How Many Online Aliases Do You Use?
Displaying poll results.26400 total votes.
How Many Online Aliases Do You Use?
When the weight of the paperwork equals the weight of the plane, the plane will fly. -- Donald Douglas
When the weight of the paperwork equals the weight of the plane, the plane will fly. -- Donald Douglas
Prison (Score:4, Funny)
I'm a number, not a name you insensitive clod
Re:Prison (Score:4, Funny)
I am not a name! I am a free number!
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Internally, Anonymous Coward's UID is "666".
So, next time you see one of those threads where people brag about how few digits are in their UIDs, you can one-up most of them.
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http://slashdot.org/zoo.pl?op=check&uid=666 [slashdot.org]
I use "AC" always (Score:4, Insightful)
I find reputation a horrible notion. I haven't posted under my real name on the 'net since 2001, and I regret every posting I made with my name before that - not because they're negative but because they create some impression of me which may then be used to judge later posts. I see a newpaper article republished about some achievement from 2003, and it still annoys me that my name is out there.
As the charitable man who announces his generosity is merely engaging in a PR exercise, anyone who puts their name on their work - no matter how "free" or "open" - is merely selling himself. Anyway, I'd like the ideas/work to be judged - not the person.
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I'm not very good at selling myself (unfortunately), but, what's wrong with selling yourself?
Re:I use "AC" always (Score:5, Insightful)
It creates a competitive dynamic where each person is driven to outshine their peers with greater and greater levels of braggadocio. Once someone starts, other observers will assign greater importance (subconsciously) to the braggart based simply upon his claims, rather than actual deeds or the merit of what they are saying. In order to keep up, others must trot out equal or superior claims.
The workplace is already a competitive environment, so of course you need to learn to sell yourself to keep up and call attention to your merits. There are times when simply being good at your job may not be enough. However, this is a public forum for discussion, and bragging about personal exploits only serves to derail the topic to be about how authoritative each person claims to be, rather than logical arguments backed up with sources. That's why it's not particularly welcome to see someone start bragging. With that said, I don't think keeping a username is equivalent to bragging or even selling yourself. If someone cares enough to track back through a user's past to note their achievements that's fine. I always respect someone more when I find out good things about them without them pointing it out.
Re:I use "AC" always (Score:5, Interesting)
That's an unfortunate mindset.
I stopped trying to be "the best" a long time ago, simply because it's not something one can achieve unless they are willing to sacrifice a LOT for it, and in the end the effort is always not worth it.
Rather, I try to not be below the average group. I usually end up somewhere in the top 20-30%, which is good enough.
I use the same or similar nicknames wherever possible, and really don't care if someone makes a connection; I'm a little guy, and shaming me for this or that opinion is really not even an annoyance.
Whoever thinks can judge me based (only) on what I'm doing online is really beneath my consideration.
If you want to know me better and find out who I am, contact me and talk to me, don't just look at Facebook or whatever and decide you have formed a good image of my personality.
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- noh8rz noh8rz2 noh8rz3
Re:I use "AC" always (Score:5, Funny)
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It creates a competitive dynamic where each person is driven to outshine their peers with greater and greater levels of braggadocio. Once someone starts, other observers will assign greater importance (subconsciously) to the braggart based simply upon his claims, rather than actual deeds or the merit of what they are saying. In order to keep up, others must trot out equal or superior claims.
That's only true in an environment where reputation is based solely on claims, and not on the actual deeds or merit to said claims. Where I work, actions speak louder than words, and people are motivated to do good work. It seems obvious to me that any competent, and even many incompetent, managers care about results more than claimed badges of honor, and indeed the modern corporate mantras of "results-oriented" and "show me the money" reflect if anything an over-dependence on demonstrable success.
