OK, I've browsed the (very helpful) sticky thread at the top of this forum and I've done a search as well but didn't find anything relevant -- so here goes.

When you change a detail in your profile (e.g., location, affiliation), the change apparently becomes retro-active to all previous posts! This is not good. The information in the profile at the time of posting a message should be permanently connected to that message.

The purpose of putting info into a public profile is to give a reader who doesn't know you a very quick idea of 'where you're coming from'. Oftentimes that is very helpful in the context of a particular message or thread. If someone is answering questions or giving advice about a town, for example, his opinions may carry more weight if his Location _is_ that town. Say he later moves somewhere else and updates his profile. Later still someone finds his old messages but sees no connection between the poster's (current) Location and the subject of the thread. This not only devalues the poster's contribution but it can also be confusing or misleading for the person reading the message(s).

cheers,

Henry