From: idg39@jester.usask.ca (Inez Gowsell)
Newsgroups: alt.support.diet
Subject: Re: What's in a Name? (was: I need some advice -)
Date: 25 Jan 1993 05:59:36 GMT
Organization: University of Saskatchewan
NNTP-Posting-Host: jester.usask.ca
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL7]

Heart Dancer (barbaraj@sacajawea.csc.ti.com) wrote:

: <<Margot and Bill's comments deleted>>>

: C'mon guys, your "control issues" are showing.  I don't see that
: "wvenable" or "mprisco" is much more revealing to the net at large
: than "an6780".  Login names really tell very little about the person
: posting, and what they do tell has even less to do with the purpose of
: this newsgroup.  Suppose someone with a login "chris" or "kim" or
: "robin" from some public access site posts to the net.  How do I even
: know that your real names are Margot and Bill?  Pseudonym accounts are
: pretty easy to set up. 
: 

You bring up a very good point regarding login names.  However, most accounts
also include the person's real name along with where they are from (mine for
example says "Inez Gowsell at University of Saskatchewan"), so that gives
an indication of the person's name, unless of course they change their name
(mine said "We're Finished!!!! at University of Saskatchewan" for a few 
days after completing a major group project :-)  

Where they work is unimportant, but I think it is nice to know who you are
talking to.  Also, as Bill or someone pointed out, the name may not be 
important as knowing what sex, age ... or something else, sorry, didn't
reread the comments.... but these factors help people give useful advice.

: But does it matter? We know what we know of each other from what we
: post, and how we associate (over time) various postings with the login
: names.

Yes, we know people by their posts, but it is hard to be encouraging,
in the group or in email, when you don't have a person's name.
"Hang in there, anonymous.  I know it's tough, but you have made a start"
isn't quite the same as "Hang in there, Fred"  or Jane, or any other name.
In email it might be encouraging, because it would get to the poster, but
if there is more than one anonymous on the group, how do they know that
the message is for them, especially if more than one has the same type
of concerns?

Enough of this.  It is getting totally out of control.

If people wish to use anonymous postings, they will.  IMHO, it would be 
*very* helpful if they gave as many facts as possible to get the advice
they desire (of course, this goes for anyone requesting advice.)

Whoops, I am getting too preachy.  That's it.  System shut down due to
user error - user must get her beauty sleep (that will take a while :-)
before continuing this post, lest she severely offend someone.

that's my $0.04 cents worth folks!!!!

Inez
--
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| Inez Gowsell               | Gazing at people            |
|                            | Some hand in hand           | 
| Saskatoon, Saskatchewan    | Just what I'm going through |
| Canada                     | They can't understand       |
| gowse340@skdad.usask.ca    |              - Moody Blues  |
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