2007 events on the Calendar

[Timezkware Tim]

Originally Posted by gbrandwood

Who is John? Is that the guy who fixed it, plo or bystander's real name? I like to use people's real name on here when I know it.

Just my opinion, Gareth, but if people wanted to be addressed by their real name, it would be in their member profile or sig. People who use s/n's quite often like to remain anonymous, usually for security or privacy.

Tim

[gbrandwood]

True. I'm not sure where you'd put it in your profile though - there isn't a box for it.

I've no problem with anonymity - I like to be anonymous myself.

[nickyboy]

Originally Posted by gbrandwood

True. I'm not sure where you'd put it in your profile though - there isn't a box for it.

I've no problem with anonymity - I like to be anonymous myself.

Actually I agree with your earlier point, and Tim's. I prefer to call people by there real name, but if they don't use it themselves.....

Nick

Actually my real name is Mr Jarse, first name is Hugh!!!!!!!!!

[KSagal]

Regardless of how it figures into my brilliance or stupiditiy, I find that I rather address people by their name. Because of this, I offer my own.

I find it more difficult to take serious advise from people who do not offer their own name. On casual topics, or in cases where being taken seriously is not important, then cryptic titles are fine...

If someone wants to assign themselves a cute title, or some character from literature, that is more acceptable to me, than to have them assume another name, that appears to be their name, only to be an alias. Of course, pen names have existed for about as long as pens.

I also do not expect others to feel the same way I do. The world is a big place, and there is plenty of room for all manner of ways of doing things...

[gbrandwood]

Hugh, there was some good old British humour in my post somewhere.

Karl, the only time I would ever see it as a problem would be if someone was pretending to be someone they are not.

[Timezkware Tim]

Originally Posted by gbrandwood

Hugh, there was some good old British humour in my post somewhere.

Karl, the only time I would ever see it as a problem would be if someone was pretending to be someone they are not.

For those of you who on MBs in the early '90's before internet security, everybody used a s/n. After a dozen years, I plugged in Norton and tried to switch to my real name and some people were confused thinking my posts came from two people. At that point, I just gave up and adopted Timezkware Tim as my s/n on all MBs.

It's too complicated to stop and figure out which MB to use my real name, and which MB I use a s/n. I post on quite a few boards (mostly baseball).

I've since met many people from the baseball boards in person many times at games that know my name, but still call me Tim. I'm stuck with it, lol. It's not a big thing, it's just traditional internet protocol. We all know plo's name, but using his s/n on the boards is appropriate, because that's how he signs his posts sometimes. No biggie.

Tim

[KSagal]

Actually, I find it confusing. I would not doubt that I am the only one...

If I know a person's name, but they use a different name when posting, it is awkward for me...

I used to know a man named Suptie Alexander W...... his last name is not important here... I also used to dance a lot, western styles... I knew SUptie (he told me once it was Italian for Steve) and he always refered to himself as Suptie in Square and Contra dance circles...

THis was years ago, and Dungeons and Dragons was a big game at the time... I was not into it, but he invited me to play a couple of times, as he was a dungeon master... (He owned his own dice, apparently)

In D&D circles, he had everyone call him Al. So when I was with my friend Suptie, but I was playing a board game, I was supposed to call him Al. He said that he did not care what I called him, but if I used the wrong name, the others in the room did not know who I was talking to... Now, when I was with my friend AL, but we were dancing, I was supposed to call him Suptie. I did this, so the girls we were with did not think one of us was cracked... (Of course, at least one of us was...)

So, this whole "Nom de plume" or screen name thing is older than internet message boards.

Also, I have been on the internet for a long time... I recall a teletype type device that I used to get on line to Princeton University with, before the modern day internet. I have been posting to the internet for a long time... I have been a member of AOL since it was ATGOL "America trying to get online". (That last line was a joke, no attacks please)

As I said, anyone that wants to use a screen name or whatever is welcome to use it... I have an AOL name from the early 90's that I keep active so friends from that era can still find me on line, and back in those days, policy was to not use your own name as has been stated here on this thread. I keep some things from that point in time, and don't keep some others, like a dial up modem, or many things that I used to do in days past.

All I am saying is that I appreciate a person using a real name, and representing themselves. I offer the same.

To the comment that it should not matter, unless a person is trying to represent that they are someone they are not, I ask this... If a person were named Sam, but they introduced themself to you as Joe, would you consider that trying to represent themself as some one else or not? If Sam called himself Napoleon, or Gengis Kahn, I would assume that he was not serious. If he called himself Joe, I would not assume anything other than that his name is Joe. If I found out later that he was not telling me the truth, I would feel that I had not been treated with respect...

There are lots of people on this forum and others that I know of that use a screen name, but sign their posts with their name... In that case, the screen name is more of a title, or representation. I do not feel that is the same as a person who conceals his identity...

By the way, although no one else may care, I find it also awkward when people do not identify where they are from. I do not need to know the street address, but it is nice to know if a person is talking about cold weather gliding and they live in North Dakota, or they live in Florida. It is not important in the grand scale of things, but that little pet peeve of mine fits well into this line of thought.

Again, I do not feel the need to project my values on other people. I am just stating where I am comming from. Other people make other decisions, and as long as they are happy, I'm good. Just don't ask me to say it is a good thing. I will say that it may be good for you, even if it is not good for me...

[nickyboy]

Originally Posted by KSagal

Actually,

By the way, although no one else may care, I find it also awkward when people do not identify where they are from. I do not need to know the street address, but it is nice to know if a person is talking about cold weather gliding and they live in North Dakota, or they live in Florida. It is not important in the grand scale of things, but that little pet peeve of mine fits well into this line of thought.

...

I fully agree, I like to know what area/country the person is from. Some are obvious but others not so. I also like to know someones sex. Please do not take that the wrong way, but there are country variations on some names that can cause confusion. As Karl says it probably matters very little to others, but we are all different luckily!

Nick

[Timezkware Tim]

While we're at it, I like to know what time zone somebody's from. I talk to my buddy Luke every day in Melborne, where it's Summer right now, and it's also lunchtime tomorrow.

Reading Steven's posts here is the easiest in that regard. I just look at the timestamp on my monitor and switch the AM and PM, lol.

Tim