The workplace is already a competitive environment, so of course you need to learn to sell yourself to keep up and call attention to your merits. There are times when simply being good at your job may not be enough. However, this is a public forum for discussion, and bragging about personal exploits only serves to derail the topic to be about how authoritative each person claims to be, rather than logical arguments backed up with sources. That's why it's not particularly welcome to see someone start bragging. With that said, I don't think keeping a username is equivalent to bragging or even selling yourself. If someone cares enough to track back through a user's past to note their achievements that's fine. I always respect someone more when I find out good things about them without them pointing it out.
True.
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As far as selling yourself, unless you're a farmer you're going to need to sell something you have to survive
I'd go as far as to say that unless you live outside of society, you're going to need to sell yourself.
It's not a inherently good or bad thing, it's just the way things are. GGP complaining about one extreme and advocating the another extreme.
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against the law
And there was me thinking that your country prizes free speech...
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Classified as "Performance Art" :-D
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I thought the technical term was "Massage therapist"?
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it's a joke about an alternate meaning of "selling yourself".
Re:I use "AC" always (Score:5, Insightful)
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0 I always use my real name (Score:2)
I always use my real name.
Especially here on /.
jaz
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I always use my real name.
Especially here on /.
jaz
I sometimes use my real name, when I think it's appropriate.
On Wikipedia, I make most contributions with my real name. (Though I quite like my single-letter username too...)
If I'm making a post on a technical forum I use my real name.
Almost all other forums: an alias, I have a few (4, I think). I don't feel I need a consistent, single alias across the whole web -- I'm not trying to build a reputation with one.
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That's a fine (though odd to me) practice if your name is common, but if it's not, you're setting yourself up for someone to post your name online and say whatever they like. Or for another not-at-all-flattering newspaper article to be published, and that becoming the top hit for your name.
My name is right in the middle of common and uncommon, but I've done my best to "own my name" - I have my name's URL, I have my writings online where they're easy to find, and my social networks turn up pretty quickly (th
Re:I use "AC" always (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not so much about selling yourself or reputation pumping. The reason to post with a consistent name, either real or fake, is to allow for a conversation, instead of just an anonymous post. Having a conversation with an anonymous poster always raises the question about whether it is the same anonymous poster with each reply.
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This one (Score:2)
Real name (Score:5, Interesting)
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I do the same. One online nickname, which is probably easily tied to my real name, but I'm not trying to be anonymous. As a matter of fact, there are only a handful of people in the US that share my real name, and some of the top Google results for my name are for pages about me.
I am concerned about online reputation, but I try to make positive contributions, and treat people online as I would if I were talking to them face-to-face. I'll tell someone they're wrong if I think so (and if it's appropriate),
Re:Real name (Score:5, Interesting)
When I say something I put my name on it. It helps keep me from saying things that are ill-considered, juvenile, mean, sarcastic, or otherwise make me look stupid.
To me the problem is not stopping myself from saying such things. The problem is stopping other people from taking what I wrote out of context and having them think me ill-considered, juvenile, mean, sarcastic or stupid.
And even if you feel that you are anonymous amongst all the other Tim Hunter's, what happens when someone takes another Tim Hunter's ill-considered, juvenile, mean, sarcastic or stupid post and attributes it to you?
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Why would somebody do that?
Because people are dicks/stupid .. take your pick.
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and you care about what dicks and/or stupid people say why?
I learned long ago that those people can and will say all sorts of stupid dickish things about all sorts of people, you can't stop them. I also learned long ago that you don't feed trolls. Trolls will eventually die of starvation when you don't feed them. I care about what people who know me think, for that means so much more than some random troll on some board somewhere says about me. And people that listen to trolls, well that says more about the
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I'm a bit more careful: I use a variation of my real name for stuff I don't mind potential employers (or someone else trying to dig up dirt) finding, and a single pseudonym for things that I want to keep private from them.
The stuff I want to keep private isn't illegal or dangerous or affecting business in any way, but just opinions and beliefs which are probably not shared by the Big Cheese that could lead to professional repercussions.
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Interesting.
I am who I am regardless whether I use my real name or a nickname. You'll find my opinions shockingly consistent, both under some username or my real name.
