I read this on the subject: Your forum name is your public name, while your username should not be given out.
I find this sad and don’t understand why any serious contributor would want to hide their identity especially on a technical forum such as this one.
On forums discussing frivolous topics maybe there’s a need to generate more interest with the intrigue of mysterious members.
Years ago when LinkedIn was establishing itself they had groups that discussed specific topics much like this forum. There was a group discussing PC issues which I found fascinating. They were mostly US techs. But then there was a shakeup (possibly the acquisition by MS) and then it was gone and I felt the loss of that resource keenly!
I feel that we should guard against this happening and I think that keeping your forum name as close to your name is a good start.
I agree, that would be nice…
I kept my old nickname merely because it’s become my trademark to some extent. But I don’t make my real name a secret.
I wouldn’t worry about matching too much, but it would be nice to fill in your real name in your public profile. Then it’s only a click away while allowing people to express their individuality.
Same. My initial exposure to the internet was IRC. In those days keeping one’s profiles as private as possible was the norm, doxxing someone was a big no no but did happen from time to time even though it was pretty harmless.
I think in this day and age privacy is so far gone there is no real point in trying to maintain it anymore.
Yup. And the nick I use here is my original nick from back then (nick, being IRC lingo for nickname, you also used /nick to change nicknames). It came about because of a confluence of things. Back then, a “plonker” was a bit like what you might call a troll today, but it is also the British slang for a stupid person. Plonk, of course, is also the term for wine of dubious quality. It is also a play on the word napster, and the guy in the remake of the Italian job insisting that he’s the real “napster”, and that he will never be shut down…
So there. It has some history. I am keeping it. But I did fill in my real name in ze profile.