Forum reminder: Real names, and not just first names

[Robin Garr]

As our registered membership in the new forum approaches 300, I'm delighted to see the response, but just a little frustrated at the non-trivial number of folks who either don't read or ignore our very simple rule about registration names.

So, please let me repeat it: In this forum, we require your real name and urge you to use your full first and last name. Because I know some people are shy or nervous about using your full name on the Internet, I'm willing to accept a first name and last initial, as long as I know who you are.

But we won't accept registration in the form of first name only, or wacky or cryptic screen names or handles.

A few examples:

<b>John Doe</b> is okay. (Assuming that John Doe is your real name.)
<b>John D.</b> is okay, as long as you let me know by E-mail who you are.
<b>John D</b> (without the period) ditto.
<b>johnd</b> is marginal, but I'd rather have you use the tidy forms above, since the forum password system will accept it.
<b>johndpfx2007</b> is not okay.
<b>John</b> is not okay.
<b>John The Ripper</b> is not okay.
<b>Darth Vader</b> is not okay, unless your name is really Darth Vader and you can prove it.

In the early days of the forum, I've been taking time to notify folks who registered with non-conforming names and asking them to change it. Hereafter, I'm going to stop doing that. If you register and don't get back a response within a few hours, feel free to drop me a note, and we'll work it out. But don't expect me to come find you.

I hope this doesn't sound too stern. And yes, I understand that many forums permit anonymous posting nowadays. This one doesn't.

Robin, it seems that your new forum has weeded out all of the pretenders and all of the "wanna-be" critics that have to hide behind ficticious names and aliases. I've noticed that some of the past prolific posters have mysteriously disappeared and those past "know-it-all"critics have been silenced. So now it appears that the forum will be one of quality and not so much quanity.

Thanks for the forum

[Robin Garr]

So now it appears that the forum will be one of quality and not so much quanity.

At this point, David, quantity is looking pretty good, too!

Robin,

When I registered I didn't realize I could use spaces for my user name(many forums don't allow it, but I can't figure out how to fix it now)--what do I do?

[Robin Garr]

Robin,

When I registered I didn't realize I could use spaces for my user name(many forums don't allow it, but I can't figure out how to fix it now)--what do I do?

Tanya, I'm not sure, but I think you can change your own user name in the PROFILE section. If that's not supported, I can change it for you.

I wouldn't worry, though! TanyaD looks fine, especially with the upper case initials. Don't bother to change it unless you just want to see if you can.

It looks as though you can change everything EXCEPT your user name, but if no one has a problem with mine, I'm not worried about it.

Thanks for your assistance!

I'm Billyk. I posted in the old forum a few times. I like this forum. It'll take a while to get used to it.

Billy Keene

I quite like the new forum alot. However, I miss the alter-ego of Paul S. and the random smattering of other people that used to be able to chime in. The replies to certain topics don't seem as "spirited" as they were at the old place. All things must pass......

[Robin Garr]

I quite like the new forum a lot. However, I miss the alter-ego of Paul S. and the random smattering of other people that used to be able to chime in.

Well, of course nobody has been banned from the new forum. I really don't think it's a bad thing to require registration, particularly since I'm not absolutely rigid about full last names. I do think it's reasonable for me to expect to have a working E-mail address and a presumably real first name and initial for forumites, and this requirement doesn't seem to be holding anybody back.

We've got just about 300 registered members already (and well into the thousands of unregistered visitors, who can lurk and read, but not post). My feel for it, although I haven't actually checked, is that we already have at least as much message traffic as the old forum and maybe a little more.

So I'd say things are looking pretty good, unless any of us really feel that anonymous sniper attacks or weird Eastern European spam are good thing s.

So I'd say things are looking pretty good, unless any of us really feel that anonymous sniper attacks or weird Eastern European spam are good things.

Being as I live with 2 Russian ladies, I kinda liked the weird Eastern European spam. J/K, of course. Maybe.

So I'd say things are looking pretty good, unless any of us really feel that anonymous sniper attacks or weird Eastern European spam are good things.

Being as I live with 2 Russian ladies, I kinda liked the weird Eastern European spam. J/K, of course. Maybe.