Some of us have very unique names as well, and it would be way too easy to track us down if we used them. Myself for instance–my given name is uncommon in the English-speaking world, and my first-last name combination belongs to me alone. It would completely kill any anonymity I have to use my real name.
Besides, I’ve never much liked my name. No one can ever pronounce it right.
Everywhere else on the net I use my real name. It just didn’t seem to be done here.
I’ve noticed this as well, and it strikes me as odd, since I give my name out to half a dozen complete strangers a day without batting an eye.
Of course, I understand being able to pick your own name, which is why I’m not Nick, but people seem to be actually hesitant about giving out their real names online.
For instance, last month I made this thread, about name entymology… 50 replies, and I was the only one who volunteered their name. Granted, I didn’t ask to see their full names, and likely if I had some few would have, but I honestly didn’t even think to do so, since I assumed people simply would as part of the fun.
Is giving out your name online truly that taboo? If it is, it mystifies me. There are any number of people who have their names online from being in the news, or being bloggers, reporters, etc…
The study of the history of insect names? 
I do use my real first name, well nickname. I am Cathy.
I added the little ascii pussy face 11 years ago, and even though I have seen others use it too, I don’t run into them that often.
It works well for me. And when I have met net friends and they call me CAT in person, it isn’t weird, since I have been called that for quite a few years, by a lot of family and friends.
It worried me a bit that your ascii pussy cat’s whiskers come out its ears, but then I just assured myself that it is just an old kitty in dire need of a personal grooming kit.
I also have an unusual first name, and with first and last in combination it’s unique. I teach at a university, and I’d really rather my students’ and coworkers’ knowledge of me and my private life (including any info or opinions I share here) stay separate. If you were profiled on Rate My Professors you’d feel a painful lack of anonymity, too. I mean, if my name were Amy Smith and I worked in a corporate office in the New York/New Jersey area and liked cats, that would be one thing–“Sorry, you must have the wrong person!”-- but pretty much. . . If my name goes into Google, I’m the only person who shows up. I’m probably stalkable from this message board even without having ever used my real name, based on interests, geographic clues, gender, etc. If someone ever got interested enough to put in some time I’d be identifiable.
Monday morning:“So, Professor C, did it turn out to be herpes, or what? How’s your hangover?”
Many years ago, before anybody knew who they were, I visited the Weta Workshop in Wellington NZ, met a couple of the key people, and saw some of the fantastic stuff they were planning for their next film.
Having not been asked to keep quiet, nor signed any non-disclosure forms, I posted very vague descriptions of only two or three of the things I saw to a movie website. Foolishly I did not provide a pseudonym, so the site made one up for me - using my real name.
Someone at Weta saw it. They found my application to work there that I had sent in a few months earlier. I was banned from ever working for them ever ever ever.
That’s what using your real name can get you.
You made me laugh.
Well I do have a lot of hair, about 33" to 36" of it, so it is fitting I guess.
Privacy, mainly. The only things I am willing to divulge that could be used as identifiers are my gender and age.
(That, and I’m not tethered to a particular alias throughout the internet)
Exactly. I need at least some anonymity–there are very few people in the world with my surname, and a lot of students trying to see my (non-existent) profiles on social networking sites. I ran into several students today while shopping. There need to be some places where I can out of professional persona.
I agree, I don’t care for my real name either (I think its a name for either really really cool people, or really really nerdy people…and I think I am the latter)
How YOU doin???
Hear hear
(No, seriously…How YOU doin?)
Yeah, this is about the only place I do use my real name. Because I know most of you are a peaceful folk. Shy and retiring, and generally unarmed.
I don’t usually associate with this class of people, so I don’t even like mentioning what part of the country I’m in much less my name.
Your real name is Bobotheoptimist? :dubious: Is that a family name?
May I call you Bobotheo for short? I rather like the sound of that.
I don’t know why I use a pseudonym. My real name is common enough that I could divulge it and even tell y’all what city and state I live in and even where I work(there are two of us there) and I would be hard to track down. I am not particularly enamored of Ataraxy, either. I guess I do it because everybody else is doing it. It’s peer pressure.
I do it for many of the reasons given, but also so I don’t have to deal with the morons who think it’s cowardly to use a handle. I never could stand those people and I’ve always wondered what they intend to do with the real names of the people who piss them off. Walking on eggshells because of violent morons is something we have to do in the real world; the Internet allows us to say what we feel without fear of being killed.
You’ll have to forgive me, but anyone who refrains from giving out their name online for safety reasons gets a :rolleyes: from me…
Most of the other reasons I can accept, though I still think people are far too serious about it.
“Otheop” is my middle name (it’s an Ellis island attempt at spelling the proto-Celtic for “guy with weird names”), and I come from a long line of people involved in timing related occupations.
I use my real name because I’ve never met another one, IRL or online. Unique enough without trying.