Using your REAL name online?

[Sharon G]

My wife is very hyper about potential identity theft, so our family members even use fake names on facebook.

This is a real concern to me to the point that I pay TrustedID to help minimize the threat. I reluctantly used my real name here because it was requested, but I go by Sunny other places. I've been to gatherings where people know my real name and call me Sunny anyway because it's the handle they know me by. I love it!

I like a lot of the pseudonyms people go by. For instance, I know roadcam's real name is Jimmy, but I "met" him as roadcam and that's how I think of him and it's what I call him when I reply on his blog.

Of course the abcxyz1669 type pseudonyms spoil the fun.

I also am wary of the new registrations some boards (including this one) are using where you have to provide your real name, birth date, address, phone number, etc. Seems to me if the board were hacked, you have just handed your personal information to the crook who hacks it.

Hope that doesn't sound like sour grapes. But I do deliberately put the wrong birthdate when I'm forced to provide that information anywhere it isn't a legal requirement.

[Mary F]

Here's my 2 cents.

I think we have a good compromise:

When this website started we required real names. Not full real names, thus, my user name is Mary F. We thought it would make the site friendlier, and it served us well. But, after about 8 years, we now allow new members to register with a username that is a pseudonym. Their given name displays under the avatar, so trailerdude can also be known by his real name, "Charlie." This really is preferable to distinguishing usernames such Charlie A, Charlie A., Charlie B., etc. Who can remember which Charlie has a dot after his last initial?

As for location - we've always felt it helps the discussions if we all have a general idea what part of the world someone's coming from. Experiences in western U.S. might be very different than eastern Canada, etc. Exact locations aren't necessary; hopefully members have only provided the level of information they're comfortable with.

[rabbit]

So it's a compromise between telling folks they must toe the line and accepting that no one is naive enuf to do so? Works for me!

jack

[Ed Harris]

So this may not be my Real Name?!?
I bet my Mother will be upset.

EZDog

[Bud Kennedy]

Hiding behind a false name seems to me to be rather sick, especially here in a forum about plastic trailers. Here, we never discuss politics, religon, or any other subject that tend to raise people's hackles.
Personally, I am willing to share not only my name, but address,phone number and E-mail address. Paranoia (sp?) does not live here.

PS --- I drink tap water too!

[rabbit]

In the interest of Harmony (or Melody), my saying that Frederick is "smugly self righteous" was ill-considered (he's a moderator after all) and bad form (shouldn't have said this to anyone) and most probably incorrect that he's the least bit self-righteous or interested in "pseudo-ethics" (whatever that is). I can't edit the offensive phrase and can't delete the entire message so have to eat my words. I apologize to you, Frederick.

jack

[Lizbeth]

I asked about this quite a while ago when I noticed it after "the take over". I found it strange to see handles after so many years of seeing "real" names.

I post on boards where there is a mix of real and fake names. Many people go by their pet's names as a couple of them are animal boards. I find that very strange. Over the years I have met many of them in real life. Some of them are ok with the handle (pet name) in real life but some of them get mad about not being called their real name. It's very confusing.

A few years ago I made my location more general because no one knew where Lakewood was!

[Sharon G]

Well, real names or not, this board has a wonderful family feel to it. I've been lurking here a long time, and even though I don't have my egg yet, I do feel like I belong.

That's largely due to excellent administration and the quality of the fiberglass community, I think.

[Andy B]

Real names or fake names... I can understand the reasoning for doing it either way. What I will never understand is people giving names to inanimate objects like cars, boats and trailers.

[Daniel A.]

As the owner of an unrelated forum site and yes we also have a facebook page there are clear reasons why some would not want to share much information but that is the nature of treasure hunting.
Don't want to tip off the competition they say.

I think for forums such as this there really is no clear reason why anyone would want to hide, it is nice to have an idea where folks are located.
All my info is there should someone wish to look.

As the owner of a forum I know already the features in the admin. control panel and hosting site.
I do wonder if spammers give you as much extra work as I have and am looking at going to the vBulletin board as I like the style better.