I'd guess that's mainly because I don't have more than one face.
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lamer - it's more fun to have multiple faces. How else do you stalk pre-teens online?*.
* I'm kidding - my alias here is Creepy, so I thought it was kind of funny in that respect. Stalking people really is creepy - don't do it.
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When I say something I put my name on it. It helps keep me from saying things that are ill-considered, juvenile, mean, sarcastic, or otherwise make me look stupid. I'm aware that there are thousands of "Tim Hunter's" out there and that it's extremely unlikely that you could identify me personally (assuming that you cared enough to want to, which is also also extremely unlikely). Nevertheless, using my real name gives me an extra reason to think before hitting the "Submit" button.
While constructing mini trolls behind an alias is the salt'n'pepper of internet, I always have a certain respect for people like you who come and say things with their real identity.
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I used to use the alias "groo" at a few web sites, but that was a few years ago.
I guess I outgrew nicknames.
But using my real name has never made me bite my tongue in the first place. I wouldn't bite my tongue in person, so why would I do so online? I'm a firm believer in blunt honesty and would rather someone thought of me as an ass-hole than as an ass-kisser.
If you value my friendship, you'll get over any "hurt" that may cause. If you'd rather I be someone I'm not to save your feelings, then you
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My real name is a bit rarer than yours (there are 10-20 people with my name in the UK, 2 in the US, a baby in Australia). However, most of them are much younger than me (teenagers at most), so almost all hits for my name are me.
If I want to make things a bit more difficult I use my first initial and surname. That's also harder to search on, since "THunter" wouldn't be found with a search for "Hunter".
Tim! (Score:2)
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I'm not sure you've thought this through.
It's nearly impossible to not be in conflict with someone's beliefs or biases. If you did manage to avoid that, you likely be either the dullest, least opinionated person on the planet or a complete phoney with your online persona. In either case, why bother using your real name?
It might be fine to weed out friends and those you prefer to have the similar values and beliefs. But what about the HR person from your next job or someone else you'd like to know you person
Re:I hide. (Score:5, Interesting)
As a matter of fact, I think a parent should have the perogative to take his kid out at anytime during his life. -- "Son, you're a scumbag, you've hurt too many people and you've been in and out of jail for the last 20 years. It's time for you to go." BANG.
But there are people out there who would cause me physical harm because of my opinion. Sure it's illegal and they'd go to jail, but it's a shallow victory if I'm maimed or killed. I'm terrified of anti-abortionists.
I find it hilarious that you typed out both points above right next to each other. So you're so on-board with abortion that you'd even like people to be able to murder their older kids... but you are terrified at the thought of people murdering you. Maybe you are both an idiot and a hypocrite.
In your case, it definitely benefits you to hide your identity, because you are such an idiot.
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Well come on, that's a misrepresentation. Clearly he'd only be ok with his own murder if was at the hands of one of his parents.
Assuming he's being serious, I don't agree with his position at all (I'm the opposite, against all murder, in which category I include abortion), but it is totally logically consistent.
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Well come on, that's a misrepresentation. Clearly he'd only be ok with his own murder if was at the hands of one of his parents.
I guarantee you that he wouldn't consent to his own parents killing him, no matter whether his idiotic views on "abortion of adults" allows it or not. Of course, deep analysis of an AC's post is an effort in futility, but the view we have from this post of his personality shows an individual terrified of death who feels very strongly about the sanctity of his own life. And he's an idiot. :^D
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Actually, I would classify his post as borderline psychopathic; "personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for the rights of others and the rules of society". But that is just me.
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Parents have always been able to "take out" anyone they choose, usually punishment involving life in prison results, but that's their choice. ;-)
It's good that juries of my peers have the right to nullify the law if it's unjust.
It's also good that backhoes are usually left unlocked at construction sites, yes even a few days after most proms.
People with strong opinions against X usually have some strong reason for hiding their involvement in doing X, for a wide variety of X.
