"My real name is"

No problem Baa, According to the best authority (my wife) I am an old goat.

LOL Farmerdill!

Well I just had an expierence tonight ...called someone Ada because that was the first part of their screen name...the next post he signed his name Anthony. I dont know whether I should be embarresed or not ... but I was and apologized for it. When I hang out in the Handyman Forum ... I learned fast and in a hurry you cant make remarks like "its nice to have a man around at times"! ....one of my three big mistakes. LOL I dont know why I want to know gender ...maybe it just my female instincts!
Sylvia, Sedrick's Mom

Don't you want to know the gender of with whom you wake up in the morning?
I, at least, would freak out if it were not one of the opposite.

lol @ Ulrich

I have been Zanymuse for so many years now and on so many different sites that I sometimes forget I have another identity! I have no objections to adding my given name (Brenda) but there are a whole lot of Brenda's out there these days and a post to that name could be very confusing. So on the forums I prefer my screen name to save confusion.

I do like the idea of having our real names as an option though.

Ulrich if you've assigned your computer a gender that's your business my friend. This is a virtual space and we can be who we want to be here so do you really trust what we all tell you about ourselves? After all I've already mentioned I'm a giraffe, today I may decide to be a small apple with a squint ;) If you meant on a physical level, do I want to know the gender of the person I wake up with ... well it depends on how your mind works really, 'waking up with' doesn't imply anything other than having been 'asleep in the company of', and again, either way, that's the business of the people waking up together :).


This message was edited Aug 26, 2005 11:12 AM

clearing my throat...

It seems we're all pretty much in agreement that real names - if used - should be strictly optional, but do come in handy on occasion.

Volunteering one's gender has always been optional. My personal (and humble) opinion is if one chooses to provide your real name, in *most* cases your gender can be deduced from your username and real name. (There *are* exceptions to that generalization - in fact, I'm one of them. I get addressed as "he" quite a bit. My fault entirely - if I had just spelled my nickname as my mom wanted it spelled, there would be no confusion at all. ;o)

Consider this a "last call": if there are any arguments against the option to add real names to your profile, please speak up - you're about to get lost in a stampede of giraffes! (*grin*)

I think it's a wonderful idea...real names with DG names...let's go.

Deb

Dear Stampeding Giraffes,

Before we get carried away with, "Woo Hoo, great idea," let's think about it.

The world wide web is wide open. For $15/year I have access to some information about you. For those smarter than me on computers, $15 probably isn't necessary. There are over 178,000 members. I don't know how many of those are subscribers, but it is obvious that not all subscribers post here. The people who regularly post here are people that we tend to trust. I know I do. But when I go to my state on the membership list, click on the button to list subscribers only, and start scrolling down, there are only a few names I recognize. You can view threads people have started. There are MANY who have never started a thread. Now, I'm not saying non-posters are bad or evil, I'm simply reminding everyone that people besides those you trust and are familiar with have access to your info.

Some of you participate in the address exchange. All I have to do to get your address, is give mine. Is mine verified, or could I provide a false one? Some of you post pictures of your homes in threads. Some of those are very beautiful. Do you see where I'm going with this?

Now we are proposing the option of names. That's okay with me, but I will not participate. We are about to embark on EXACTLY what we caution our children and grandchildren not to do. I will not exercise the option, and I would urge everyone to think carefully before doing so. I would hate to see any DG member harmed in any fashion because of giving too much info. All it would take is one unscrupulous person to take this info, harm one of us, and harm this site as a result. Please think about it.

You may throw your excess vegetables now.
McGlory

Good points, McGlory. Those concerns are why we've approached this cautiously and asked for feedback before adding any optional field to the profiles. I can't see us EVER suggesting that people disclose more than a first name online - and only if they're comfortable doing that.

Some members choose to keep their location completely under wraps, and that's fine, too (it just makes it harder for others to help them if they have a regional gardening question.) We do nudge people for a ZIP and/or zone when they sign up, for that reason - but it's optional and can be added/changed/deleted by the user at any time.

