You just came in here to continue your goofy, hateful, stalking campaign against me. Happy New Year little girl. Maybe this year you can try and grow up.

THIS IS WHY I HAD TO MAKE MY PROFILE, Q & A'S PRIVATE.

Answer 8

Hello Lori it is all about people liking their privacy. They may have fun contacts and other people may not understand the humor therefore these people go digging through your Q&A's and begin reporting people leading to a suspended acct.

If you are interested in adding people I would suggest answering one of their questions and emailing them with something to the effect that you would like to add them as a contact. it is simple and it only takes a few minutes :)

Have a lovely day :)

Answer 9

Little Jaina, I'm with you. While I understand that there are numerous valid reasons why people might turn them off, I regularly check out the profiles of anyone who seems a little off (as well as those I particularly like), and I get annoyed when those people are hiding.

Hey Isabel A,

If you want to change the settings, go to "My Profile" (link on the upper right hand side of every Y!A page) or else click on your name wherever you see it. Then, click on the "Edit My Info" link (it's to the right and slightly below your profile picture). Then, scroll down to the privacy section and UNcheck the box next to "Hide my Q&A..." Good Luck!

Answer 10

It's simply a personal preference.

Is this an adoption question?

Answer 11

Hi Lori,

I mark my answers as private because I have three girls who also use the same account at times. Keeping them on my account allows me to watch what they are up to and is safer for them.  They answer questions about makeup, homework, and who the hottest guys are.  If someone were to look up my question and answers they would truly get the wrong impression of me!

Answer 12

I turned mine off by accident.  And now I don't know how to turn them back on!  Really!!

I turned off my email a while back because I was getting emails from nutters telling me I should be happy and that I should call my firstdad which I can't do because  well...he's dead.  It creeped me out so I turned it off.  I figure I have enough friends irl.  I don't need to be communicating with weirdos who think I'm angry and want to curse at me.  It was hurting my very sensitive heart.

Answer 13

You are welcome to join as a fan if you want to see the other questions/answers that this person has answered or asked.

There are various reasons, but it is usually due to one or more nasty people.  For instance, I recently had an answer that was apparently viewed differently than intended. This person then went to my open questions to add a nasty response completely unrelated to my question.  I use BLOCK so that person can no longer affect me.  

There are some gamesters on here who hide their questions/answers because people check their questions in order to give a better answer and find out that they are just full of c**p.  For instance, a gal who keeps making up pregnancies (triplets or quadruplets especially).  All you had to do was look and see that she had this scam going 6 months before.

Answer 14

i do it so that whoever doesn't like one of my answers can't go and trash all the other ones. anyways, it's creepy when someone's looking at all the things you answered.

Answer 15

I don't see any reason to have it public. If someone wants to see them, then they can become a fan (which sounds so lame) but either way.. I never saw a reason to let people stalk me without my knowledge.. /shrug

Answer 16

i don't do it because i have nothing to hide and could careless who sees my Q's and A's.  it's not like i know anyone on here personally so there is nothing one could say that would offend me and to the first poster, what is so creepy about someone checking out your profile along withyour q's and a's? this is how you add contacts to your list, if you see a persons question or like the answers they have given to other questions then you can add them as a contact.