Thread: Usernames versus real names

Lawson's example reminds me of another "real-life" culture in which most folks go by aliases given to them by other: the trail names Appalachian Trail hikers are dubbed early on the trail tend to stick with them.

The Internet is a very anonymous place isn't it?

I think for most folks their handle is their alter ego or maybe who they wish they were so since they came up with it I assume that's how they want to be addressed. Once you have had a more personal contact or a longer history with someone I think the use of their first name is very appropriate.

There is another forum I'm on that has the option to enter your first name such that it appears in the "block" of information under your avatar.

My first name may or may not be holli4pirating, but it is definitely NOT holli, holly, or hollie.

your sooooo lucky mum changed her mind

Originally Posted by Utopian

For the sake of brevity, you are welcome to skip to the 4th paragraph (not counting this introduction) for the point of this post.

Some members of this forum use their real names as their usernames. Most use something else for their usernames. Last year a member who had as high of an opinion of me as I had of him chastised me for a long list of things, including the correct accusation that my signature line is not "real Latin," (which I never claimed it to be), and that I did not have the nerve to use my real name in the forum.

I suppose in one sense, he might have been right. (Wow that was difficult.) I fully realize that internet anonymity can be problematic if people chose to behave in a manner that they would not if they were held up to public inspection, but I also don't care to have a great deal of my personal information strewn about the internet. I'm not ashamed of anything that I have written in this forum, but I do not wish to be professionally judged by what I have written here either.

For that reason, I chose a username that makes sense to people who know me well, but that has no actual association with my real name, which might or might not be Ron. Okay, I admit it might be Ron (though my mother planned on calling me Wendy right up until I was born) and that might be what I go by in "real life." Now I admit that I was kind of slightly unnerved when people started calling me Ron on the forum. I felt like I had just been outed again. (Yup, I was outed in college when the school newspaper incorrectly identified me as Ron #@#@#@#@, a gay student. That was really a problem because I had just broken up with my girlfriend and because my mother subscribed to the paper.)

So I'm on the verge of the point here. Some may or may not care about anonymity within the forum, but that is a separate issue. The point I'd like to make is that it is confusing when members with anonymous usernames are referred to in posts by their real names.

Lynn is Lynn (that one's pretty easy)
Gssixgun is Glen
JimmyHad is Jimmy (well, duh)
Hi_bud_gl is Sham, though some call him Bud
Utopian might or might not be Ron

Those of us who have been here a while know these names, but this is confusing, and perhaps a little exclusionary, when posts use the actual names of people who have other usernames. I'm guilty of it, but I'm going to try to get out of the habit. I know in a sense it's more personal and friendly to use the real names but I for one think it is more inclusionary to only refer to members by their usernames.

Sincerely,
Utopian
(not Wendy)

I have to admit that when I joined the forum, the username I have on several forums (fora?) was not available, or I would have continued using it.

Over time, I have gained appreciation for those who use their real names on the internet, as there is a bit of accountability when you hang your identity out for others to see. I have no objection to otherwise, but don't have any real problems using my name.

Anymore, it's just not that difficult for someone to find out who we are, where we live and what our hat size is.

Dear holli,

Hopefully you won't take great umbrage at my shortening your handle, but as one who is keyboard challenged, the shorter more things are the better more it is for me.

Some handles are fun, some are strange, and some are just too much to type in. My handle is my name; it was easy to choose and I didn't have to wrack my brain trying to be creative. This is good as there ain't much to wrack and less by each passing year, it seems.

The story goes that when I arrived on the scene Dad wanted to name me Ole, Per, or Lars; how he and Mom decided on my handle I'll never know.

Actually the use of real names confuses me - easily done as alluded to above - because I don't know most posters here personally, only be their handles, but the more I stumble along the more some things become evident. I have figured out that Randydance is actually Randy and that Mike Blue is really he and that Lynn is Lynn.

thanks for taking the time to read this -- Fred

lz6 = landing zone 6 (Army radio call sign 1966/67) = Bob

Well I guess I don't really care on this forum what people know about me. There are a few of you who know my name, but the reason I don't use it is because the English and the Americans misspell it (some Dutch claim that I misspell it too). My name is Gerrit VanKommer and those who wish can utilize this info and say hi once in a while (I'm on Facebook).
This forum is different from the others on the net. I am comfortable here. I usually trust the members and have found many here to be a greater help than even they realize. In my wife's recent post about her bad week the people responded in a way that she didn't realize and I hoped you would. As Karen said this is a family, but this family is open to everyone, and with the help of a few great people here this family is protected from th mass ridiculousness that is the open internet. I thank you ladies and gentlemen who have allowed me entrance into this family and all I can hope is that I will provide a contribution someday as great as those who have been so helpful in my straight razor journey.

-G

I'm a code monkey/geek and spend a lot of time on tinterwebz I also have a bit of knowledged on tinterwebby securication.. and my line is call yourself what you want on here, ok I'm the geek and this is fairly accurate lol, but when it comes down to it what you say on here is what you should be judged by and if folk dont like you're opinion or view they simply should not read it, if they do they have to accept they might not like it and if they don't it's their tough monkey doo doo.

Geek

Originally Posted by JMS

Henceforth utopian shall be known as the poster formerly known as Ron...maybe. .

I still prefer Wendy...

Mines pretty straight forward, Reds is the first part of my surname and it's a handle that I use on most of the forums that I frequent.

My christian name is Steve (never, EVER Steven (you've all been warned ). Feel free to use either, I'm easy.

The first name thing on a forum is a bit of an etiquette thing isn't it? My 2 cents worth is this; Use the user name until you've met, either in person or via p.m. or email. Much like real life TBH.