Iden
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I probably have very average sized FBI, CIA, DIA and Mossad files.... not too big, not too small. ;-)
It would be fun to put together an extrapolated narrative to expand on your cryptic confession above, about how as a teenager you murdered your out-of-wedlock baby using a stolen backhoe after the prom, then became a journalist and over the next 20 years subliminally conditioned everyone likely to serve on a jury in your area psychologically to nullify any conviction against you, as you continued a side career of espionage and the life of a mob boss, flying weekly between Tel Aviv and Chicago.
But I won't do
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People so limited and annoying they go around calling people idiots
When somebody makes the suggestion that we should legalize parents killing their children (at any age, not just in the womb), do you have a better description than "idiot" for them? I thought I was being rather kind.
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As a matter of fact, I think a parent should have the perogative to take his kid out at anytime during his life.
"Son, you're a scumbag, you've hurt too many people and you've been in and out of jail for the last 20 years. It's time for you to go." BANG.
The problem with this is, what constitutes "bad person" or "badly led life" varies widely based on the moral/religious/political beliefs of the individual. How many people would put "being gay" or "not being my religion" on that list? Hell, I bet there are more than a few who would put "advocating murder" on that list.
We have a justice system for exactly the problem you're trying to fix.
Pseudonymous Coward (Score:5, Insightful)
While I don't lie about my personal positions when I'm directly asked, sometimes, especially in the US, it's advantageous to have googling your name not result in your potential partner/investor/exec thinking "Oh, so he's an atheist communist who likes to trash the Web2.0 VC fund my brother has a stake in.".
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While I don't lie about my personal positions when I'm directly asked, sometimes, especially in the US, it's advantageous to have googling your name not result in your potential partner/investor/exec thinking "Oh, so he's an atheist communist who likes to trash the Web2.0 VC fund my brother has a stake in.".
Who have you been dating!?!?
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I always use an alias (Score:5, Funny)
I always play it safe and use an alias when posting, rather than my real name;
Mr J Heller
49 Acasia Ave
London
SW1 6TY
Emails and Online Aliases (Score:3, Interesting)
It's not quite an alias, but about 3 months back I switched to hosting my own mail (moving away from gmail). The one big upside was using postifx + mysql, which allows me to create a new alias email every time I do something online. Generally I create a "retail_xxxxxxx" account for buying things online which does two things: 1) makes it easy to filter email into personal and paperwork categories, and 2) allows me to see who's selling my email addresses. It's not as many as you'd think, and it's generally the smaller shops that do it. The one other big upside is that I can redirect a specific email to /dev/null unless I actually want to get the emails; a sort of email mute button.
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I do both! I have about 50 e-mail addresses on the domain that I host, one for each potential spammer (otherwise known as companies that I do business with). All of these are redirected to my gmail account for spam filtering. Then I use Thunderbird to download e-mails from my GMail account. Very neat, clean solution that gives me the best features of GMail and the ability to hand out special-purpose e-mails when I create an account for anything.
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I did approximately the same thing and in some ways I completely regret it.
For example as a gamer, I had accounts with EA, Fileplanet, EA Forums, PS3 forums and things like that - the long story short is, when a company like EA who had absoloutely shitty management of systems and finally consolidates - I don't end up with one nice shiny account for all systems, it ends up a giant mess.
Not sure what to do about that :/
Re:Emails and Online Aliases (Score:5, Informative)
You can have "pseudo"-aliases in Gmail as well. According to their help guide, just append +whatever to your handle and you'll receive the email in your inbox. Filtering, labeling, etc should all work.
