A Modest Proposal

[randooch]

It has come to my attention over these few years I've loitered in the Lounge, that user names are dispensed with on a regular basis, but not with any rhyme or reason. "The Wiser Hatter" becomes Ed, "Rodkins" becomes Mike, "RBH" becomes Rusty, "Delectans" becomes Al, etcera, etcetera. At some point, user names are brushed aside for a more familiar nom de guerre.

Why and how does this happen?, i ask myself, when some members are never "outed" in such a way. "HatsEnough," are you Bob? "Egghead", "fluteplayer09", and "scooter", or should I call you Tom, Dick, and Harry, are you comfortable being addressed by your given names?

Some of us are fine with our our own tags: Alan, Art, Aureliano . . . and those are just a few "A's".

Just curious. But back to my proposal! Any interest in changing our forum names to our real ones? Call me Randall, please!

 

[HatsEnough]

I am not Bob. Not forwards or backwards! LOL

I am also not fond of the idea of going under my real name in public here. If others have no problem going under their real names, I am not averse to their use, though.

 

[Duper]

Nice to make your aquantance Randall, I'm Mike, but some of my friends do call me Duper. I guess I just went along with the flow when I picked a user name, but it was a bit more familiar to me.

Now here is a true story from my past. I worked in mainframe computer operations 25 years back. 12 1/2 hour shifts. There were probably 50 staff, mostly male covering off all the shifts. The staff got moved around as people moved up the chain, or moved on. At one point there were 7 of us working the same shift, in one 20' x 20' room with one central number. Funny thing was we were all named "Mike". Well without a nickname we wouldn't have been able to work it all out. We mixed up last names, nicknames and of course there was one lad whose father was a big wig in the firm and he only liked being called Mike so Mike he remained.

As I mentioned there was one central number that hundreds of people would call for support. Whoever wasn't occupied already would answer the phone. I recall one of the many "Mikes" taking a call one night and the customer asked to speak to "Mike". He said "Which Mike would you like to speak to?" The customer asked "How many guys there are named Mike?" His response was, " We are all named Mike for your convienience.".

This is a much larger room, but many more callers and I think the forum names do serve a purpose. But anyone is welcome to call me Mike or Duper. Just don't call me late for dinner.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Just call me Shemp then.

 

[Garrett]

Well, my name really is Garrett

 

[EggHead]

Randooch, you crack me up! - EggHead

 

[Shangas]

Finding out my name is easy. Just go to my blog.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Just give us all a call at dinner time, no matter what name we use!
It really is no problem to me, for anyone to use what ever name someone would know another person by.

Most of you that have been here for some time, veteran Loungers are going to know each other (more than not) by a first name basis, and some maybe by the entire first/last name.

It may at times be a bit confusing to read someone addressing one another by their first name instead of the name used as their "handle" on the lounge, but eventually you sort of figure it all out.

I am sort of understanding how some would desire to be careful, but all in all, it is not like this is a dating sight and you don't desire to have your spouse or girlfriend catching you hitting up on some dame! So, I guess to each their own and be comfy with what ya do!

 

[scottyrocks]

I see no problems with first names here, at least for me, anyway.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Since first logging on to the Internet in the early 80's I have used my real name. Back in those day if you received an email it was from someone you had met in person. For me it is my was of keeping things real. Thru the years I have meet many who feel the Internet Allows them to take up a persona that is not their true self. So while my handle here is The Wiser Hatter I put my real name in my signature the Wiser is just my last name.

 

[DavidJ]

Most of you that have been here for some time, veteran Loungers are going to know each other (more than not) by a first name basis, and some maybe by the entire first/last name.

Being a "veteran" at the Lounge would make it more comfortable to go by a first name. As I'm pretty new, I wouldn't feel that comfortable calling, say, randooch, Randall.

 

[dhermann1]

I guess most people know that I'm Dan. If anyone wants to call me that, that's fine. When I first signed up at the Lounge I just used my then email address. If I'd known how long I was going to hang around I'd have come up with something cleverer. There are a couple other places where I call myself Jazznocracy (after Jimmie Lunceford's famous song). But it's too much of a hassle to change it here now.

 

[BR Gordon]

I follow a simple guide. If the person posting uses his name at the bottom of the post, I feel comfortable addressing him using that name. If I'm incorrect using this as a guide, just let me know.

By the way BR is for Bruce Robert, I'm happy with any of the names.

BR

 

[monbla256]

Have used my "handle", monbla256 for several years on other Forums so I just prefer to continue. It came from how a snooty salesperson at a pen shop over in Dallas said Mont Blanc and numericaly is my favorite model of MB pen, a 256 from the early 50's. I've been predominently a pen collector for over 30+ years now. So I'll stay with it

 

[Sam Craig]

I was over Unger and he was over Dunn

I chose Sam Craig in deference ... or in "reference" ... to the Spencer Tracy character from Woman of the Year. He was the newsman who went out and bought a new hat to impress a woman.
I admire that, even if I didn't admire him shoving his old hat down a mail tube.

I guess I didn't want my byline attached to something on the Web. Maybe I just thought it was cool.

Whatever.

Call me Ishmael ... or don't, I really don't care.

Sam

 

[tonyb]

Interesting topic, randooch.

Can't say that I'm all that savvy about this stuff. I came of age long before the advent of the personal computer, let alone Internet forums, so I've kinda stumbled along.

But I have come to a coupla-three perhaps obvious conclusions about these things. One is that this forum is well monitored and political topics are verboten and those who make a habit of violating the rules (or even commit a single, particularly egregious violation) are given the boot, so the tone stays generally respectful and civil. Another forum I visit has similar policies, and sees similar levels of decorum. So I have very little concern about my identity being disclosed. Should a person care to learn who I actually am, well, that wouldn't be at all difficult. Indeed, a person could learn a great deal about me in a matter of minutes.

There are, however, other "discussion" sites where commenters routinely engage in the sorts of "talk" that would earn them at least a couple of loose teeth in the "real" world. My few forays into those swamps have left me seriously questioning the emotional stability of too many of the most frequent posters. It's best, I think, that such characters not know where I might be found. The large majority of them are just blowhards, of course, and probably harmless, at least in a physical sense. But it takes only one, you know.

 

[gtdean48]

Attend a Fedora Fest & first names become second nature after hanging with this bunch for any length of time.
You'll call Bart Ed or is it call Ed Bart......oh well, it is like hanging with other folks. You learn or pick up nicknames....Good times!!!!

 

[Ordinary Guy]

Well since I am just an Ordinary Guy I signed in that way.

But honestly at the young age of 17 I acquired Super Powers but when I first came here Super Ordinary Guy had too many characters, so I remain..... an Ordinary Guy.....

 

[Woodfluter]

I'm happy either way. I came up with "woodfluter" quite a while back because I play wooden flutes, but have used the same handle pretty much everywhere so I'm obviously not hiding my identity - except from spammers. Call me woodfluter or Woody or Bill or Willie, I don't care, it's all good.

So one time in a meeting someone misheard my name Bill as "Phil" and I let it slide, never corrected him. Afterward a colleague asked in astonishment "Why didn't you set him straight about your name? Now he'll talk to others about how helpful that guy Phil Porter was, and you won't get any credit!"

I said "Let's look at it from the other side. Suppose he didn't like me, and told others how annoying I was, going on and on, wasting everyone's time by examining every possible angle and improbable scenario and how they'd play out...nobody would assume that was me, right?"

"Uh, yes they would Phil".

 

[HatsEnough]

I always thought that your photo icon makes you look like William H. Macy the actor, Woodfluter.

But for me, HE is enough.