Using pseudonyms, was: [Wikipedia-l] Helga banned

Thu Sep 12 21:24:36 UTC 2002

At 10:02 PM 9/12/02 +0200, someone calling himself Jaap van Ganswijk wrote:
>Hi 'title of a movie',
>
>At 2002-09-10 19:19 -0700, koyaanisqatsi at nupedia.com wrote:
> >You Wrote:
> >>At 2002-09-10 18:09 -0700, koyaanisqatsi at nupedia.com wrote:
> >>>Jaap wrote:
> >>>Yes, it would be possible.  It, however, will not be practiced, at 
> least by the person you are directing this part of your message to.  I 
> have very particular reasons to mind my privacy, none of which I'll 
> discuss, thank you, because I won't be convinced otherwise.
> >>
> >>This sentence doesn't contain a valid argument.
> >
> >It does.  You don't agree with it.
> >
> >>>I certainly don't expect anyone who's done their homework to believe 
> that koyaanis qatsi is my real name,
> >>
> >>That's not the issue.
> >
> >You're right.  The issue is this: 1) you want me to use my real name, or 
> a less obvious pseudonym.  2) I don't care.
> >
> >kq
>
>I think that if Wikipedia is to grow into a serious
>movement, nay institute even, it's essential that
>people adhere more to netiquette.

Netiquette doesn't demand real names, in part because it's very hard to tell
which names are real. At one point over on Usenet, someone angrily demanded
that another poster use his "real name". The person of whom the demand was
made was, in fact, using his full legal name. Conversely, I have no way of
knowing, online, whether you're really named Jaap van Ganswijk.

-- 
Vicki Rosenzweig
vr at redbird.org
http://www.redbird.org