Forum posting with your IRL name

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10543100.stm

It seems that Blizzard have decided to require the use of real names when posting to their forums. What do people think about that? Is that a good way to stop the flame wars and the like that pseudo anonymity results in or an unacceptable risk that you wouldn't want to do? If c9 (for example) required you to use your real name would you still post here?

I for one don't think I would like it , and would probably stop coming here if required to use my real name - and I'd feel a darn site more comfortable with it here than somewhere such as the WoW forums. I'm always reluctant to link my main online identity to my irl one (people in irl often know my online identity, but not the other way around). (I am sure, however that it's probably not impossible to link the two, although that's not intended to be a challenge .)

Thoughts?

blowdart said:

I love the way some eejit contacts the BBC to complain about how being associated with gaming would ruin his job prospects ... and gives his real name so he can be quoted.

LOL ....

Like I want to be hidden but here's my name so you can really make fool of me .... LOL

"Mr Brand said that one Blizzard employee posted his real name on the forums, saying that there was no risk to users, and the experiment went drastically wrong. Within five minutes, users had got hold of his telephone number, home address, photographs of him and a ton of other information," said Mr Brand. The post and topic has since been removed from the Blizzard forum."

'nuff said.

There are more appropriate ways of dealing with undesireables on the Internet than forcing a real name field. Just have better moderation, Blizzard earns enough to employ the necessary couple of full-time moderators.

Oh, and just to add my own personal experience: lots of gamers (and people online generally) mature as they age. I was a complete prat online, even as recent as 5 years ago in some places. I don't feel it's fair to permanently bind their real name to everything they do online.

Fortunately my name is fairly common, I think I'll be okay.

W3bbo said:

"Mr Brand said that one Blizzard employee posted his real name on the forums, saying that there was no risk to users, and the experiment went drastically wrong. Within five minutes, users had got hold of his telephone number, home address, photographs of him and a ton of other information," said Mr Brand. The post and topic has since been removed from the Blizzard forum."

 

'nuff said.

 

There are more appropriate ways of dealing with undesireables on the Internet than forcing a real name field. Just have better moderation, Blizzard earns enough to employ the necessary couple of full-time moderators.

 

Oh, and just to add my own personal experience: lots of gamers (and people online generally) mature as they age. I was a complete prat online, even as recent as 5 years ago in some places. I don't feel it's fair to permanently bind their real name to everything they do online.

 

Fortunately my name is fairly common, I think I'll be okay.

I think requiring a single forum handle per paid account would be adequate to combat most of the WoW forum troll problems. And with the social immaturity of far too many in the WoW community, I think women especially are going to be reticent about using their real names in the forums.

I wonder if this has something to do with the real-name system in South Korea? They require large forums to register their posters real names. Starcraft II is getting the new forums first and that game is REALLY big there.

DCMonkey said:

W3bbo said:

*snip*

I think requiring a single forum handle per paid account would be adequate to combat most of the WoW forum troll problems. And with the social immaturity of far too many in the WoW community, I think women especially are going to be reticent about using their real names in the forums.

 

I wonder if this has something to do with the real-name system in South Korea? They require large forums to register their posters real names. Starcraft II is getting the new forums first and that game is REALLY big there.

I think the real point about this is to put users off using the official WoW forums. They can post whatever junk they like on numerous external sites anonymously, but Blizzard doesn't have to deal with it then.

I wouldn't be such an ässhole to Shining Arcanine if I were not hiding behind my shadowy moniker, but then he probably wouldn't act like an idiot either. Anonymity makes us horrible. 

I don't think that changes anything. It's doesn't take a genius to conjure up a false first and last name, nor using a proxy to escape IP-based location detection. This information should also not be required to be public; the site administrators should see it, not everyone else. I'd love for there to be a way to authenticate digital identities, then we wouldn't see the same people writing again and again under new user accounts; and it would deter the most non-sensical claims and trolls. Perhaps an option would be requiring social network authentication (fb connect?) along with social graph topology metrics that ensures that the social graph has a certain size and degree as well as that the nodes in the graph have a certain graph age. It would take significantly more work to create new user accounts as it would require new digital identities with mature social graphs; even a fanatic would have to spend significant time to establish new social networks; it would be problematic to reuse nodes as well, that could also be used as a warning system.

exoteric said:

I don't think that changes anything. It's doesn't take a genius to conjure up a false first and last name, nor using a proxy to escape IP-based location detection. This information should also not be required to be public; the site administrators should see it, not everyone else. I'd love for there to be a way to authenticate digital identities, then we wouldn't see the same people writing again and again under new user accounts; and it would deter the most non-sensical claims and trolls. Perhaps an option would be requiring social network authentication (fb connect?) along with social graph topology metrics that ensures that the social graph has a certain size and degree as well as that the nodes in the graph have a certain graph age. It would take significantly more work to create new user accounts as it would require new digital identities with mature social graphs; even a fanatic would have to spend significant time to establish new social networks; it would be problematic to reuse nodes as well, that could also be used as a warning system.

