As soon as I saw this thread, with the recommendation that the OP join RS2K, I was just waiting for you to chime in with your very strong advice to stay away from them. Always telling guys that they're stupid, crazy, foolish to give out their real names... just live and let live already.
You are clearly refusing to hear what we ladies are saying: knowing a CLIENT'S real name and personal info has been proven to greatly reduce the risk of being harmed by a CLIENT.
Who has harmed me most in my life? Clients? No, absolutely not. Those would be exactly who you described: those who were known to me.
Yep, I can admit it. I've exercised some very poor judgement in the past and have gotten hurt.
However, we are not speaking of being harmed by people in our personal lives, only of the risks associated with anonymous CLIENTS.
So.... SPEAKING ONLY OF CLIENTS & POTENTIAL CLIENTS: I've had a higher percentage of "problem clients" from the pool of alias-using guys, than from the group that was fully vetted with their real names and all the other info Cathy (RS2K) requires.
I will say it again (in the hope it will sink in): In MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with various levels of screening, I have had far fewer problems arise with CLIENTS who were fully screened than with those who were not.
We're not talking about boyfriends, family members, random neighbors, etc. but specifically KNOWING THE REAL NAME OF A CLIENT.
No, that knowledge does not prevent bad things from happening. I have had non-anonymous clients turn bad, but far fewer than those who gave me only an alias and references.
That is what we ladies are saying: KNOWING A CLIENT'S REAL INFORMATION has been proven (at least to some of us) to reduce our percentage of risky/potentially harmful individuals.
You're not comfortable giving out your real name to providers and/or agencies? That's fine; I totally understand AND respect that.
There are plenty of ladies out there who are comfortable trusting in references and their own instincts for alias-only clients to frequent.
I'm not criticizing anyone's desire for privacy and anonymity nor do I advocate that every lady should demand real names from clients, or advise all hobbyists to join RS2K.
Why won't you respect that many men ARE ok with handing out that information in order to meet with certain ladies or just plain make us feel more comfortable?
It seems to me that you want ALL HOBBYISTS to go the anonymous route, believing that the power is in the hands of the purchaser, which would thereby force providers to accept anonymous clients or retire.
If that assessment is incorrect, please say so. But if that really is how you feel, I'm curious as to why.
Just to widen the pool of providers that alias-using hobbyists can meet? Or do you have another reason?
There are plenty of fish in the sea for all of us, providers and hobbyists alike.
Now let's hold hands and sing KUMBAYA till we really do all just get along!!
J/K :-P