Is it such a problem that there seems to be a lot more forumites not closing with a name? There are a few that do and they have been here a good long time. It tends to make posts calmer and adds a sense of friendship if names are used.
Pete
See not so hard!
I agree. One starts to recognize names of individuals and follow their comments. I tend to feel more comfortable with knowing folks names. But, maybe I am just old fashion.[O]
It probably wouldn’t hurt around here, but I don’t typically put out my name in public places unless I need to.
I have no idea what the issue is. I always see a name in the post.
Sounds like a reason for a mini rant.
I see
locoi1sa
Darth Santa Fe
Aikidomaster
Rich
Darn right, Pete, we all should close off each reply with at least our first name.
[(-D]
Because its the internet and I like being a faceless whatever. Thats why there’s a user name.
← its right there.
I agree with Darth Santa Fe.
In public forums on the internet I go by a shortened version of my email and screename.
Unless I have reason to personally communicate with you on a personal level I see no need to have my name plastered everywhere.
MRR knows my name as I am a registered user/subscriber,and it pops up here everytime I sign on with a “welcome back”, but they need to know that. No one here doesn’t necessarily need to know my name, unless we are conducting business, or are arranging to meet in person.
You can recognize me and my posts by my screenname “galaxy”, which is posted beside and on top of every post I write, just as easily as you can by tom/dick/bob/ted/alice/john. John? which John? “NS Express John”? or CSXshortline John"? See that to me doesn’t help any better. I will remember “NS EXpress” and “CSXshortline” quicker than trying to figure out what John is which John. and bastardizing a real name to fit in the allowable number of slots in the profile name slots doesn’t help either.
My signature line has a “-G” as my even further shortened screenname of “galaxy” sign off on here. TO me that is the same as my intials with a circle around them.
Just my thouhgts and opinions, others may vary.
galaxy
-G
I understand the original point, but I also expect that everyone who goes to the trouble of registering and setting up any kind of a profile, even the most basic, with mandatory entries and nothing else, is making a personal choice.
It should remain that way.
Crandell
I can see one problem right off. There’s no guaranteeing that the name used is the actual name of the poster. One could just as easily use a fake name, maybe even one of those names that caused fits of giggles when one was in grade school, names like:
Seymour Butz
I. P. Friehle
Hu Flung Dung (or its close relative Hu Thru Pu)
I sign my posts Andre, but I can guarantee you that that name does not appear on my birth certificate, driver’s license or any other piece of identifying documentation. For all you know, my real name could be Colin Oskopee, Rick Shaw, Dan Druff or Chuck Roste.
Andre
i got my name on it
i got my name on the posts i put
G, Darth, Rich and Rich, Selector, and others that use a nickname. At least its a name that identifies you as someone who at least cares that some form of politeness gets passed around a sometime rude forum. A nickname is still a name. Its a whole lot better then ending in a period. Nicknames can be more of a friendly gesture then a true name. My welder friend goes by Flash more then his given name even by his own mom.
I can tell by some posts that it just kills some people to be just a little polite!! If you want me to reply to your questions and your screen name looks like a doctors eye chart followed by a prison number, then fine. For some reason I don’t seem to recall meeting someone named abcdef5674538765. Glad to know ya. Everyone that knows me just calls me Pete.
Pete
Pete, I am squarely in your camp, and most everyone knows to call me by the name that appears under 99% of my contributions to the Kalmbach trains.com series of forums. It is my real name, and I choose to let it be known. It’s unique as a first name to my knowledge. My parents wanted there to be only one like me, and a few I have met since say they approve of my parents’ aim…to ensure there was only ever one of me. [(-D]
And, I am sure you are right; a few would rather pick pubic hairs out of public urinals using their tongues than sign their names to anything. But…so? It is their choice. I don’t intend to sit across the table from anyone here at supper tonight, and I really couldn’t care less how they close their messages as long as it has a passing semblance to civility and is half-way topical.
I think you should do what you feel offers a true picture of your character and personality injected with some pragmatism for internet use collected along the way. Some are cautious, some are sufficiently known that they prefer anonymity…there are several posters to these Kalmbach fora who are near-public figures in either the trade/hobby or in civil life who must feel more secure using what they reveal and nothing more. For example, there are executives and senior managers and consultants in the Class 1’s that are here daily. A few privileged people including the editorial staffs at the magazines, know who they are, some of us have to guess or put two-and-two together, and most of us are in ignorant bliss. Except for one or two cases, I am firmly in the latter category despite my moderator status. Except for those very few who have deigned to reveal their identities to me, I am as knowledgeable as they would have me. And that is their right.
Live, and let live. Warm up to those whom you feel are sufficiently welcoming to meet your standards, deal as you can civilly with others,
I would have to agree with putting your name, real or nickname, at the end of each post or reply. I look for certain individuals comments as I respect their views and being this is not just an open internet post, but rather a small group of individuals that have a common link. I feel a part of a ‘family’ of sorts with other regulars on this forum. I don’t see any harm coming out of it, but that is just my opinion.
Bob
Personally, I don’t see that there’s any real need to reveal names. My personal experience is that it makes absolutely no difference in a person’s demeanor or attitude.
For myself, I’m happy to be referred to as “CT”, “CTValley”, “CTValleyRR”, “Jerk”, “Curmudgeon”, “Your Lordship”, “Butthead”, or whatever other term comes to mind.
With the information in my profile, the addition of my first name would positively identify me to – at a rough guess – several hundred people. The quaint little town of East Haddam, CT ain’t all that big (population wise; area-wise, it’s one of the largest in the state). Is that really a big deal? Probably not, because I’ve never said anything in these forums that I’m ashamed of, or that I wouldn’t say in person. Never-the-less, there is a very small percentage of wackos in the world, and I’d really hate for one of them to show up at my front door because of some perceived slight on the Internet.
Well that might be true, but in my opinion it just wastes five lines of screen real estate, forcing more scrolling up and down.
And as a prior poster noted
<<<----- There is already an id section over here. Consuming (often wasting) even more screen space.
Especially when you see six or seven lines or even more of a signature under a two line post.
Hello Pete,
I agree that signing one’s name, even if just their first, does make an e-place a little more of a human interaction.
Alvie
To each his own …
I decided to sign my posts with my real first name, but I don´t have an issue when someone chooses not to do so. I also like to address a poster when replying to his post and find it easier to use “Bob” or “Joe” than “BNSFatCrestedButte1971ABC”, but that´s just me [swg]