When operating "at web scale", users often simply don't have "real names"
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Re: When operating "at web scale", users often simply don't have "real names"
#2This title is 5 words longer than it could be, because people don't have real names.
Apologies in advance for the self-citation:
http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-b...
My name+ is confusing gibberish where I live. It is highly likely likely that when I have children, they will go through life having multiple sets of gibberish so that they can pick the non-gibberish option when asked "What is your real name?"
Does your startup really want to get into the is-that-gibberish-gibberish-or-am-I-just-ignorant-of-the-way-they-do-things-in-weird-places-like-the-United-States adjudication business? If so, try validating names. You will have loads of fun.
+ : Well, a name I go by, at any rate. There's at least eight different ways to write my "real name" correctly, not even counting nicknames, online handles, or the like.
Re: When operating "at web scale", users often simply don't have "real names"
#3One of the stupidest things we've done as a culture in the last generation, is bend our ideas about what is and isn't "well-formed", so that we don't offend computers. Fixing this is a big part of why I am motivated to work on schemaless databases. When your database doesn't ask you do predefine the data structures, it's one less opportunity for an ignorant programmer to blunt the human spirit.
Re: When operating "at web scale", users often simply don't have "real names"
#4 Remember, Google is getting into the Social scene because it's a rich data set that they don't currently have access to, and Google likes data. Google wants your "real" name so they can tie all your information back together. The good news is, they'll probably ease the restrictions once they figure out how to normalize identities even with non-normalized names.
As a side note, I'm in a similar boat to Patrick with respect to my real name: at least 6 variations have been used on legal forms alone, due to length and special character restrictions, and excessive use of spaces. Fortunately it's only my middle name that gives problems so it can often be ignored, but I really like it so it's still annoying when I have to distort it.
Re: When operating "at web scale", users often simply don't have "real names"
#5Remember, Google is getting into the Social scene because it's a rich data set that they don't currently have access to, and Google likes data. Google wants your "real" name so they can tie all your information back together. The good news is, they'll probably ease the restrictions once they figure out how to normalize identities even with non-normalized names. As a side note, I'm in a similar boat to Patrick with re…
If that was the reason, they could just have asked for your real name without requiring that it be your public name.
Re: When operating "at web scale", users often simply don't have "real names"
#6One of the stupidest things we've done as a culture in the last generation, is bend our ideas about what is and isn't "well-formed", so that we don't offend computers. Fixing this is a big part of why I am motivated to work on schemaless databases. When your database doesn't ask you do predefine the data structures, it's one less opportunity for an ignorant programmer to blunt the human spirit.
The same thing applies to postal addresses. I look forward to the day when I can make my own shipping label when ordering goods online. This just needs to be a free text, multi line field.
The theme you touch on is covered at length in the book 'Computer Power and Human Reason'.
Re: When operating "at web scale", users often simply don't have "real names"
#7One of the stupidest things we've done as a culture in the last generation, is bend our ideas about what is and isn't "well-formed", so that we don't offend computers. Fixing this is a big part of why I am motivated to work on schemaless databases. When your database doesn't ask you do predefine the data structures, it's one less opportunity for an ignorant programmer to blunt the human spirit.
The same thing applies to postal addresses. I look forward to the day when I can make my own shipping label when ordering goods online. This just needs to be a free text, multi line field. The theme you touch on is covered at length in the book 'Computer Power and Human Reason'.
Also "You Are Not a Gadget".
Re: When operating "at web scale", users often simply don't have "real names"
#8One of the stupidest things we've done as a culture in the last generation, is bend our ideas about what is and isn't "well-formed", so that we don't offend computers. Fixing this is a big part of why I am motivated to work on schemaless databases. When your database doesn't ask you do predefine the data structures, it's one less opportunity for an ignorant programmer to blunt the human spirit.
The same thing applies to postal addresses. I look forward to the day when I can make my own shipping label when ordering goods online. This just needs to be a free text, multi line field. The theme you touch on is covered at length in the book 'Computer Power and Human Reason'.
Shipping address has to be on the most shoehorned pieces of data in any database in the world. The only thing that seems to have put some structure on it in the US is the 911 implementations.
For most of high school years, our house was listed as "311 Behind the School" or some other variation. There were no actual street names (although I am told the electric company and only the electric company had a map with street names). When 911 service hit the area, we got actual addresses, but they really weren't useful for shipping things. The local UPS guy knew where everyone was and where they worked so he could do his deliveries. His replacement required some training time.
Re: When operating "at web scale", users often simply don't have "real names"
#9This title is 5 words longer than it could be, because people don't have real names. Apologies in advance for the self-citation: http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-b... My name+ is confusing gibberish where I live. It is highly likely likely that when I have children, they will go through life having multiple sets of gibberish so that they can pick the non-gibberish option when asked "What is…
Well, I know people who IRL insist on being called by made-up names, mostly goths, you know, something like Darkraven Bloodmisery. Whatever they called themselves in Livejournal. Very few of them follow through tho' and fill in a deed poll form! For me that's the acid test: whatever it says on your passport is your real name. And government IT - the least efficient kind! - has managed to solve this. Why can't the mighty Google?
Re: When operating "at web scale", users often simply don't have "real names"
#10This title is 5 words longer than it could be, because people don't have real names. Apologies in advance for the self-citation: http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-b... My name+ is confusing gibberish where I live. It is highly likely likely that when I have children, they will go through life having multiple sets of gibberish so that they can pick the non-gibberish option when asked "What is…
Well, I know people who IRL insist on being called by made-up names, mostly goths, you know, something like Darkraven Bloodmisery. Whatever they called themselves in Livejournal. Very few of them follow through tho' and fill in a deed poll form! For me that's the acid test: whatever it says on your passport is your real name. And government IT - the least efficient kind! - has managed to solve this. Why can't the mig…
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