Forum aliases and names?

[wreckedlemon]

Hi there, pretty new here and to TVPaint and I've noticed that a lot of people here have quite straightforward alias. Been thinking about dropping the videogame handle and the using my own something I rarely do? What's the etiquette here? And what people's views in general? And specifically in this forum?

[Paul Fierlinger]

What's wrong with using your real name?

[slowtiger]

There's no rule about which name to use here.

[wreckedlemon]

What's wrong with using your real name?

That's what I was thinking. Think I'll change it. Seems like a good community here.

[Paul Fierlinger]

That's the spirit! Easier to trust people who don't feel the need to hide behind an alias. Like Mark Twain; can you trust everything Sam Clemens wrote? LOL

[D.T. Nethery]

What's wrong with using your real name?

I agree. But some people still prefer to keep their privacy online so they use a nom de plume . I understand. That's ok with me. The internet can be a rough place.
Not so much a problem on this forum where everyone is well behaved, but maybe some people don't want their real name revealed so they are not contacted by people who they prefer to avoid online.

When I first got online (1998) it seemed to be the trend that most forum/discussion board users had some made up user name , not their real name, so I followed suit ... then I had dozens of pseudonyms I had to keep track of on various forums. Finally, I decided for me I wanted to use my own name because it keeps me from getting into unnecessary contentious discussions. It's a character flaw of mine that I will tend to write more pugnaciously and get into arguments if I'm hiding behind a pseudonym. On analyzing it , I found that 9 times out of 10 if it was some discussion that caused me to be angry it was better that I just stay out of it or if I did enter the fray I would do it with my own name and not write anything that I would not say to a person's face in real life. I still have a few online nom de plumes on forums where they don't allow you to change your user name without re-registering a new account or even some forums where you must use a pseudonym , but for the most part I prefer posting under my own name for the reasons mentioned above.

Here on this forum I use the initials of my first and middle name, with my last name. I suppose I could just change it to David Nethery.

[Paul Fierlinger]

You put it so well, David. I've had such experiences as well and feelings of shame for what I had just said and how unnecessary those moments were had I given my answer more thought before jabbing my finger into ENTER. There were times when I wished for a keyboard key called ESCAPE. The best way to learn from experiences is to say what needs to be said under a real name. People who operate under pseudonyms are missing on the opportunity to take more personal responsibility and grow from their mistakes.

[wreckedlemon]

The are interesting points.

[slowtiger]

The idea that users will behave better if forced to use a real name is a nice one, but an illusion. From Facebookt to Twitter to anywhere (but not in this forum, thx) no real name policy ever prevented a certain part of the users to behave as badly as possible, abuse and threaten others. That's the evidence. Of course again and again politicians everywhere propose a real name obligation as if it would solve that problem. It doesn't. On the same topic, no money or effort ever is put into law enforcement to really get those who threaten others, or protect their victims (recent happenings in Germany, e.g.). That Real Name Fetish only caters the interests of surveillance enthusiasts. (There's lots of reasons to not use your real name online, and they're all legitimate. Spend some minutes to think about victims of stalking and bullying and doxxing before writing something on the lines of "real name is good for everybody".)

[D.T. Nethery]

I don't disagree. That's why I wrote: "some people still prefer to keep their privacy online so they use a nom de plume . I understand. That's ok with me. The internet can be a rough place."

Maybe I'm foolish to use my real name (because of the potential privacy violations you mention). As far as "behaving better" using real names, I don't claim it works for everyone , I'm only saying that is what I decided works for me.

[Paul Fierlinger]

All true, yet I have never used anything but my real name since the internet began, or rather since bulletin boards started up and nothing wrong has been done to me and of all the people I know who also use their real names I know of no one who has come to harm. But sure, do whatever you feel comfortable with. Back in communist Czechoslovakia where my name was attached to some of the highest members of the party I used a pseudonym, officially accepted since I was an artist and that protected me from a lot of soreness in my everyday life, so circumstances can simply dictate what to choose. Probably because I felt so free when I got out and back here I was so happy to be unashamed of my name and I think that has a lot to do with why I use it.

[tribute27]

Whatever you choose I'm sure it'll be fine I'm glad that these forums have been pretty chill so far