There seems to be no more sites, amoung google search, for just to post something for free without giving your email, etc. You know just to say hey I'm a guy and I feel such and such about this just to vent a little, yet am I using all the wrong search terms? There still should be some sites out there that don't need your email & 3 forms of id just to post for free just to say how you feel. So I know how to login here, not that I need to be anonymous, its just that it seems like everybody wants your private info now, big brother style.

I just want to know if that is everybody else's experience now or is there still some places free in the sense of free and not 22 forms to fill in before you qualify for being free to post?

I go to a few sites that give home page information
for free with out signing in and having to give your
email. But yes for the most part they want your
information and as much as they think they can
get from you.

Sadly most websites do want your information and will do just about anything to get it. To protect my privacy I use false information on websites I sign up onto unless I fully trust the owners of said website.

What's the real issue here? I've got a web site. It's MY web site, not yours. I pay for it; you don't. Yet you want to come on my web site and post anonymously and are angry that I might want to know a bit about you? Excuse me, but I don't owe you a platform for your latest screed and rant. In fact, I don't owe you anything (nor do you owe me anything, I realize. It's reciprocal.) If you don't like my terms, go elsewhere. I don't really give a (um) concern. And my not giving you an anonymous place on my web site does not constitute a police state. In fact, the only thing I really want is a valid email address. That's all. (Same as ATS) If I can't get a message to you, then I don't want you on my site. That's also reciprocal.

Basically what you are telling me is this: "I want time in your house."
And I say, "Who are you?"
And you say: "It's none of your business."
And I say: "Then you don't get time in my house. Take a hike."

It's that simple.

That is just it, join free just is not free anymore. After all the time I take to give a site my info, could be half an hour, to do what? Just post once and forget I joined there and never come back to that site again? Oh yeah, let me write that down, along with the other 20 websites I'm a member of, not that I visit them all regularly.

On my expat site I typically require an e-mail address as a way of verifying registration, the site sending you a link to complete the process to verify you actually requested registration, and it also allows you a means to retrieve a new password. I use this to prevent spammers from opening accounts and hitting the site with a bunch of adult material ads. Sometimes I lift that requirement and you can give a phony e-address and not have to tell me a thing, because as long as you're not spamming me I don't give a darn who or what you are.

I do have one forum, for the time being, a general information forum where an unregistered guest may post a reply, but not start a new thread. Registered members can post to the wide selection of public area forums and also have access to a "Members" forum that the public and search bots can't see, just for added privacy.

My web hosts permit most anything reasonably decent but absolutely forbid porn and obscene material, as do I. So, I have to have some safeguard in place so I can lock you out if you violate that cardinal rule, though most anything else goes. I just have to be able to stop drive-by abusers. Heck, if all those sites you want to post on require an e-mail address you can acquire one easily for just that purpose alone. That little requirement, an e-mail addy, in most cases is not for the purpose of invading your privacy but for the site administrator to have a little protection and control over their site.