How did you choose your forum name?

Colin McLaughlin wrote (see)

I have read posts by you for a long time BOS1 and I haven't a clue as to your gender. F, I would guess from your manner of delivery, but only a shot in the dark.

Knowing the gender of a speaker is usual in the three dimensional world, but in here half the  posters are genderless as well as most being anonymous. It's like a dark room where everyone wanders around bumping into other people, exchanging messages but hardly anyone knows who anyone else is.  

If people can't be persuaded to use their real names or even bother to make clear if they are male or female, so be it, but I think it is a pity. The reason you won't get to know each other, most of you, is because no one knows who anyone else is, hardly. A rather inferior means of communication compared to the physical world.

Loads of people on here know my real name, I tend to be quite open about it because, well it's me sitting here being accountable (mostly) for my words. I can see why some people want a bit more privacy though.

I'm Kate btw

Ratzer wrote (see)

Colin McLaughlin wrote (see)

A rather inferior means of communication compared to the physical world.

Yet I know that people here share an interest of mine and come from far and wide.

I like it.  Each to their own.

I like it too for that reason and some others, but sometimes I don't, I mean really don't. You realise when you only have one dimensional communication, how important other aspects of communication are in conjunction to what's being said. One of the things I personally struggle here with is how literally the written word is taken, I guess the smileys help in putting a nuance on it sometimes, but it's not like facial expression and body language.

I have very valid reasons why I don't want my professional life to get mixed up with my social life.  My name is quite distinctive so I prefer to use a nickname.

As for people knowing me, I'm obviously not that anonymous given that I have a dozen forum people coming to my house warming in the near future.

I would invite you too Colin, but I don't know anything about you.  I could guess that you were male, but that doesn't tell me whether you are a serial killer, drugs dealer, stalker, paranoid... or even other less extreme traits such as irritating, stupid, humourless etc

Colin McLaughlin wrote (see)

Yes but you can use your real name but don't reveal, about yourself, what you aren't happy for the world to know. I think the practice of sites getting people to hide behind false names is silly and misguided. No one gets to know who anyone is. I may know a Mr Puffy, but you aren't a person to me. You are just a pseudonym from which noises emanate.

So who's hiding Colin, me or you?  I think a lot of people on the forum could tell you how old I am, how many kids I have, what club I belong to, my race times, my political leanings, my job, any number of things.  What I hope can't happen is some troll or wierdo using that information for some negative purpose. If anyone wants to contact me for any reason, they just PM me.

I completey reject your statement that nobody gets to know who anyone is, it's demonstrably rubbish.

Look at Muttley - middle aged, single parent of a teenage lad, not a domestic god, works for a large corporation, politically active on the employment front.  Likes a joke.

Never met the bloke.

I could give you a similar thumbnail sketch of several of the people who use the forum, as I'm sure they could about me.

Gender is irrelevant in my book unless you're trying to have cyber sex! Actually in cyber sex it doesn't matter if you have a plug or a hole, because it isn't real...

Moving on...

I'm going to be honest, I think that people who spend a majority of their time in online communication rather than having more busy lives in the 3D world, are lonely or feel socially isolated or disconnected, and most probably are such. And I'll extend that to people who live their 3D world as a direct response to what happens online.

I know that I'm online chatting more when it's a bit of a hiding place from stuff; but I also know that I have everything else in place, hubby, kids, good friends etc.

I think what I'm trying to say is that there are a lot of great people online, but also a lot of denial of, or 'comfort' from that barrier to the real world in excessive online users.

And I think it's going to get worse, technology is causing social isolation. As a kid and young adult, communication meant phoning or meeting. You actually had to have direct contact, and with that came a more intimate type of communication. You have to respond to what you get there and then. Now we are generating a society that can hide their real intent behind not actually communicating as a human, let technology be the buffer.

While I agree with some of that kk, I think that social networking also opens up opportunities to meet people.  I've relocated only a month ago and I been out every weekend with people that I originally met on the internet.  Some of them I met for the first time last weekend.

Outside the internet I've only met people through work and the tri club, and none of them have made an impact on me to such an extent that I want to do more than work or train with them.  Some of the internet people have the potential to be proper friends

It's a bit of a weird one - my ex lengthened my name when she was grumpy with me to Jemima (as in the puddle duck) and it happened to be my favourite story as a kid, hence the name was created. Only a few people on here know my real name though.

Colin McLaughlin wrote (see)

you can use your real name but don't reveal, about yourself, what you aren't happy for the world to know. I think the practice of sites getting people to hide behind false names is silly and misguided. No one gets to know who anyone is. I may know a Mr Puffy, but you aren't a person to me. You are just a pseudonym from which noises emanate.

Interesting discussion

I think it's more fun if people,rather than concealing what they aren't happy for the world to know, speak more freely, and reveal their names only to those that they actually meet in real life. Which quite a lot of us do. To me, the good thing about this forum has always been the meeting up in real life. Perhaps I haven't grasped this intertube thingy properly yet....

I'm not prepared to be "the white starlet" though.

MikeFrog wrote (see)

Colin McLaughlin wrote (see)

you can use your real name but don't reveal, about yourself, what you aren't happy for the world to know. I think the practice of sites getting people to hide behind false names is silly and misguided. No one gets to know who anyone is. I may know a Mr Puffy, but you aren't a person to me. You are just a pseudonym from which noises emanate.

Interesting discussion

I think it's more fun if people,rather than concealing what they aren't happy for the world to know, speak more freely, and reveal their names only to those that they actually meet in real life. Which quite a lot of us do. To me, the good thing about this forum has always been the meeting up in real life. Perhaps I haven't grasped this intertube thingy properly yet....

I'm not prepared to be "the white starlet" though.

I haven't grabbed the intertubey thing either. I think we need teleport forums to enhance the communication experience.