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How do you feel abour your real name being revealed online?

Read the OP carefully: How do you feel about


  • Total voters
    36
Yes, Maybe, Yes.

I really don't care if my real name is used, anything I say online, I don't mind being associated with, I'm not one of those gits who hides behind online anonymity. If I was paying for a service and I was getting some use out of their online forum, I'd keep doing so no matter whether my name was used or not. Free forums, who knows, it depends on how much enjoyment I got out of it, I may stay or move on depending.
 
Whatever happened to lying? In your scenario do they cross reference your information somehow to make sure you're using your real name?

Yes, Maybe, Yes.

I really don't care if my real name is used, anything I say online, I don't mind being associated with, I'm not one of those gits who hides behind online anonymity. If I was paying for a service and I was getting some use out of their online forum, I'd keep doing so no matter whether my name was used or not. Free forums, who knows, it depends on how much enjoyment I got out of it, I may stay or move on depending.

That's a different view of it.

I'm not personally embarassed or hiding from people (like my husband or Mom) knowing my opinions and views. . . so that doesn't occur to me.
What I say online is what I feel and think - there's no difference. There's also no difference forum to forum. I am the same - my ID changes.
 
No-No-Maybe for me.

I caveat my answers that I would give my name to the SITE but if it were public, I would not. There are far too many exploiters and dangerous people on line. To reveal personal information on line to the 'general public' is a mistake and can come back to haunt a person very quickly.
 
Yes, Maybe, Yes.

I really don't care if my real name is used, anything I say online, I don't mind being associated with, I'm not one of those gits who hides behind online anonymity. If I was paying for a service and I was getting some use out of their online forum, I'd keep doing so no matter whether my name was used or not. Free forums, who knows, it depends on how much enjoyment I got out of it, I may stay or move on depending.

Being anonymous isn't always about being a jack ass troll.

I have legal(not criminal or the like) & harassment type reasons to be anonymous and I don't believe most people here think I'm a purposeful troll.
 
I would be less active, since I have to make sure that my friends, family and my future employers approve of what I'm saying. Most of time I wouldn't mind, but sometimes I prefer it to be anonymous. But I would certinally post less.
 
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No, Maybe, Maybe.

I don't mind my real name and some personal information being online when I can control who sees it (i.e. facebook). It's a different story when it can be viewed by anyone.
 
I'm not personally embarassed or hiding from people (like my husband or Mom) knowing my opinions and views. . . so that doesn't occur to me.
What I say online is what I feel and think - there's no difference. There's also no difference forum to forum. I am the same - my ID changes.

With me, my ID never changes, I don't think I've used a different handle (or significantly different, in cases where it was taken) in decades. I use it more out of habit than caring about anonymity.
 
With me, my ID never changes, I don't think I've used a different handle (or significantly different, in cases where it was taken) in decades. I use it more out of habit than caring about anonymity.

But don't weirdos follow you around?

I did that when I had a business - and aside from my ex's wife finding me and harassing me - I had other people follow me around and start drama. It did that on 3 forums and my website - and that's when I stopped being like that. It was just strange.
 
[Stemming from the thread about Blizzard using everyone's real-life names]

The poll is multi-faceted with 3 questions - don't get confused, read carefully:

A) If the government required you to use your real name online - would you be online as much as you are now?

1 = Yes, I use my real name everywhere. On both my regular Facebook Page and my UAF Facebook page, as well as my blog, the content I submit to the Birmingham Atheism Examiner, Associated Content, here and pretty much everywhere else I post. Google loves me. I could really care less who knows who I am. I am too old and too damned cranky to live my life in fear of my points of view, in spite of all the death threats. I am certain the government knows who I am.

B) If a forum that you frequent for FREE (IE: not purchasing a related product for access, not ever donating or paying membership of some type) required that you use your real name - would you use the forum?

4 = Yes, see above...

C) If a forum that you frequented as a CUSTOMER (IE: purchasing a related product for access, donating and paying a membership or access fee of some type) required that you use your real-name would you use the forum?

7 = Yes, see above...
 
The poll is not anonymous, so I won't be voting :roll:
 
But don't weirdos follow you around?

