Steps to Protect Your Privacy and Collection

Today, a member of Coin Network who had posted his US Mint order number in a discussion thread had his order canceled. If someone has an order number and the last name of the person who placed the order, that is enough information to cancel the order on the US Mint's website.

This is disturbing on many levels. There is little or no benefit to be gained by canceling someone else's order. The only thing it does accomplish is to harm another person. I have done what I could to try to make things right for the member who had his order canceled.

I have spent a great deal of time creating, expanding, and promoting this site. All of the members have likewise spent a great deal of time and effort contributing to discussions and sharing their collections.

We all want Coin Network to be a great place for coin collectors to meet and discuss coins, but since it is a public network, we all have to exercise caution. Below are some suggested steps to follow to protect your privacy and/or collection.

1.) Only use your full name if you are completely comfortable with having your identity known online. Your can simply use your first name as your profile name, or an alias like "Platinum Guy." You can change your profile name at any time, and all previous activity on Coin Network will be updated to reflect only your new name.

To change your profile name, go to your profile page, and click the Edit button on the right side of one of the central menu bars. You will have access to a page where you can edit any profile information you entered previously, including your profile name.

2.) Only provide your full address to someone if you are completely comfortable with them knowing it. If you do want to provide your address to another member, use the messaging features and avoid posting your address directly in any thread, blog post, or comment.

3.) If you decided to swap or trade coins with another member, do so at your own risk. To minimize risk, establish a familiarity with the member on Coin Network before trading and keep transactions small.

4.) Do not post US Mint order numbers in any thread, blog post, or comment. Orders can be canceled at the US Mint by anyone who has your order number and last name.

5.) Update your privacy settings to your preferred level. Coin Network allows various levels of privacy for your activity across the network. You adjust privacy settings to make your activity visible to everyone, only Coin Network members, or only your Coin Network friends.

To adjust your privacy settings, go to your profile page, and click the Edit button on the right side of one of the central menu bars. On the next page, you will see a link to your privacy settings on the left side of the page.