fake name emails and messages i can ignore by default. I dont have to waste any processing cycles thinking about it at all.
as i accumulate cruft over the years of being on the net this is more and more important.
Ask HN: Real name vs. anonymous username – which do you use online and why?
41–50 of 77 posts
Re: Ask HN: Real name vs. anonymous username – which do you use online and why?
#42I'd like to point out that "defend my privacy" is only one aspect. For me there's also a kind of 90s-internet-idealism about how forums should work, ex: 1. Good ideas or truths shouldn't rely on the credentials of the person talking. 2. Less information can allow more freedom of expression in a community. (For good or for ill.)
So on one hand credentials shouldn't matter but I've found for large online spaces the energy of wading through bad takes turns me away from communities which could otherwise be interesting. Like I wish I could filter comments for things like "has a degree in biology" or "is above 25" since while good ideas can come from anyone practically some people are much more likely to have useful insights than others.
Re: Ask HN: Real name vs. anonymous username – which do you use online and why?
#43Even though in the past I always used aliases online, mostly now I use my real name and avoid posting stuff that's controversial, it's mostly dev and security stuff anyway.
Re: Ask HN: Real name vs. anonymous username – which do you use online and why?
#44I proudly use my real name and I'm glad to discuss any subjects that I write about online with people offline, and vice versa. I've been online since the previous millennium and the times that I've been endangered by my online content has been zero.
That might not be the right choice for everybody, but it has proven a good choice for me.
Re: Ask HN: Real name vs. anonymous username – which do you use online and why?
#45Anonymous usernames. Grew up in the 90s so I have a pretty high level of paranoia about exposing my real identity on the internet. The alias I've kept the longest is my gamer identity tied to my steam account.
Re: Ask HN: Real name vs. anonymous username – which do you use online and why?
#46Anonymous username, as real name is, uh ... I had hippie parents. Kind of a hapax legomenon. Rotate usernames, trashing old ones fairly often. I started the rotation after an employee of my then-local ISP blabbed my IRL name in IRC, even after I had pestered them to shut down crap like finger. Guy was kind of a petty douche who thought he was untouchable.
Shame for him I kept track of him, every so often. Guys like that accumulate a long list of potential "who did this to me?" candidates after so much time, and after a decade they tend to forget. I didn't.
Re: Ask HN: Real name vs. anonymous username – which do you use online and why?
#47If one can choose A or B, can always change A to B if one wants but can never go from B to A, the choice is kinda obvious I think.
Re: Ask HN: Real name vs. anonymous username – which do you use online and why?
#48I think one aspect of it is 'how complicated is your life?' I know queer/trans folks who were always anonymous because they were in the closet in their early life and needed that to survive, but the anonymity allowed them to connect with others that felt as they did. There are also trolls like this, who want to be accepted in their 'real' life but basically they find pleasure in tormenting others which they do so anonymously to avoid the repercussions of that behavior.
My online identity was pretty clear because both ARPAnet, and Sun Microsystems, required your username to be your actual name, and so pretty much all that was online and forever was tied to you no matter what. I've used anonymous names when playing online games because that community can be quite toxic. I counseled my daughters to do the same.
That said, I know an investigator who works for a law firm and they can pretty much unmask any name you throw at them to the real name, address, and other salient details. Which kind of weirds me out sometimes.
Re: Ask HN: Real name vs. anonymous username – which do you use online and why?
#49I used to alternate. I would typically use my real name on comments or posts (even in IRC) when I wanted people to know that what I was saying was something that I was willing to put my IRL credibility and reputation on (i.e., I wasn't hiding behind a keyboard).
I also like the freedom to post my thoughts free of that reputational damage and see how people react, and ideally to understand why my thoughts and perspective might be wrong (and I know there's a certain implication there in modern times, and no, I've never done or said anything outright hurtful to people).
Then one time in 2016 I got "dox'd" for making a comment on Bruce Scheiner's facebook page during the 2016 election. The post merely stated that Bruce was allowed to comment on political topics (a previous commentor had said he should just stick to security topics).
I was then harassed at my workplace, with said commenter (presumably) claiming I was being racist and homophobic (I'm gay) via email.
Since then I've never used my real name.
Re: Ask HN: Real name vs. anonymous username – which do you use online and why?
#50I used to use ka9dgx (my ham radio calling) back when usernames had to be short and unique. These days I just use MikeWarot when I can.