Well said McGlory!

Here, here McGlory,
From an overloaded, hermaphrodite elephant with a balloon!!

Wow, McGlory, you really put into words exactly what I have been thinking. Thank you!

I too am concerned with how much of my personal information is available on the World Wide Web.

Simply put, I like to address the person to whom I am responding, and do not see any harm in knowing them by their given names. That's not a whole lot of personal info. Remembering some of the sign-on names is impossible.

How much info each member wishes to include in their profile is up to them.

Regards to all,

Joan

Having my name and the city/zone I live in is not enough to steal my identity. IF you have my last name you could however look me up in the phone book and give me a call ;~) yep, I am actually listed! It would not give you a key to my home, my drivers license, my SSN, my credit card numbers or my bank card pin number. Those I guard well! Identity theft is a grave concern, but knowing my name is not a big deal.

As for gender, it is not a big deal for me. I really do not care if you refer to me as she or he since I am not likely to discuss female problems on this site or any other. That is what my Dr.s are for :~)

So, I think that so long as both name and gender are optional it should not be a problem. I for one would never dream of asking for these things on line if the person did not volunteer them. Just seems like netiquett 101.

I'm totally with you on that, Zanymuse. :)

I agree that identify theft is not an issue on DG. I'm talking personal safety and guarding against the real uglies such as robbery and personal injury. While Mike the gardener in Dallas would be impossible to locate, Anton the gardener in Smalltown USA might be very easy. I doubt, too, if anyone will club us over the head for our hydrangeas, but some the pictures of our homes suggest lovely things may lie inside, and many folks on this site have delightful, attractive personalities.

I'm merely urging caution and thoughtful consideration before exercising the option. I would not be safe by exercising it because of the tiny town I live in, and I just want you all to be safe too. The warm friendly atmosphere on this site might lull folks into a false sense of security. We're still on the internet though. Enough out of me! :-)

Glad I'm poor and have nothing worth stealing. : )

I dunno, Darius, I bet the biscotti is worth a jimmied doorknob.... ;)

LOL... but I betcha the locals have no idea what biscotti is!

Zanymuse, like your "netiquett" word. Is this new? or am I behind the times?

You sound like my kind of person - nice and easy going.

What's your name?

LOL - jus' kiddink, you don't have to give it.

Joan

Try putting your phone number in the search box on your web browsert. You will get your namd, address, city, state and even a map of your location.

Didn't work for me George. But then that's not we're talking about here.

Joan

George in Valinda, CA

it shouldn't work if your number is unlisted
it only worked on one of 4 #'s for me
& i have that # posted on the wide world web :-)

Dick in Fountain Valley

Gave me some man with this number but same area, and I've had this # 18 months at least.

My old number in Asheville still shows it's mine although it was cancelled Feb. 2004.

I've winced at some of the private things I've seen posted, but even I can't think of how a first name can be harmful except that it might encourage some folks to feel more relaxed than they probably should be, or might already be, about how personal they get on the forums.

Whatever the decision ends up being, what if a reminder is added to be careful when posting anything that would be considered private if we weren't sitting in a comfy chair at home reading through our favorite website? Maybe on the profile pages or a sticky in the FAQ forum?

If we do add this field to the profiles, I am pretty sure it will have a strong warning accompanying it, to remind each user they are making this information public, and urging them to consider carefully their decision to reveal any personal information.

Hey, if you put my full name on the internet all kinds of things show up. I'm involved in tons of stuff, from gardening to Girl Scouts to community service. You can even get my phone number and address with ease. Having Carmen in Decatur, GA here on DG is not a problem at all for me. I'm all for it, and will sign up, even with the strong warning.

Gosh grls & boys!
I got confused...........

My screen name is heycharlie. My real name is charlie. Charles if ya must!
Another charlie isn't going to bother me at all. Charlie tha tunna isn't going to care either.

