Comments on: What’s In a Name?: Navigating the Internet with a Real Name http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/ Berkman investigators, fellows, research assistants and interns sound off about all things Digital Natives Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:47:53 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: venkat http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/comment-page-1/#comment-3903 venkat Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:35:00 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/#comment-3903 @Kurquoise it's up to indivdual to decide they want to use their real name or other name on web.Whatever we said is recorded in internet,making comments ,positng posts in blog,tweets through twitter its relating to that perticluar person than nothing else.Here name is the one which everyone recognises . @Kurquoise it’s up to indivdual to decide they want to use their real name or other name on web.Whatever we said is recorded in internet,making comments ,positng posts in blog,tweets through twitter its relating to that perticluar person than nothing else.Here name is the one which everyone recognises .

]]> By: Jon aka Ephricon http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/comment-page-1/#comment-3880 Jon aka Ephricon Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:43:27 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/#comment-3880 oops, those URLs didn't come through b/c of the spam filter... the first should be (flickr)/kurquoise and the second (flickr)/sarahzhang oops, those URLs didn’t come through b/c of the spam filter… the first should be (flickr)/kurquoise and the second (flickr)/sarahzhang

]]> By: Jon aka Ephricon http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/comment-page-1/#comment-3879 Jon aka Ephricon Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:42:13 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/#comment-3879 Sarah, Good thoughts here. While a made-up name can be more memorable in the short-term, it can also potentially be handicapping in the long-run. If you build a brand and some reputation behind a screenname than that will only stick with you as long as the screenname does. Assuming its not trademarked or somehow registered, it can also be easier for a competitor to imitate you on other sites. Someone could set up an account at flickr.com/kurquoise or whatever and pose as you. You'd have little recourse. But if they put an account at flickr.com/sarahzhang than your case may be more clear. That said, a screenname - especially a unique one - has many advantages too. My company name - Ephricon - means nothing. Its completely made up. The day I decided to use that name (roughly 7 years ago) I did a Google search and there were 0 results. Now I can search on that and basically everything I find will in some way relate to my firm. ...but there is the problem! I hate the name! I want to change it, but doing so would mean I'd have to start over - at least in some sense - with building a reputation in my industry that has taken a lot of hard work to develop. Thus, I choose to stick with a nonsense brand name that I don't really like. Sarah,

Good thoughts here. While a made-up name can be more memorable in the short-term, it can also potentially be handicapping in the long-run. If you build a brand and some reputation behind a screenname than that will only stick with you as long as the screenname does. Assuming its not trademarked or somehow registered, it can also be easier for a competitor to imitate you on other sites. Someone could set up an account at flickr.com or whatever and pose as you. You’d have little recourse. But if they put an account at flickr.com than your case may be more clear.

That said, a screenname – especially a unique one – has many advantages too. My company name – Ephricon – means nothing. Its completely made up. The day I decided to use that name (roughly 7 years ago) I did a Google search and there were 0 results. Now I can search on that and basically everything I find will in some way relate to my firm.

…but there is the problem! I hate the name! I want to change it, but doing so would mean I’d have to start over – at least in some sense – with building a reputation in my industry that has taken a lot of hard work to develop. Thus, I choose to stick with a nonsense brand name that I don’t really like.

]]> By: Still anon http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/comment-page-1/#comment-3868 Still anon Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:08:46 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/#comment-3868 And don't forget the fact that employers do google potential hires, so that permanent record of your younger self can haunt you in unexpected ways. The web world is a fantastic place to learn and experiment with technologies and ideas, but the everlasting nature of the medium is a huge reason to be careful with your own name. For me, I have three or four different pseudonyms for various online activities that I hope can't be linked to each other without some work. I do have a couple of places where I use my own name, but they are few and far between. And even with those pseudonyms I try to be careful about what I post, just in case. It might sound paranoid, but for me it's about privacy as much as it's about reputation management - and it's also about the freedom to play with a bit less worry than I would have if everything I did online was clearly connected to my real identity. I want to be sure that when I do put things out there with my IRL name it reflects the person I really am - not the person who was venting off after a bad day. And don’t forget the fact that employers do google potential hires, so that permanent record of your younger self can haunt you in unexpected ways. The web world is a fantastic place to learn and experiment with technologies and ideas, but the everlasting nature of the medium is a huge reason to be careful with your own name.

For me, I have three or four different pseudonyms for various online activities that I hope can’t be linked to each other without some work. I do have a couple of places where I use my own name, but they are few and far between. And even with those pseudonyms I try to be careful about what I post, just in case.

It might sound paranoid, but for me it’s about privacy as much as it’s about reputation management – and it’s also about the freedom to play with a bit less worry than I would have if everything I did online was clearly connected to my real identity. I want to be sure that when I do put things out there with my IRL name it reflects the person I really am – not the person who was venting off after a bad day.

]]> By: thinkingdifference http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/comment-page-1/#comment-3849 thinkingdifference Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:20:48 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/#comment-3849 i've also checked quite often to see what comes out when i google my 'IRL' name and my online pseudonyms, and frankly, it's a bit worrying. it's not only the private info, but it's also the static image of my thoughts and comments that worries me. i blog, but i do not go back on older posts to change them as my ideas change over time. i wonder how i'll feel 10 yrs from now about my ideas today. i think this is why i dislike the idea of using just one single online name/ identity. you're right, the name becomes your identity, but i'm still bothered by the static and one-dimension of this identity, in spite of the optimistic discourse on how the internet allows the multiple self to unravel itself. i’ve also checked quite often to see what comes out when i google my ‘IRL’ name and my online pseudonyms, and frankly, it’s a bit worrying. it’s not only the private info, but it’s also the static image of my thoughts and comments that worries me. i blog, but i do not go back on older posts to change them as my ideas change over time. i wonder how i’ll feel 10 yrs from now about my ideas today. i think this is why i dislike the idea of using just one single online name/ identity. you’re right, the name becomes your identity, but i’m still bothered by the static and one-dimension of this identity, in spite of the optimistic discourse on how the internet allows the multiple self to unravel itself.

]]> By: Laura http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/comment-page-1/#comment-3834 Laura Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:57:06 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/digitalnatives/2009/01/29/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-name-navigating-the-internet-with-a-real-name/#comment-3834 Oh my goodness! I was just thinking about this too. When I was younger (I'm 30 now) and email was just surfacing for the average Joe, I made up some ridiculous email address that referred to sunflowers in French. It took days to give it out to friends, having to spell it out and then add the underscores, etc. In my twenties, I went by sunschyne because sunshine was already taken and I thought I was cool spelling it so uniquely, but ugh! I had the same problem. Finally, I've learned my lesson and stuck with my name. It was a hassle having to send out all those emails explaining my change of internet identity, but it's so much easier now to give out my email and I don't even have to explain what it means or how I chose it! Great observations in your post! Oh my goodness! I was just thinking about this too. When I was younger (I’m 30 now) and email was just surfacing for the average Joe, I made up some ridiculous email address that referred to sunflowers in French. It took days to give it out to friends, having to spell it out and then add the underscores, etc. In my twenties, I went by sunschyne because sunshine was already taken and I thought I was cool spelling it so uniquely, but ugh! I had the same problem. Finally, I’ve learned my lesson and stuck with my name. It was a hassle having to send out all those emails explaining my change of internet identity, but it’s so much easier now to give out my email and I don’t even have to explain what it means or how I chose it!
Great observations in your post!

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