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Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

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171–180 of 307 posts

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#171
Real identity means that you have your real name/contact info in your profile even if you username is generic

Yes, plainly "tokenadult" is not the name on my birth certificate, but after lurking here a while, I saw that there were quite a few other users who use screen names rather than real names as user names, so I decided to recycle the electrons of a screen name I was already using on two other sites. Even when I use a screen name (which is mandatory on some forums I use, as for example the one where my screen name here originated), I usually make my real-world identity discernible in my user profile on all sites, and some friends recognize me just from my on-line behavior and off-hand references to my real-world life experiences, if they first met me under my real name somewhere else.

On Wikipedia, where I use a distinct screen name different from what I use on all other sites, I for a while was harassed by people who even phoned me in the middle of the night because they didn't like my sourced edits. So I'm somewhat aware of why some people would like to be anonymous online. But on the whole, I figure I should have consistency of online identity, and linkage to my real-world identity, and I think that does provide incentive to comment more responsibly and to be cooperative with community guidelines.

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#172
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My opinions change regularly, I am sometimes enlightened, I sometimes have a change of heart. I don't post with my actual identity because of this. I don't want a situation where someone stumbles onto an old post or where I played devil's advocate and I lose out as a result.

I kinda miss the old days of usenet, where I'd often post sarcasm or devil's advocate type comments with an x-planation: Yes, this is sarcasm type header. Web forums generally don't have a way to attach metadata like that in a way that's not _normally_ seen, but is easily discoverable or demonstratable on a per-post basis. The "Ha ha! I was only joking" defense is much more credible if you explicitly (but initially i…

That's what /s is for! :)

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#173

Yes, and for almost[1] all other things on the internet for that matter. "We should try to be happy, if only to set an example." -Jacques Prévert I try to be as open and plainly honest as possible, and I think using my real name keeps me from being inflammatory, and I think it also keeps other from doing the same to me (at least a little). Put another way, I think using real names makes an atmosphere of more empathy…

That's good as well. The important thing is that this was done by choice, and not pushed upon you (like some companies want to do).

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#176
I generally allow my identity to be navigable, but I enjoy using pseudonyms in many venues to slightly discourage the act, and make it more of a "public secret" than a broadcasting.

I also think it's extremely difficult to use real identity at younger ages because one's internal identity shifts with great rapidity, and it's simplest to run through a series of new accounts and handles to drop the old associations. For me this came to an end as I hit my late 20s; for a time, I would make a new account almost every time I wanted to post on HN. Then I got stuck on this one. Then I linked to my personal web site. Apparently I stopped caring :)

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#178

For some reason I'm extremely hesitant to post things under my real name. I don't really care if people know my name on an individual basis (and it's not like I'm a high profile poster anyway), but I am squeamish about it generally, and feel too self-conscious to post anything if my name is associated directly with it. I've tried blogging under my real name and always went back and deleted everything, it caused me to…

I agree. For some reason I feel exactly the same way.

Re: Poll: Do you use your real identity on HN?

#179
post #74
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do not think HN frowns on inflammatory speech if worded deftly. If you are inflamed, your speech should be inflammatory. Anything less will be intellectually dishonest.

If you are inflamed, your speech should be inflammatory. No. Being inflammatory is by definition an attempt to cause others to become inflamed. Should those others also then reply with inflammatory speech? Where does it end? Value of the thread drops to zero rapidly. I've appreciated my time on HN specifically because I notice many replies to "inflamed" speech specifically eschew further inflammation and focus on the…

Malarkey.

Jobs would breathe fire when hes incensed or inflamed.

Furiousness is a skill that your kind cannot internalize.

It brings out the best when rightly meant and rightly utilized.

One has a right to be inflamed when his or her world view is called into question.

The mediocre just acquiesce, the impassioned offer a caustic rebuttal.

Not some happy medium rejoinder that pleases all.

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