IPs are logged.

[Alf S.]

Hi: All...Anyone that wants to steal my Ident...must also take all my debts too!!!
Just a few months ago my wife told me she lost her C/Card. I haven't reported it to the Co. as the person using it doesn't spend as much as my wife did!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[CD Smith]

Originally Posted by Daniel A.

I do wonder if spammers give you as much extra work as I have and am looking at going to the vBulletin board as I like the style better.

IPs are logged.

If you do go to vBulletin, I hope you are more astute about using their program than this forum.

There are other forums using vBulettin where you don't have to click the idiot button, "Do you really want to log off?" to exit. I can't remember how many time I have lost control of IE when that box pops up and you click yes and then the foru, doesn't answer right away. Nothing to do but wait, "Like an Idiot!"

Also those forums put the "mark all forums as read" on the launch bar beside the quick links drop-down box.

Just my thoughts.

[Andrew and Karen]

Originally Posted by Andy B

What I will never understand is people giving names to inanimate objects like cars, boats and trailers.

What about these people who name their kids? What's that all about?

[Herb Sutton]

Every ship that I ever sailed on had a name except one. It was simply PCE904. We named all of the six boats that we owned over the years.

Some kids grow up not liking the name that their parents picked. That is why they go by "Doc, Fritz, Sully, Gizmo, etc.

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by Andrew and Karen

What about these people who name their kids? What's that all about?

It makes sense to me to name kids or pets or almost anything alive, although naming the trees and bushes in your yard would be a little strange. What I do not understand is naming things like cars, boats and trailers. I never hear of people naming their lawnmower, knife, fork or spoon, trash can, desk, power tools, or any of the many inanimate objects that they use every day. If someone likes to name objects, I have no objection, it just is not something that I do. I have enough trouble remembering the names of people.

Now I am going to have some coffee out of Cathy my coffee mug before I go cut some wood on Bessy the band saw and glue it together with Erwin the epoxy using two clamps, Charlie B. and Charlie S.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by CD Smith

Also those forums put the "mark all forums as read" on the launch bar beside the quick links drop-down box.

Just my thoughts.

You mean like this? That's where I found it....

[Curtis F.]

I think there is a difference between anonymity and anonymous. I prefer a degree of anonymity, but am not anonymous. I'm a little hard to locate, but there are clues in some of my posts that can lead you to my phone numbers and front door. This is Fred's house and he has final authority.

My Facebook page doesn't use my real name. I used a pretty unique combination of first name, middle initial, last initial, and a date. I have used that ID for years where it seemed appropriate. On many of the forums I visit the topics are more volatile and some of the members only have a two digit IQ.

I'm also on gun, auto, amatuer radio, boating, social, and political forums. It seems there is always the trouble maker, troll, or single topic poster to deal with on many of the forums. This site and several other narrow topic sites don't seem to have as much of a problem.

[Sharon G]

One thing that made me a little leery of how private personal information on boards is kept is that once, on one of the boards I used to post on, I mentioned that my computer was very slow loading.

The next day I got a phone call from someone with a foreign accent aggressively pushing me to pay him to fix my computer. That board was the ONLY place I had mentioned to anyone that I had a computer problem, so that is the only place he could have learned about my problem.

As far as I know the person was not a member there. But the fact that he could track down my phone number and call my home based on what I thought was a fairly anonymous posting under a pseudonym really gave me the creeps.

I agree with Curtis. I feel safer with a degree of anonymity, but I wouldn't want to be completely anonymous among people with common interests like here.

And I do look forward to the day when I finally get an egg and can meet some of you in person at rallies.

[reeves99]

We cathect with our trailers and tow vehicles and other inanimate objects. That is why we name them.
And, per this discussion topic,
I'm reluctant to put my full real name online for privacy reasons.
Phil

[Art VanDelay]

I'm often asked if I am in the Import / export business or if I am a judge and can't understand why.