I give nothing away! most common names are jus that.
Common!
__________________________________

I really hate it though when I call a guy a gal.
Brothers me when I call a gal a guy.
[for thou sake] smile....now!

Genger is important when you think it is!
Other wise its por-nada!
[texican type heah] thankye____Irish+ too.

I find women think one way and men think, (forget that) lol.
I personally think this got out of hand!
__________________

The Questilon was good!
Screen name or real first name or tha name they call's ya by.
-
Your choice, & your profile is jus that!
Yours....

I ran a google search on mesef.
Heck, I live all over tha world!

Me and SS was born tha same year, 1935
Old Abe had been dead 70 years before I got hatched.
Thuman & then Ike was my commander-in-chief.
(haha, back then) Been around more!
-
Been shot twice & tha big knife once.
307th MP Bn, 11th Abn, 508th Abn, 82nd Abn.
Know who I am?
No ya don't:

http://home.hiwaay.net/~magro/abn.html
[ Paratroopers of the 50's ]

There is a pic of me on this site.
My outfit and much more.
Point:
Ya don't know who I am!

Lol, jus call me charlie.
heycharlie will work..........

Happy Days to ya....................................................

I been online from 1998.
I luvs, like my puters plus I buy much online.

........Charlie .... which one is you...? LOL

Hey Charlie!! I had a look at the above link...was interested because a cousin of mine was in the FIRST Paratroopers that were formed!! He retired at Fort Brag, NC...married a Polish girl while overseas.

Also, I am only 1 year older than you! My last name is the only one listed in our small community...but I left it listed in my deceased husbands name...and my name is Betty Jo...you still couldn't find me with these facts. Jo

Optional is okay by me. Sometimes I automatically sign Kathleen to posts, and sometimes just "k" -- cuz that's who I am to friends and family.

But Kathleen is not a unique name to say the least, and I found that someone else in the forums I visit also uses "k" -- so I'm glad I chose to use another nickname for my DG name!

kaperc/kathleen/k -- and I'm not telling what my dad used to call me!

Kathleen, (ah, such a beautiful name) ~ wish I'da been blessed with such a moniker.

But "kaperc" would mean nothing at all to me, besides which, I would have to remember it when I wanted to address you in a response. What's wrong with "Kathleen X" - meaning your first name plus the initial of your last (even if you wanted to make one up).

Plain ol' Joan X

Gosh & a Howdydo to-ya
'Just me at tha office' I have good taste thankye lol..

Betty Jo (Jo)
We arn't old. Thats strictly fer dem others.
Re: Abn history, did you read this page:
http://home.hiwaay.net/~magro/parahistory.html
-
Charlie Magro that built the site was a parachute rigger & lives in Al.

Hey Breezedale;
What your daddy used to call ya.........Lol

BTW, I agree with McGlory. I don't think using 'real' names on the forums is a good idea.

I prefer to use a user name on the WWW. Too many unknown security issues to even contemplate and too much personal information out there can lead to difficult situtations we can't even imagine. t.

tabasco, I want to call you tobasco sauce. :•)

Sorry 'bout that.

Anyway, your link failed with me.

Joan

Would you answer to your user name if I saw you walking down the street? I didn't think so.
After attending my first roundup this spring, I like knowing a person by their first name, not user name. I can "see" the person in my mind hearing their name, user name just don't click. I think it was around 35 subscribers that I met there. We didn't call each other by our screen names.
I vote for signing your post, don't care if it's on the left, & it is nice to know where somebody lives.
Bernie

on the left??????

For what it's worth, I live just outside of a town with a population of less than 1000. I work in the next town down the line with a year round population of less than 100. (Tourist Town). I live 1/2 mile off of a Can/Am highway, and 6 miles off of a major East/West Interstate. I have a running dialog and pictures of our house building episode in my journal.

I've been using my real name and address here for 4 years, and never once had a problem because of it. I don't have a problem with people knowing my name or where I live.

I do, however, shred credit card offers and such before throwing them away.

Like someone else said, I think it takes a lot more than a name and address to steal an identity.