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Author Topic: Hiding behind pseudonyms  (Read 19148 times)

john beardsworth

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #60 on: May 13, 2013, 04:24:15 am »

John, as I posted earlier, I do have sympathy with your position on this - but I think it should be a free choice.  The site owner already has the ability to close down an account if they wish.
And that free choice is obviously a difference between us, Jim, which is fine. Although analogies often end up with the analogy becoming the topic, your pub wouldn't allow people to come in with balaclavas or scarves over their faces, unless it's a very rough pub.

John
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Jim Pascoe

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #61 on: May 13, 2013, 04:34:53 am »

And that free choice is obviously a difference between us, Jim, which is fine. Although analogies often end up with the analogy becoming the topic, your pub wouldn't allow people to come in with balaclavas or scarves over their faces, unless it's a very rough pub.

John

Well my point really was that it was MY benchmark for my behaviour.  And if they did turn up with masks on, everyone else around the table would view them and their views with some suspicion.  Consider the case of some religions and their veiled faces.  In a normal social setting I personally find that a bit disconcerting, but don't think they should be outlawed.  Within reason, freedom of choice is a good thing.  I don't like pseudonyms on this forum, but if those people behave in a civilised manner I am not too bothered.

Jim
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john beardsworth

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #62 on: May 13, 2013, 04:41:36 am »

I wonder how a moderator "approves" a new member. Someone registers somewhere in Outer Mongolia. A background check would be a trifle difficult to accomplish. How do you set up a route for checking for people for not using their real name. It takes a few minutes to set up a free email address and register on any forum. Chris has pointed out it is very difficult - imo impossible - to check people out especially because this is a free forum and members don't have to give credit card details.
Again, you're making the perfect the enemy of the possible. Setting up a fake email address is more hassle and raises the bar. Or for example, on another forum we have a big notice on the registration form which requests an email identifying yourself and asking for a sentence or two describing your interest in the forum topic. We don't do any more than accept someone who has jumped through that hoop, and all other registrations are dumped as they're either spammers or don't have the reading skills needed to be of value in the forum.
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john beardsworth

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #63 on: May 13, 2013, 04:45:23 am »

Well my point really was that it was MY benchmark for my behaviour.  And if they did turn up with masks on, everyone else around the table would view them and their views with some suspicion.  Consider the case of some religions and their veiled faces. 
Ah, but they don't come in the pub! That's the trouble with analogies!
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stamper

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #64 on: May 13, 2013, 04:59:00 am »

As well as posting under your real name does providing your real age a requirement? ;) :)

john beardsworth

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #65 on: May 13, 2013, 05:07:34 am »

As well as posting under your real name does providing your real age a requirement? ;) :)
Mental age might be more appropriate....
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #66 on: May 13, 2013, 05:10:11 am »

Try doing a google search for folk here who publish their web address in their LuLa signature and you can find thousands of links to their posts.
That's a separate point, though. There's a big difference between providing a real name as a login ID and putting a URL or email address in your signature, isn't there?

As well as posting under your real name does providing your real age a requirement? ;) :)

Real physical age or real mental age?

Jeremy
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stamper

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #67 on: May 13, 2013, 05:32:42 am »

Is there a difference? :(

john beardsworth

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #68 on: May 13, 2013, 05:36:19 am »

Often, but both are irrelevant. I know it's difficult, but try to be constructive....
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Jim Pascoe

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #69 on: May 13, 2013, 05:36:37 am »

I'm not sure if you are referring to me, but my wish that my posts here don't swamp google searches for my name or website has nothing to do with what I write here and everything to do with making sure the links that are important to me and my business get priority.

Try doing a google search for folk here who publish their web address in their LuLa signature and you can find thousands of links to their posts.

I was referring to you - but I had perhaps not appreciated the point about having your web address in the signature.  Doesn't seem to be a problem with using a real name though.

Jim
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Jim Pascoe

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #70 on: May 13, 2013, 05:50:26 am »

Ah, but they don't come in the pub! That's the trouble with analogies!