The problem is that Blizzard wants ID with that name on it to verify you are who you say you are if you have problems like a hacked account or need to remove an authenticator.

Frankly I think in a lot of cases being a gamer would help your job prospects.  Think about all those interviewers who are Modern Warfare fans.

I wouldn't object to using my real name on a forum.  It's not hard for somebody to find my real name either from my nickname.  The first result on Google for it is my website, with my name in the title.  Obviously I've got a pretty common name, but it's still possible to narrow it down, using say a town which I often provide in my forum profile.

daSmirnov said:

Frankly I think in a lot of cases being a gamer would help your job prospects.  Think about all those interviewers who are Modern Warfare fans.

 

I wouldn't object to using my real name on a forum.  It's not hard for somebody to find my real name either from my nickname.  The first result on Google for it is my website, with my name in the title.  Obviously I've got a pretty common name, but it's still possible to narrow it down, using say a town which I often provide in my forum profile.

My Name is Herbie and I live in Gobowen -- I'll send a cheque for £10 to the first 9er to send me a postcard to my full postal address and announce the winner here (have to disqualify John Askew because he posted something to me in the past).

Herbie

EDIT: Obviously you'll have to include your full name and address so I can post the cheque back to you

Dr Herbie said:

daSmirnov said:

*snip*

My Name is Herbie and I live in Gobowen -- I'll send a cheque for £10 to the first 9er to send me a postcard to my full postal address and announce the winner here (have to disqualify John Askew because he posted something to me in the past).

 

Herbie

 

EDIT: Obviously you'll have to include your full name and address so I can post the cheque back to you

at least 2 9ers know that my name here is my last name .......

and i have said at least 5 or 10 times that i live in Tampa FL USA

I have nothing to hide and I do not worry that some nut job will find me.

IMHO if someone is mental and fixated on finding you they will.

but the blizzard real name thing i will have to see if it really forces a "real name" or just that you use a "name" seems like they can't really force the real legal name to be public ... but they can ask for a name.... but ..... well i have to check it out later and see what the real rules are....

Dr Herbie said:

daSmirnov said:

*snip*

My Name is Herbie and I live in Gobowen -- I'll send a cheque for £10 to the first 9er to send me a postcard to my full postal address and announce the winner here (have to disqualify John Askew because he posted something to me in the past).

 

Herbie

 

EDIT: Obviously you'll have to include your full name and address so I can post the cheque back to you

H Jones 

13  Beeches Avenue
Gobowen
Oswestry
Shropshire
SY11 3LF

?

spivonious said:

Dr Herbie said:

*snip*

H Jones 

13  Beeches Avenue
Gobowen
Oswestry
Shropshire
SY11 3LF

 

?

Nope.

The reason I asked for a postcard was to avoid names and addresses being posted on forums -- I don't really worry about people knowing who I am, but I'd like to avoid the casual nutters who would play pranks like signing me up for junk mail.

Herbie

Dr Herbie said:

spivonious said:

*snip*

Nope.

 

The reason I asked for a postcard was to avoid names and addresses being posted on forums -- I don't really worry about people knowing who I am, but I'd like to avoid the casual nutters who would play pranks like signing me up for junk mail.

 

Herbie

 

Ah well. It was the first Herb ____ in the telephone directory for Gobowen. That's the extent of my l33t hax0r skillz.

Dr Herbie said:

daSmirnov said:

*snip*

My Name is Herbie and I live in Gobowen -- I'll send a cheque for £10 to the first 9er to send me a postcard to my full postal address and announce the winner here (have to disqualify John Askew because he posted something to me in the past).

 

Herbie

 

EDIT: Obviously you'll have to include your full name and address so I can post the cheque back to you

Dr Herbie,

are you on Gittin St. ?

Minh said:

Dr Herbie said:

*snip*

Dr Herbie,

 

are you on Gittin St. ?

No.

This is fun, it's like 20 questions!

Herbie