Example: username+slashdot@gmail.com
http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=12096 [google.com]
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Except that many sites use brain-dead regexes to validate an e-mail address and reject e-mail addresses with "+" in it, even though it's RFC compliant. It's super annoying.
out (Score:2)
I generally use my real name online, probably because that's how I got started. In fact, I had to fight a bit for my right to do so in the early days online. There was a forum on CompuServ back in the 1980s for gay/lesbian people, and the operators of it insisted on treating it like an anonymous support group: we weren't allowed to put our full names on our profiles. Which was a slap in the face to those of us who wanted to use our full names, as an indication that we weren't ashamed of who we were. In
Seinfeld (Score:2)
I've lost count. (Score:4, Interesting)
For example, nerdy sites like this one, I tend to put in a demeaning name (in this case, calling myself an idiot) so that it's easier to avoid arguments.
I've found when I say something that someone else disagrees with, I don't get a giant text wall that I can't be bothered to read.
Instead, I just tend to get a short "You're an idiot!" reply, and I just smile and nod.
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I can relate - this alias is fine for Slashdot, but it would be wrong to use it on, say Facebook or a victims of spousal abuse website.
Variations of the same (Score:2)
My older accounts have McMonkey, while newer have mcmnky (to match my license plate). That's been my nom de net since about 1994.
There was an interesting discussion in another forum I frequent where some folks equated the use of an alias with anonymity. This seemed a more prevalent attitude among those newer to online discussions. Those more seasoned in the ways of the web (and net) generally see an online alias the same as a CB or ham radio handle. It's not the name on my birth certificate, but it is m
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I think that is a big point, an alias doesn't mean anonymous. I have 4 aliases,
The one I use here, and many other places, is my most common one, and it is my online "name" People know me by it, and some people I know IRL refer to me by it as well because they first met me online.
Unfortunately my first alias is too common, so I have another one that I use on many sites where someonhe has already claimed all variations on my first one. (this second alias funnily enough IS my ham radio callsign which is obviou
Uhm, why are people disclosing this? (Score:4, Insightful)
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Isn't it a bad idea to disclose things like the number of aliases one has?
It's the facebook security model. If you ask some people will tell you everything.
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My real name.... (Score:2)
Not saying (Score:2)
What a strange question. The only correct answer is not to play.
This reminds me of the time a guy running an IT class asked everyone in the room what firewalls they used at work. The only correct answer was 'I am not telling you'.
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Nothing wrong with security by obscurity, so long as its not the only layer - not telling anyone about what security you have in place means you haven't given them a head start.
Different login or different site? (Score:2)
I picked 6+ because I definitely don't use a different one for each login.
But I don't think there are two sites that have the same sets of details about me, outside of a couple of online retailers that know my real name, cc #, etc.
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Distribution curve (Score:2)
Michael Kristopeit (Score:2)
My real name *sigh* (Score:5, Funny)
I don't know what possessed my mom and dad to name me "93 Escort Wagon". It took some doing, especially considering their last name isn't "Wagon"!
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I don't know what possessed my mom and dad to name me "93 Escort Wagon". It took some doing, especially considering their last name isn't "Wagon"!
Your close friends call you "Station"?
All this noise about being anonymous/pseudonymous (Score:2)
Overrated, both of them.
sudonymous ftw.
Use the name that the news folks give you . . . (Score:2)
Seems obvious to me: http://fost-adopt.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/new-issues-for-polygamy-ranch-children [adoptionblogs.com]
My Opinion (Score:4, Informative)
My professional programming career began in aerospace, in flight test analysis actually, and audit trail requirements were that every document, code or design/test/guide/whatever and every change be signed or accompanied by a signed certificate, With peer review also generating a set of set of signed documents, it becomes second nature to be prepared to accept responsibility for your output. This does not, or at least in a well managed team should not, lead to self promotion, or unseemly competition.
I am now retired, and have no interest in "reputation" good or bad. My opinions have been formed over the last 40+ years of computing, and frankly I don't care about what is fashionable or cool or politically correct, but I do hope that people will find my thoughts interesting or even helpful. I still write programs to do with my hobbies, but I don't publish them as I am unable (or unwilling) to find the time to offer support, it does mean that I consider myself reasonably current in terms of languages and design philosophies and I am quite willing to express my opinions on such matters. Because I fought long and hard to establish and develop structured design and programming methodologies and still believe that such techniques are essential to good software engineering practices, my opinions on "interactive programming" are probably seen by the younger coder as "extreme", but they are my opinions and I will not hide behind AC.