John, it is amazing how things get misunderstood here in forum land!  The analogy is not meant to be an analogy.  I did not call it an analogy.  It is how I actually think of myself here on the forum.  I don't say anyone else needs to think the same as I do, it just governs my personal behaviour.  If a masked person actually came into the pub I think everyone else would just leave - including me!  If Schewe came into the pub with a mask on I would be fine, because I think having seen a few of his tutorials I could recognise him.

Anything I say here I would be happy to say to say to your face (or anyone else's).  You are right in a way though, because I do speak to anonymous people here, whereas in the pub I would not speak to a masked man!  It's amazing though how the personalities shine through when you read lots of posts.  Despite never having met any of the other Forum members, I know the ones I would enjoy sitting in the pub with, and the ones I would not.  Probably many others I wouldn't like to decide on just through their posts though.

Jim
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john beardsworth

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #71 on: May 13, 2013, 06:02:14 am »

It is an analogy though, Jim, but I was more amused by being invited to "consider the case of some religions and their veiled faces" and wondering what they were doing in a pub.

John
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kencameron

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #72 on: May 13, 2013, 06:21:50 am »

I think the LuLa approach, as explained in Chris's post, is about right. Maybe the encouragement could be strengthened.  I choose to use my own name, albeit with a misleading photograph, and I suspect that doing so is a force for the good in my case, but if there is a correlation between outrageous behaviour and anonymity on LuLa, I don't think it is that strong. I also don't think behaviour on LuLa is that bad and that we don't need a problematic solution to a non-existent problem. As well as the impracticality cited by Chris, I would be concerned that enforcing an own-name requirement might drive some good, polite and reasonable people away from the forum for various reasons that seemed good to them.
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Ken Cameron

Jim Pascoe

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #73 on: May 13, 2013, 07:27:07 am »

It is an analogy though, Jim, but I was more amused by being invited to "consider the case of some religions and their veiled faces" and wondering what they were doing in a pub.

John

Good one! :)
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nutcracker

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #74 on: May 13, 2013, 07:42:54 am »

I think it unfortunate that the term "hiding behind" is used.
It is to be expected that professional photographers and photographic industry merchants would use their own or trading name on this and other sites

However, many of the amateur enthusiasts may be members of professions that discourage or even prohibit public activities that might be construed as advertising, even if not directly related to the specific profession.

Members of some professions, such as the Judiciary, prominent lawyers or medical doctors may need to protect their privacy when pursuing their interests away from professional work.

There can be perfectly legitimate reasons for using a pseudonym.
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john beardsworth

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #75 on: May 13, 2013, 08:12:35 am »

I think it unfortunate that the term "hiding behind" is used.
It was deliberate.

I agree that there can be perfectly legitimate reasons for anonymity, and I said as much in the original post.
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jjj

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #76 on: May 13, 2013, 08:39:00 am »

I think what would be more important that insisting on real names would be insisting on having a link to a website of one's photographic work, as that is more relevant when posting in a photography forum, than the name on one's birth certificate. Particularly if like myself you are not even called/known by the first name on said document.
I adopted jjj [a contraction of a nickname] for speed of signing in and as my website is in signature, I'm hardly anonymous.
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Tradition is the Backbone of the Spinele

john beardsworth

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #77 on: May 13, 2013, 08:46:28 am »

Sure. But the topic is not pseudonyms vs real names, it's hiding behind pseudonyms - ie anonymity.
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jjj

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #78 on: May 13, 2013, 09:58:06 am »

Sure. But the topic is not pseudonyms vs real names, it's hiding behind pseudonyms - ie anonymity.
Fair enough, maybe you should make that distinction more explicit.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2013, 10:38:31 am by jjj »
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Tradition is the Backbone of the Spinele

Rocco Penny

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Re: Hiding behind pseudonyms
« Reply #79 on: May 13, 2013, 10:14:04 am »

not entirely irrelevant to life I suppose,
but I'd make it mandatory for each member to point out the constructive works they're involved with.
Names my foot.
Who cares?
So if you never want to hear from people who are sensitive to their identity due to the nature of the people they work with,
require names.
And this much is true-
unless you try very very hard to hide,
the people that want to find out who you are, can.
And anyone posting about less freedom, not more,
is trying to make their trip the trip of the entire planet, and in the words of someone better than me that knows how,
KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY ART!
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