Shit, I hope not!
Is it bad practice to use your real name online?
11–20 of 166 posts
Re: Is it bad practice to use your real name online?
#12I don't mind using my real name online because it is stupidly generic (Daniel Levin). If someone wanted to identify me, my name wouldn't be of much help to them. This is interesting because my real name is less useful in being identifying than a screen name used on multiple websites
Re: Is it bad practice to use your real name online?
#13I believe there was an article a while back that showed it was trivial to track a person by their use of vocabulary and grammar style.
But it's probably still better to use a pseudonym, even if only to deter the laziest of tracking.
Re: Is it bad practice to use your real name online?
#14For me, it's perfectly fine, even desirable.
It firmly roots in my mind that my words here will be seen as words from my person. That's a good thing.
Re: Is it bad practice to use your real name online?
#15There is no undo button when using your real name on the Internet. With a nickname, you always have the option of associating it with your real identity at a later date if you so choose.
Most people do a lousy job of keeping the names separate. You can usually follow a chain of pseudonyms back through time to get to the early embarrassing posts. Meatball wiki changed my mind about real name posting. First I thought "always use an obvious nym", then "always use a realistic, but false, name". Now I just post using me real name on a few places, and a bunch of nyms (realistic and otherwise) in other plac…
Yes, but most people's e-reputation has to withstand only the most cursory of google searches so using a nickname, even without air-tight OPSEC, is often enough.
Re: Is it bad practice to use your real name online?
#16When I got on the intertubes, oh-so-many years ago - the rules were simple: the ONLY piece of information you could freely give on public forums, or IRC, was your nick. Now, the only piece of information you are supposed to withhold is your credit card number. I'll say this about the new ways: I'm extremely glad that I didn't have my teenage years documented and archived. Dodged that bullet!
Interesting. If you go further back into the days of the intertubes, using your real name was standard practice.
Re: Is it bad practice to use your real name online?
#17I use my real name, and I quite frankly do not care if I get passed up for a job or something like that because of something I said online. I'm pretty sure any employer I would actually want to work for wouldn't care about me ranting about the NSA or something (might even get me a job, who knows). That being said, I do not say anything online that I wouldn't in real life (except perhaps on IRC channels where I use a nick) and it's seemed to work out ok so far.
Re: Is it bad practice to use your real name online?
#18For me, I find myself scared to participate using my real name. I think it's mostly a lack of self-confidence. I actually just registered this username last night, hoping that anonymity will help me get over my fear of posting. Maybe in the future I'll be more comfortable/confident and use my real name, but for now, an anonymous username will be my crutch.
Re: Is it bad practice to use your real name online?
#19I am prejudiced against people who use their real names when the website allows them to use a nickname: I automatically assume they will be uninteresting, their opinions sheepish and will always avoid confrontation or controversial ideas. I feel like they are always talking in the presence of their mother.
Re: Is it bad practice to use your real name online?
#20It's a good idea to have some information online for your real name that you control. Otherwise eventually someone else will write some things about you that you can't control and that will be what comes up first in Google.