I don't care if you disagree, I will even mod you up if your disagreement is well expressed and founded on real experience, I am happy to hear different approaches to the same problem, and might even admit that Java has place in computing (well I might be exaggerating there).
So I don't need aliases, and if you feel that you do I would ask you to re-examine your reasons. Are you frightened about a visit from the "Gubbermint", or worried that your employer will object to your on-line life, or ashamed? Remember that all it takes for evil to prosper is that good people do nothing. Stand by your name, be prepared to justify your ideas, and do not care about the opinions of those who don't. Sometimes you will be wrong (we all drop the ball sometimes), this is not a bad thing, not even for reputation, as long as when you find out, you admit it gracefully, and if somebody discovers your error, thank them for their efforts.
In case you are interested, my sig is my clan motto, and translates as "neither by fate nor luck" , or in the vernacular "by my own efforts" so perhaps my attitude is a genetic thing:).
666 votes (Score:2)
just now for "new alias for every login".
Just a coincidence I'm sure.
Please clarify... (Score:2, Funny)
Do we get to vote once for each alias we use?
Like many others 2 (Score:3)
I will admit the digg id 'dubbreak' is mine. Someone convinced me to join in '06. I commented 29 times then gave up. Couldn't stand the whole 'popularity contest' of the up down mod system. Instead of thinking about a moderation people just vote whether they agree with or like it. On slashdot I can mod something I may not agree with interesting. Whether I like or dislike something has no bearing on whether it should be part of a conversation. As far as internet forums go the signal to noise ration here is quite good. And that's exactly why I'm still posting on slashdot. There is lively debate on slashdot that shows a level of maturity while digg was more akin to children having a pissing contest.
My approach (Score:2, Insightful)
- sites where login is required, but i don't want it, used once: throwaway alias generated on the spot
- sites where login is required, I rather not have it, but need to access it regularly: alias generated on the spot, linked to me & service
- desktop logins: real name
- server logins:
+ for work: whatever they give me or close to real name - I probably want others to know it's me)
+ for others: close to real name or a dedicated alias (e.g. wow-login would be like that (except
A few similar ones, answered '1'. (Score:2)
I use this screenname in a lot of places. occasionally I use a couple other ones, but they're similar, so I stuck with answering '1'
Not exactly my real name, but based upon it. Seemed like an easy way to come up with a screenname, and I kept using it - felt like being consistent, I guess.
Who is asking? (Score:3)
And what are you going to do with the information?
Not only am I multi-faceted... (Score:3, Funny)
My scheme (Score:3)
- 1 just for slasdot
- 1 for each subject of interest of mine that I regularly go to
the internet for ( i.e. 1 for tech questions, 1 for nutrition forums, 1 for yoga, 1 for Buddhism, etc )
-1 just for facebook, with a dedicated email address on top of that.
I'm surprised how sloppy people are with using one alias for everything. Aside from making it easy for HR people to snoop on them, they also make it easy for investigators of all kinds and angry cranks they might come across on the internet.
Another bad habit I noticed is pasting posts across several sites. Search engines are much better these days. It is easy to take a phrase from someone's post or an entire excerpt and search on it. Doing that they can find identifying information about you. I'm guessing it could also come in handy for teachers wanting to know if you bought your paper off the internet
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Don't lie, we can all see your name is 'Anonymous Coward'.
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Is Yves a common name? If so, you could easily be lost in the crowd.
Speaking of which.. a long time ago on a MUD far away I remember a Yves. Didn't occur to me a t the time that his character name may actually have been his first name. Interesting thought.
Re the GP's post.. I've lost count of how many 'online' names I have had. Far and away too many, most of them probably deleted by now.