Effective immediately, I’m implementing something I should have done a long time ago. Starting today, I will not allow nickname-only profile names. You must use your real name. You can append a nickname to your last name (Such as “Bob McCown (Head Honcho)”) but that’s it. We all should know who you are, and where you are located. One week from today I will be disabling accounts I find that are nickname only. At that time, I will also disable the ability to change your profile name once created.
Bob as you can see LSC has a security vulnerability in that it allows for accounts with duplicate names. Preventing it will require members with the same name to use numbers or initials to tell them apart. How many John Smiths’ are members? Then their will be the people who forget to capitalize their own name so they will try to edit their profile but won’t be able to. They will then try to open a new account with the same name…and again won’t be able to. Or they mess up their avatar and can;t edit that. Or they move and can’t edit that.
I fail to see the value in this requirement. It does not prevent someone from creating an account with a fake name. Unless you are going to verify every account by matching it to a physical address or providing some proof of ID whats the value? More work for you for little or no gain.
Mostly I object to it because I like changing the avatar or using the location bar for something humorous. Part of the attraction of LSC is the light hearted atmosphere. I think the core group knows and has regular contact with each other far more than an average hobby forum. I am happy to say that I have met more than a dozen of you in person and had a few make the trip out to New Mexico to actually visit the layout. Its no secret and you do not actually need a passport.
I am sure there will be a few who welcome this since they want a more rigid “just the facts” forum. I would point out to those few what has already been said about ignoring the people or topics that you do not like. But they are welcome to pile on here with their opinion…which I will ignore.
Why does anyone care that my exact and location be listed on line? I am a member of several other hobby forums and none of them care what name or avatar I use. I see no value in it other than conformity for conformity sake. It seems like a concession to the few who want to wag the dog.
I spent 21 years in the military and 18 years before that in an ultra-conservative right wing school system. I am done with marching in lockstep with the masses for appearance sake. I am asking that you reconsider this one. If I still have an account next week I will know you did.
NOT funny. You would think everyone would know my patience is at an end.
Boomer, I hear you, but the way I read it it’s only the profile name (not the entire profile with pictures and tag lines and signatures and avatars and all) that Bob’s not letting us change. We can play around with the rest of it all we want.
I’m not sure why Boomer decided to go straight to DEFCON 1 and provoke me (By changing his name to something very close to mine, and location, too), instead of opening a discussion about this. I would hope that he remembers that I almost shut the site down when he was driven away last time.
I originally signed up with a nickname/handle back in 2004. But I soon realized that I wanted to have people know who I am by my given name.
Each to their own, but those are the rules and I will choose to remain here rather than go against the wishes of the BD.
The nickname this isn’t so much for us who have been here for a while, its more for the new folks coming in. When I am new to a forum, I am more comfortable talking to a person with a real sounding name, then I am with talking to some odd sounding nickname (no one here is intended by that remark).
Also, its nice to know where on the planet someone is. On another forum, I have talked to folks and had a difficult time understanding why they have certain challenges, and then they finally tell me they are in Australia, or Scotland, or somewhere else, that doesn’t have the same products in the same stores that we have in the states. Then, then I understand the challenge they face finding the item that I am talking about.
I find nothing wrong with rule #1. I like to know who I am talking to. IMHO if you can not provide your real name then there might be a problem with your past. Or you’re just a little insecure? ? Good job Bob. Thanks for bringing us back on-line and everyone play nice.
So what is Rooster going to call him/itself ?
i am not happy about rule #1. for about 20 years i was able, to keep hobbies and business separated by different names.
but Bob’s forum - Bob’s rules.
Pete Thornton said:
So what is Rooster going to call him/itself ?
Pete, he should be Dave something. Before you get the boot, you need to update your location.
All the reasons for not using your real name do not hold water for me.
I’ve used my real name on virtually every forum, and I have not had my identity stolen, etc.
I also think that at some small level of detail, the rough location in the state is helpful… when we get a new member, and don’t know he lives in Alaska or Arizona or Washington, some of our suggestions might not be the best.
Also, there’s enough information about us out there already, that, should Bob need to, he can validate (to an extent) the name with the email and location.
I’ve also seen some members change their names to hide their identity, (no one on this thread) but a person who got in a lot of name calling matches with people.
I’m all for this, good move Bob!
Greg
p.s. I assume this means first AND last names?
p.p.s. Guys this is not a huge life or death deal, really! Your life won’t end using your real name. You gave it to Costco for crissakes!
I find knowing everyone’s name reassuring.
I can see a big problem for part timers who may only check in once every so often suddenly finding their accounts frozen, might want to include some kind of contact email or pathway that would allow someone to change or reactivate their account after the deadline if they were not active before the change is emplimented.
As a newbie to LSC I like the idea of everyone using a real name on here. But returning to the hobby it has been a bit of a challenge with a few folks figuring out they are the same person I used to know as some nickname. That being said I wouldn’t mind if somewhere on your information you could put your nickname. I used the handle/nickname pcentral for many, many years before I joined here and there maybe someone out there that remembers me as such.
Thanks for a great place Bob and I definitely take my hat off to you!
Steve Borges
I understand what the Governor is trying to achieve - it is his place and he makes the rules. I do have a small reservation about real names. When I initially signed in here I used a ‘nickname’. I still do on other some other fora as it is not always a simple process to change - other than cancelling your membership and re-joining. I did change to my real name here - and received one totally unnecessary comment from one person.
My reservation is this. New folks to the internet are often reluctant to quote their real names, there is so much baloney about hacking, identity etc., but they do have their fears. Accepting the great camaraderie that exists here, most new folks, especially to our hobby, come for advice on many of the issues that we railroaders face. I wonder if this real name need might cause them to avoid this Forum which, in my view, would be sad. A glance at most fora Member lists show many members who have never posted or only made a couple of posts and are subsequently never seen again. Maybe a temporary Membership with nickname - if so desired by the new Member - for say a couple of weeks?
However, I accept the status quo and happily remain a Member here. I would add that on each of the fora I visit (not just railways) I have made some very good friendships and as most of them are Stateside that friendship is completed by telephone/or internet equivalent.
To some extent Bob is going back in time. When I first joined LSC I attempted to use a ‘handle’ I have had since my big On Line RPG days. Too long to remember specific details, but Bob told me then that the site registration required real names. So I obliged.
Alan, I do agree that there is trepidation when becoming involved in any new adventure. Knowing how fora tend to work, anonymity can sometimes be a sort of security blanked. Being as I have not registered with this site in forever it seems, I hope Bob has put up a clear and concise policy when new folks do register here. Knowing the rules up front can go a long way to ease that trepidation.
FWIW…Bob C.
BD, I didn’t know you had selected Enforcers / Moderators at this point. How many will you have other than the vendors in their own section.
No enforcers or moderators at this time.