I wanted to drop the subject because we have veered of the original topic of Godfather's suugestions as to how subs can improve themselves in order to find a dom. That said, I will respond to the points address to me:

Whippedbayou - and ask MacGuffin why you would care if I as a sub asked for a collar simply to keep others at bay?
Godfather - I think the real question is, why would you care? If they are collared it shouldn't matter.
I think since Whippedbayou's question is merely a repetition of Godfathers I can kill two birds with one stone here. Clearly my comment was a little tongue in cheek but nonetheless there was an underlying truth. What do I care? I could say given a world of starvation, poverty, war and pestilence I don't really care if a sub wears a collar of convenience. But this was my point:

Firstly - You are taking the romantic relationship out a collar and turning it into something completely different. What do you care if somebody marries an american just to get a green card. What do you care if a university gives away fake degree certificate so somebody can get a job. What do you care if everybody wears a fake rolex watch when you have paid 10,00 bucks for your real one. A collar of convenience devalues the worth and meaning of something which for many people is a cherished symbol of love.

Secondly - I can see that the subbie want to avoid being harassed - no arguement here. But does the subbie want be protected from good doms as well? Probably not. Can you not see the confusion when the subbie with the collar of convenience says to the dom she likes "ah but you can pm me, ignore this collar its just a fake one". In a rl analagy this is almost like women slipping on and off wedding rings according to who asked them to dance. Now assume other doms offer collars of convenience as well and give it a while. You end up with a situation where all subs are collared some real, some fake, some want a dom and some don't. Total confusion and anarchy!

Godfather - I have offered a few posts, a suggestion and yet at each turn you seem to enjoy playing devils advocate looking for bad intentions where none were meant
I am sure your intentions are honorable but is it not wise to scrutinize solutions to spot any possible downsides. Isn't that why laws take a long time to be passed.

Godfather - Comparing me to a ganster whom did bad or evil things simply because I took on the name Godfather.
Come on be fair. Surely you can understand when a Dom with the Godfather for nick (and avatar) makes an offer of protection the comparison is obvious. I was not implying you are a gangster, merely highlighting the drawbacks of working outside the existing policing framework. If it is pure coincidence that your nick is so apt for an offer of protection I apologise, but I am sure you will understand the reason for my error.

Godfather - If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Which one are you?
Yes very good bumper sticker wisdom. Now let's apply the same maxim to important issues like crime. I'm not a policeman so I must be a criminal. That said I will think on some suggestions. I'm sure you will understand I need to think first, thats how it works with problem solving.

PS - I agree completely with DownTownAmber but if collars do not have a special meaning to subs then thats fine by me, frankly I don't care personally and am no great fan of either rl collars or nick collars. I was not thinking of my own interests when I pointed out the potential downfalls. I was thinking of the many subs for whom a collar is a little bit more than a fashion statement or personal security device. This is what its all about, thinking about the other person.