Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2010-06-29 18:07:09 - Graham Ellis
In answer to a question asked via Ask the Tutor. A good question which I have emailed an answer to, followed by the text "IF YOU POST AS EXAMPLE - ANON PLEASE"
My Answer:
I couldn't help noticing you emphasising that to me in your message: "IF YOU POST AS EXAMPLE - ANON PLEASE". My initial reaction was "of course I would - what does he take me for? What makes him think that I would ever publish details that allow someone who's asked me a question to identify them?".
But then I thought about it. And it my not be obvious from previous writings.
I do - and I always have - respected anonimity. I have many, many examples in my mailbox where I've written to someone and asked "can I quote this". And I ask delegates - as a matter of course - if I may add their pictures to my web site before I do so. However, I don't think I've ever described this process on the blog, or in detail elsewhere, so it's fair enough that you ask, and that I reassure you.
For the record, then. We're in a customer facing business, and we respect the privacy of all of our customers, and of their applications and data. I would not publish any personal details, or anything that would identify you, without your permission. That includes data / examples, and indeed any data, ideas, etc, that we talk through are "in confidence" and remain so unless you agree to or request that we publish them.
And - thinking further - I can see that it is good to re-iterate the assurance. My last blog article is a reprint of text that even includes a name - but it was sent with a specific request to circulate it, with the author circulating the best part of 50 people and saying "please pass this on ...".. But look carefully at my blog, and you'll only find named only client companies who've agreed to be named or published the fact that they use us, and how. You'll not find mention of the others. You'll find no mention of hotel guests. See trip advisor or Google Map reviews and you'll learn a lot more about a handful of these people than you will from us ;-)