161–166 of 166 posts
This seems pretty obvious to me. When you are working to build a positive reputation online you use your real name. When you are taking part in things you don't want associated with your reputation you use an alias. You don't want to never use your real name. You want to be googleable, but you want it to be mostly positive.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 1. It reminds me to be civil and think before I post. This may be true but it inevitably makes you dishonest. There are things that you believe or feel about certain things that you will never post. These omissions equate to a lack of honesty (you are not voicing your full opinions) The internet is one of the last places where people can say what they feel. Sure some are jerks about things but these people are just…
> This may be true but it inevitably makes you dishonest. There are things that you believe or feel about certain things that you will never post. These omissions equate to a lack of honesty (you are not voicing your full opinions) Disagree. I wouldn't post them anyway given that I assume a sufficiently dedicated person could link them back to me one way or another...And we're always dishonest somehow or another. Onl…
The advantages of using your name can often outweigh the disadvantages. Reputation is a valuable thing. You don't gain a good reputation by hiding away. You build a good reputation by making a positive impression on lots of people over a long period of time. You can't do that if you are always anonymous. If I was hiring someone, I'd google them. And if nothing turned up, that would give a somewhat negative impression…
And sometimes people want to avoid being pre-judged, so Saheed may want to use a psuedonym when participating in an online discussion about 9/11 regardless of his views.
If your name because something of a brand or source of credibility, you'll probably want to use your real name. But if you're well known in one domain but want to participate in another domain without the baggage of the other domain, you may want to not use your real name. Same reason why some writers use different names when they write in different genres, even if it's not secret that they use multiple names.
I suppose there are several famous people participating in online activities that we are all unaware of because they don't use their real names. It's like avoiding being mobbed by fans on the street.
It you have an abusive spouse or stalker, you may not want to make your online activities so easily discoverable using your real name.
So it's not just because people want to be rude that they use a pseudonym. It's more complicated than that.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 1. It reminds me to be civil and think before I post. This may be true but it inevitably makes you dishonest. There are things that you believe or feel about certain things that you will never post. These omissions equate to a lack of honesty (you are not voicing your full opinions) The internet is one of the last places where people can say what they feel. Sure some are jerks about things but these people are just…
> This may be true but it inevitably makes you dishonest. There are things that you believe or feel about certain things that you will never post. These omissions equate to a lack of honesty (you are not voicing your full opinions) Disagree. I wouldn't post them anyway given that I assume a sufficiently dedicated person could link them back to me one way or another...And we're always dishonest somehow or another. Onl…
I dislike using my real name online - though in some cases (like HN) it's pretty trivial to discover my identity. My real fear isn't having my more rant-y posts associated with my IRL life, but more extreme possibilities like 4chan/Reddit doxxings and abuse. I also no longer use the same handle as when I was a kid, so I've got that going for me.
I feel like the Internet has gotten the same treatment that hitchhiking has gotten - stories make it seem dangerous, but when measured, the danger is much lower than expected.
If a child that looks like yours is abducted, it makes you more paranoid that your child will be abducted; even if that other child was halfway around the world; even if that child was abducted by a relative; etc., etc. Despite the fact that abductions are rare, and that they're even more rarely done by strangers, blah blah, the brain gloms onto the perceived danger and isn't very good at letting go of it.