Forum Reputation

[nevis_highwire]

In order to have a reputable forum with high quality posts and low amounts of noise you need to ban aliases and force people to use their real name as their username.

Please see: Stormtrack Forum

It works great at Stormtrack. I know people on that forum and respect them, I don't think of them as "weatherweanie126."

Aliases are great for Star Trek forums and 15 year olds.

If people have privacy concerns they could crawl into a hole and hide, or they could use their first name and last initial. Or they could make up a fake name, nobody is going to check.

Implementing this new rule would require some bold steps. Basically, erase everybodies accounts and force them to sign up again. If they use an alias their account gets erased and they get a friendly email reminding them of this policy. Considering the slow rate of member growth we could easily handle this procedure.

I'm not sure we have much to lose. This forum is pretty much DOA right now. The web comments helped a little last week, but over the weekend there were several days with no posts at all. None. My original plan for the Mount Washington forum involved using real names instead of aliases.

[nevis_highwire]

By the way, I fully understand the irony of my username. Should the rules be changed I would gladly change my username, and as it stands right now I have my real name in my signature.

[Brad]

I agree with a lot of your comment. Posting on forums should be as open as a discussion at the pub. But, people are concerned with privacy and such. "Brad" is my real first name. My signature has a URL to my photos web site where you can find my personal e-mail address and some things about me. With 10 minutes of Internet checking one could find out where I live, my home phone number, etc. All this has always been available - the Internet just makes it easier.

It is interesting that some people are concerned about having their real name on a forum or purchasing things online. Yet, they will go out to eat - give the credit card to a person they do not know - have that person disappear for 6 minutes and come back with a receipt to sign. They have no idea what happened to that card while it was out of their sight. Or they will order things over the phone on a cell phone. Or FAX in an order with a credit card and expiration date on the paper.

[nevis_highwire]

Well, the internet isn't for everyone. I'm not entirely sure what the real risk is with having you name on a forum. If you have a stalker or you are in the witness protection program, then you have a case.

This recipe works very well for Stormtrack. They have over 1,000 members that have lively and well respected threads. It is "THE" place on the internet for storm chasers.

I'm even proposing a toned down version. All I am asking is that you use a real human name. First name, last initial or first initial, last name. You could even use somebody else's name. I could be George Washington, just as long as I am not "smellycat213."

[Andrew]

well i guess my user name is all set

[Brad]

well i guess my user name is all set

Herman, thanks for the post.

Santa Claus ...

[davidhowland14]

Um...speaking as a 15-year old, i mildly resent that assinuation. My username does have my real name in it and I would gladly change to my real name.

[Robohiker]

My real name is Model Elite-660S Mk. IV, my serial # however is confidential.

davidhowland14 and others,
The reason many of us use an alias is primarily to protect ourselves from "online" predators. For example: What if I told you that one of the top five posters at this site was a convicted NH Child Sex Offender It's true! and not only will he never tell you his real name, he drops a letter off his first name, he even lies about what town he lives in.

...But don't think for a second that he's the only dangerous person out there.
For all you know I could be an EVIL robot---I'm not, but it would only take a bit of reprogramming to change that.

[nevis_highwire]

My real name is Model Elite-660S Mk. IV, my serial # however is confidential.

davidhowland14 and others,
The reason many of us use an alias is primarily to protect ourselves from "online" predators. For example: What if I told you that one of the top five posters at this site was a convicted NH Child Sex Offender It's true! and not only will he never tell you his real name, he drops a letter off his first name, he even lies about what town he lives in.

...But don't think for a second that he's the only dangerous person out there.
For all you know I could be an EVIL robot---I'm not, but it would only take a bit of reprogramming to change that.

Very true, but who cares if somebody knows what my name is? They can find it in the phone book if they want. Also, that doesn't account for just using your first name and last initial?

[Bill O]

There you go, I just stepped up to the plate and changed my username. No more alias for me. BTW, Nevis Highwire is an insanely high bungy jump in Queenstown, New Zealand.