I did that when I had a business - and aside from my ex's wife finding me and harassing me - I had other people follow me around and start drama. It did that on 3 forums and my website - and that's when I stopped being like that. It was just strange.

Nope, never had anyone bother me, although I did have one guy on a forum threaten to beat me up so I gave him my address and invited him by. Funny, he never showed.
 
My husband opened a social networking account (either facebook or myspace, I can't remember; I don't use either one) about a year ago, using his real name.
Almost immediately, unsavory people from our shared past began popping out of the woodwork; people we gave up everything to get away from ten years ago. Dope fiends, crackheads, criminals, homeless squatter kids.

It was unbelievable. I couldn't believe they were still alive, let alone online.
Really, it was just one of them who found him, but that one was connected to all the others, and so pretty soon they'd all found him and started contacting him.
I insisted he close the account.
Honestly. We didn't give up everything, break our lease, destroy our credit, and flee from our own apartment- which had turned into a drug den- like thieves in the night just to invite these idiots back into our lives a decade later, no matter how normal they are now.
 
I have to give my real name every time I buy something online, so, what's the big the deal?
 
My husband opened a social networking account (either facebook or myspace, I can't remember; I don't use either one) about a year ago, using his real name.
Almost immediately, unsavory people from our shared past began popping out of the woodwork; people we gave up everything to get away from ten years ago. Dope fiends, crackheads, criminals, homeless squatter kids.

It was unbelievable. I couldn't believe they were still alive, let alone online.
Really, it was just one of them who found him, but that one was connected to all the others, and so pretty soon they'd all found him and started contacting him.
I insisted he close the account.
Honestly. We didn't give up everything, break our lease, destroy our credit, and flee from our own apartment- which had turned into a drug den- like thieves in the night just to invite these idiots back into our lives a decade later, no matter how normal they are now.

What part of "social networking" did he not understand when he opened the account? Was it the "social", as in person to person interaction, or was it the "networking", as it connecting with everyone else alive on Earth?

I don't know, it just seems silly to broadcast yourself when you want a private life.
 
I hate having any personal information online. However the advent of the internet and electronic data banks personal information is all over the place. I do think it is a violation of privacy to a large degree but... I don't know if you can control dissemination of private information and have a technological infrastructure like the internet.
 
What part of "social networking" did he not understand when he opened the account? Was it the "social", as in person to person interaction, or was it the "networking", as it connecting with everyone else alive on Earth?

I don't know, it just seems silly to broadcast yourself when you want a private life.


He's not from this state.
He wanted his family- which is scattered across the US- to find him.
It never occurred to him, any more than it did to me, that those people would still be alive, that they'd remember his first and last name (most of them just went by weird nicknames; we never knew most of their real names, or if we did I don't remember), that they'd have internet access, that they'd seek him out.

They were part of a different era, when computers didn't exist (I mean, they existed, but not in our world).
He just never thought they'd be on there, or that they'd look him up and contact him, I guess.
 
He's not from this state.
He wanted his family- which is scattered across the US- to find him.
It never occurred to him, any more than it did to me, that those people would still be alive, that they'd remember his first and last name (most of them just went by weird nicknames; we never knew most of their real names, or if we did I don't remember), that they'd have internet access, that they'd seek him out.

They were part of a different era, when computers didn't exist (I mean, they existed, but not in our world).
He just never thought they'd be on there, or that they'd look him up and contact him, I guess.

Sorry I wasn't trying to be an ass. Sounds like you both got quite the wake up call.
 
If i had a cool name like Qasa Blah walla walla wooooo i probably would .
 
No, maybe, maybe.

I have no qualms with my name being online. I've used it several times, mainly because I operated a sole proprietorship for a while, and when I gain my CPA I may look into starting a small firm. The internet is a huge, free marketing tool.

And when that happens, you all can swing by the office for a 10% off your return next April. I have nothing to hide. Usually people that act like douchebags need that elevated level of anonymity. There isn't a whole lot I would say online that I wouldn't say in real life.
 
I wouldn't let anybody's demand that I submit my RL info stop me from going online.

I'd just lie my ass off.

:lol:
 
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