I've never heard of anyone doing this, but kids today are pretty lose with their online info.
Folks college age or younger, is this the "thing" now.
- Thread starter SeerSGB
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Because of the internet, and social networking specifically, people are becoming more open about who they are, even if certain aspects of their lives may be viewed as undesirable by others. Yeah, there are certain Orwellian aspects to the way a lot of people put their entire lives on display, but there are a lot of differences. In 1984, yeah, everyone was under surveillance, but it was used as a tool of oppression. With social networking, its voluntary. Even though a lot of things open people do are seen as socially undesirable, one can see a more complete picture of who someone is. Most people do some things that would be seen as socially undesirable. With people that are open, others can see what those things are. People that are more guarded, there's no telling how weird they are.
Yeah, the way things are now, if a prospective employer checks my Facebook page or this BBS, and sees that I like Star Trek, or that I'm polyamorous, or politically moderate, or a number of other things, I might not get the job. As more people embrace social networking, and more people come to realize that everyone is a little weird, this will change. Even now, while my openness will probably cost me jobs and other things, other employers will see these things and hire me anyway, because it doesn't matter. Yeah, I'm different, but I also present an accurate picture of who I am to everyone I interact with, so they know what they're getting themselves into if they choose to continue interacting with me.
As for the specific topic. Which name I use depends on the situation. I use my legal name when required, but in social situations or situations where I'm acting as a marketer I use Kommander. The name denotes strength, and gives the impression that I enter into situations and take control. I've also noticed that others reactions when I introduce myself as Kommander are a good indication of whether or not they're the kind of person I want to associate with.
Yeah, the way things are now, if a prospective employer checks my Facebook page or this BBS, and sees that I like Star Trek, or that I'm polyamorous, or politically moderate, or a number of other things, I might not get the job. As more people embrace social networking, and more people come to realize that everyone is a little weird, this will change. Even now, while my openness will probably cost me jobs and other things, other employers will see these things and hire me anyway, because it doesn't matter. Yeah, I'm different, but I also present an accurate picture of who I am to everyone I interact with, so they know what they're getting themselves into if they choose to continue interacting with me.
As for the specific topic. Which name I use depends on the situation. I use my legal name when required, but in social situations or situations where I'm acting as a marketer I use Kommander. The name denotes strength, and gives the impression that I enter into situations and take control. I've also noticed that others reactions when I introduce myself as Kommander are a good indication of whether or not they're the kind of person I want to associate with.
I often give online friends my real (first) name, but they generally call me by my tag anyway. If someone in real life tried to refer to me as itisnotlogical though, I probably wouldn't respond.
I'm 22 and I've never heard of people introducing themselves with their online screen names or really using them at all outside of maybe their email address.
I've never introduced myself in the "real world" as Admiral Shran - or as any other handle I use on other sites. To me that would be just.... weird.
I can't say that I've ever heard of that or that I would do it myself. My best guess on why one would do that is because many employers are researching job candidates online, and giving them a username might be a "preemptive strike" of sorts- If you look me up under these usernames, you'll see that I won't be a problem. But that would be the only reason that would almost make sense in my mind. The closest I would ever get to doing that is giving them my email address, which is fairly similar to the main username I use.
I always go by my real name in the real world. I diddn't even know kids these days use their screen name on the internet on business cards and job applicants or whatever. 
I guess more and more people acutally doing business online now. I'm not a tech savy guy, so maybe that's my problem.
I guess more and more people acutally doing business online now. I'm not a tech savy guy, so maybe that's my problem.
I always go by my real name in the real world. I diddn't even know kids these days use their screen name on the internet on business cards and job applicants or whatever.
I didn't either till recently. Then when I started talking to other people, it wasn't really news to many of them.
I could see that. Someone saying, and if you want to check me out online, I'm known as "X" is a bit different than using your nick/gamer-tag first to introduce yourself to people. I can see situations where it'd be normal (conventions, site meet ups, etc) but the working world?
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Well, RJDiogenes is also the name of my small business, so it's definitely on my business cards. It's also part of all my email addresses (except my full-time job), so my employer has it. And everybody I work with knows it. Nobody calls me RJDiogenes, of course, because it's kind of a mouthful even if you know how, but a lot of people call me RJ-- which was one of my nicknames long before the Internet.
People have used pseudonyms and nicknames long before the Internet, and they had place in the identity cards of some countries long before the Internet was so popular (at least). It's also very different what the nickname means, there are names, pseydonyms, nicknames, temporary aliases, cover aliases and troll aliases, all with different kind of subtleties. As mentioned, it also depends on how catchy the nickname is.
It also depends on the culture. In here, nicknames are usually used to refer to criminals, so people are a bit hesitant to use such, although I think this is changing with the youngest. Another thing is that Internet nicknames happen to be in another language than the one people speak, which is an obstacle for using nicknames – I don't know if it is even legal to write YellowSubmarine in my official documents.
But anyways:
- My real name is much more ridiculous than my online nicknames, so not only some friends have used my online nicknames, but I've often felt strange when they used my real name for the first time. And a bit offended.
- In high school we used our online foreign language nicknames jokingly. The more catchy ones more often. I had at least one friend to whom I've referred only with their nickname, and I think I still do, though she's starting to hate it.
- Recently I happened to meet two high school kids who happened to use my online alias only. They knew my real name. So apparently it's becoming more common. (But my alias wasn't in English)
It also depends on the culture. In here, nicknames are usually used to refer to criminals, so people are a bit hesitant to use such, although I think this is changing with the youngest. Another thing is that Internet nicknames happen to be in another language than the one people speak, which is an obstacle for using nicknames – I don't know if it is even legal to write YellowSubmarine in my official documents.
But anyways:
- My real name is much more ridiculous than my online nicknames, so not only some friends have used my online nicknames, but I've often felt strange when they used my real name for the first time. And a bit offended.
- In high school we used our online foreign language nicknames jokingly. The more catchy ones more often. I had at least one friend to whom I've referred only with their nickname, and I think I still do, though she's starting to hate it.
- Recently I happened to meet two high school kids who happened to use my online alias only. They knew my real name. So apparently it's becoming more common. (But my alias wasn't in English)
I'm right in this demographic (25 years old) and I would never ever use a online handle on anything in the normal world. Honestly, if anyone ever gave me a resume with an online handle on it I would probably put it in the trash. Same for an inappropriate email address. I even have two different email addresses, a normal professional one and one that I use for crap like TrekBBS 
I also have two e-mail addresses for the same reason you do. I would never put any of my fun stuff online under my own name, because as far as I am concerned, it's not my company's business what I do on my off time.
+1 and agreed. though to be fair, I'm 44 which in internet years makes me about 198 fwiw.
I'm 24, would never do this, and have never heard of anyone who would do this. If it's incorporated into their email address and they put down their email, that's the one narrow exception I can think of.
Doing it socially within a peer group seems fine; it's just a nickname after all. I can imagine someone doing this professionally for branding/marketing reasons esp. if they're better known by their online identity, though you'd think they'd use their regular name first, followed by their online one.
Aside from those settings, it seems a pretty odd thing to do.
Then again, I don't twitter or facebook, so I guess I'm fairly traditionally-minded in this regard.
Aside from those settings, it seems a pretty odd thing to do.
Then again, I don't twitter or facebook, so I guess I'm fairly traditionally-minded in this regard.
Even then, shouldn't one think about presenting a professional image with one's choice of e-mail address?
For instance, would it be a good idea for a lawyer to have an e-mail address like "FrakTheSystem" or "AmbulanceChaser0001"?
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