# If someone who knew you read a lot of your posts, would they recognize you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2008, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995 "2008-05-12T04:09:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/41 "2008-05-13T03:09:42Z")
yes anyone who knew me at all would know\*\* Cyn \*\* was Cyn and since I have SDMB relatives, I can’t be as open as I wanna be. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/42 "2008-05-13T14:23:25Z")
Most casual acquaintances probably wouldn’t be able to tell it’s me, unless they were to visit the Doper photo thread. Close friends would probably know it was me after reading a half-dozen posts. For one, I refer to my SO IRL as “The Boy” as well. ---
**Author:** ![Pithy\_Moniker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@Pithy\_Moniker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pithy_Moniker)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/43 "2008-05-13T19:41:47Z")
My friends probably would. I’ve given out my Xbox Live gamertag here before and that would be a dead giveaway to a few. Besides that, I don’t believe that there are all that many Subaru driving atheists in Birmingham. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/44 "2008-05-13T19:53:28Z")
Oh, yeah, because of my name and many family details and if someone from nearby who didn’t know me read my posts they might even be able to come visit me at work. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/45 "2008-05-13T21:09:32Z")
From a few random posts - probably not. Reading all my posts, well, my kids would know. My sisters might. The kids have the advantage of knowing that I’m registered here. I don’t talk to many people about the stuff that I talk about here. It’s one of the reasons I drop in. Now, if the kids were told to log on and guess which poster was me, how long would it take them to home in? Not long, I’d guess. They’re good searchers and tricky-minded. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/46 "2008-05-13T21:54:27Z")
I hope not. Actually I’m a lot shyer in person, at least at first. There’s certain people IRL that if they ever discovered my LJ or my posts here their opinion of me would instantly plummet. And I’d be on their prayer lists until the end of time. I really don’t need that. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/47 "2008-05-14T02:44:16Z")
I know **Rube E. Tewsday** in real life. He rumbled me pretty quickly once he joined. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/48 "2008-05-14T02:50:07Z")
they’d know me by my screen name before they read anything i’ve posted. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/49 "2008-05-14T19:33:48Z")
[QUOTE=emilyforce] I used to know \*\*Cervaise \*\*IRL and we figured out each other at the same time, about a month and a half after I joined. [/QUOTE] Your username was kind of a giveaway. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/50 "2008-05-14T20:05:17Z")
Yeah, if nothing else my pets would give me away. Anecdote: I know a poster pretty well from one board, joined another board, and a guy there posted the same tale of woe regarding his family pet needing surgery (including the cat’s name) as she had, which clued me in to the fact that he was the husband of the poster from the other board. Small online world. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/51 "2008-05-14T20:46:01Z")
I doubt it. If someone looked through all of my old posts you could probably narrow it down to a small number of people. If you had some very specific knowledge it would be easier. But only if you put a lot of effort into it. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/52 "2008-05-14T23:53:30Z")
Among people who knew me really well? I can think of a few people who’d be able to say “that has got to be ‘our’ JRD!” But that would require them to truly thoroughly read my stuff so they can correlate the data points I’ve scattered on the board, it’s not like I post my CV in installments over a year’s posts. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/53 "2008-05-15T01:50:44Z")
Yeah, I’m pretty recognizable, I guess. I’ve posted enough personal stuff to be ID’d. I’ve also posted pics and while I never noticed it about myself, other people say I’m easy to spot. I really do want to turn my brother on to this place, though. Maybe. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/54 "2008-05-15T03:20:58Z")
Probably not, except for the fact that I just gave it away in my first post today. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/55 "2008-05-15T04:23:45Z")
I’m sure my close friends/family would know it was me. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Machine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Ice\_Machine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Machine)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2008, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/56 "2008-05-15T22:37:01Z")
Yep, even though I don’t have many posts it would probably only take a few posts. If they read my recent post on the job surey question they could figure me out from that one only. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/57 "2008-05-16T01:34:45Z")
I very much doubt anyone would care, even if they did recognise me. I’d feel arrogant if I forced myself to say otherwise. In the huge Da Vinci mural of life, I am but a very tiny pin-point fleck of paint on one side, touching the frame. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/58 "2008-05-18T15:42:01Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Your username was kind of a giveaway. 😉 [/QUOTE] Shh! Don’t tell! It’s a seekrit And anyway, yours wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/59 "2008-05-18T21:44:36Z")
I think my family or close friends could pick me out pretty easily, assuming they actually saw my posts. Being mostly lurker, my handful of posts per month are not all that noticeable. Beyond my posts my user name would also be meaningful to many of my family and friends, as well as my email address. In fact, now that I think about it, one (at least, possibly two) of my brothers reads the boards occasionally, and he once made a comment about a post I’d made. And although I’ve mentioned the fact that I participate in this board more than once, I don’t think I ever explicitly mentioned my user name. So I’m guessing he saw my posts and recognized me. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995/60 "2008-05-19T10:55:27Z")
Some of my friends and family know my screen name. Beyond that, I think someone who knew me well enough could read my posting history and figure it out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-who-knew-you-read-a-lot-of-your-posts-would-they-recognize-you/448995.md?page=4)