Recently I have considered changing my username at various cybervenues, changing it from a nickname to my real name. I've got nothing to hide, everything I post I would be willing to say in person and a there are many TVers in Chiang Mai who know me by both IDs - so why hide behind a nickname?

These nicks were born from the days of IRC, usenet, bulletin boards etc., but in these enlightened networking days of so called Web 2.0 doesn't it make more sense to declare one's identity, after all it must be easier to prove your claim to a hijacked identity if it is your real name rather than a pseudonym?

I chose JuniorExPat however many years ago because I believed (and still do!) that I was quite young to be a confirmed permanent expat, in fact I was certain that I was much younger than the average expat in Chiang Mai, a few years have passed and that may not be the case anymore.

What do you think? Are online nicknames for cowards, for fun, unnecessary or a hangover from the early days of the interweb thingamajig?

JxP (Marc)

I tried using my own name, but George - the owner of Thai Visa - had snatched it already, so I had to settle for this one. .

I use this forum to exchange information and also for banter. ...got nothing to hide, whatever I say on this board I would also say face to face.

raro is the abbrivation of my real name and same as for Junior Expat, lots of people in Pattaya know me under both names.

A psychological examination of nicks such as weekendwarrior is for sure more revealing

I tried using my own name, but George - the owner of Thai Visa - had snatched it already, so I had to settle for this one. .

You tried using lotsa names GP...

I liked my story bettter.

Mine is Thai cunningly masquarading as English backed up with an avatar to lead you further away from the real meaning.

I wouldn't mind using my name, But I have a feeling that TV would have less value if everyone did. I think a lot of people might be more circumspect about revealing information if they had to use their real name. On the other hand, there would probably ne a lot less trolling and antagonistic type postings.

Tiger is my real name!

ps Tiger Zalmunda to be exact!

I use my first name and first initial of my last name. It was just something that happened long ago, during the days of Bulletin Boards (pre-Internet as we know it now).

I just carried it on and when I joined other sites, people knew who I was (which in some cases meant I didn't have to explain the same things over and over again).

I don't change my attitude/persona on other sites (well, I may not always be as polite as I am here), but overall I do things pretty much the same. Nothing to hide. Not worried about a disgruntled member tracking me down (wouldn't be hard to find me regardless of what knickname I used anyways ! I'll be the one standing on Walking Street heckling britmaveric, kurgen & daleboy while they are dancing in Jenny's !)

Many years back, Telstra started up in NZ with an ISP called, Zfree, it was free dial up.

I just put a "Z" in front of my real monika, I use it everywhere.

Zpete, is meeeeee...... wheeeee

i use how the Thais pronounce my first name translated into thai (walter = water = naam)

i use how the Thais pronounce my first name translated into thai (walter = water = naam)

Shouldn't that be 'Vaulter'?

i use how the Thais pronounce my first name translated into thai (walter = water = naam)

Don't tell me you go around and tell all the Thai's your name is Sir Walter Reilly and try to get them to say it!

You've got my real name (well, nickname) already. I've told the story before as to how I got it. (Nothing to do with half a game of table tennis!)

Nothing to hide, using my own name. (easy to remember )

It is also a good practice for me to watch my words and be a bit more diplomatic, as I do have a problem with being a bit too blunt at times.

Nienke

I suppose that I could have used my real name; certainly no sinister reason why I didn't. I think that I had looked around the board for a while before registering and noticed a lot of jokey niks and decided to follow suit. I remember having heard some chap on a radio 'phone-in years ago identifying himself as Micksterbs and thought I'd pinch it. I'm a bit attached to it now, to tell the truth...

Chris

I like being on my own

I like being on my own

Definitely worth a

I like being on my own

you came to the right place....

I like being on my own

Hey Jack Jones, you slipped into bedlam with a welcome or introducing yourself.

Go here...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...0&start=450

and here...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...p;#entry1999386

I have been an avid online gamer for almost a decade, so I have simply become accustomed to using my username as my online alias. I started using one because of fears over security.

Identity theft is the main reason for caution, even though many here already know who I am and where I work from the posts made here, and frankly I'm still not 100% comfortable with that.

That's not because of the advice I give in the real estate forums or the debates I partake in Bedders, I stand by all that I post and people can contact me directly if they choose to do so but if I was to use my real name in all message boards that I frequent... well it could be inviting trouble.

A friend of mine has been a victim of ID theft and like most people he thought "it could never happen to me", but it did. In fact it affects about 3.7% of the adult population So I think its only prudent to be cautious about revealing your true ID online.

i use how the Thais pronounce my first name translated into thai (walter = water = naam)

Don't tell me you go around and tell all the Thai's your name is Sir Walter Reilly and try to get them to say it!

Now that reminds of an individual claiming such family connexions, but they couldn't spell it either By the by my nick is from the well known school of stating the bleeding obvious, but like others the issue of security would keep me from using my real name.

Regards

I like being on my own

Hey Jack Jones, you slipped into bedlam with a welcome or introducing yourself.

Go here...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...0&start=450

and here...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...p;#entry1999386

Tis done, thanks for the welcome

I'll admit to being dull, my nic is obviously my initials

TV was my first online forum (besides a gardening one which I only visited rarely, participated less). I signed on merely to get info on obtaining citizenship and somehow got sucked into the black hole that is Thai Visa. If I had known I'd end up being on here so much I would have come up with something far more interesting....

Island mistress perhaps

I'll admit to being dull, my nic is obviously my initials

TV was my first online forum (besides a gardening one which I only visited rarely, participated less). I signed on merely to get info on obtaining citizenship and somehow got sucked into the black hole that is Thai Visa. If I had known I'd end up being on here so much I would have come up with something far more interesting....

Island mistress perhaps

I'm sure you could change it! I do like Island Mistress though!

You would Suegha!

With much of the TV web site being open to Google searches I do not believe it is in anyone's positive interest to reveal facts that might be used by persons unknown at some future time. In Thailand anyone that is more than just a tourist will have had various documents copied and passed on to near endless departments and offices each one could be used to build a profile to aid theft.

Like meeting a person in a bar at random, you do not need to know all their personal details to enjoy a few drinks and 'intelligent' debate. Talking over a period of time allow people to choose who might be a closer friend than others.

....but in these enlightened networking days of so called Web 2.0 doesn't it make more sense to declare one's identity

I would have thought the reverse to be true now, with the awarenss of identity theft it's so easy to copy another's name on another forum and pretend to be another person for whatever objective.

Mine, surprise surprise, is my own name.

Or is it?

I signed up merely to keep pace with the changing visa requirements without realising that just by signing up one is drawn into the acretion disk from which there is no escape.

Bahahahahahahahahaha!

It is true that someone could come along and use my name on other fora for purposes best known to themselves but then again I might get struck by lightning whilst picking up my lottery jackpot during a Richter 9.0 'quake caused by a meteor strike just down the road.

My real name is Chris P. Bacon but I didn't want you all laughing at me, so I changed it to Doug Graves, only to discover that there is someone actually called that, then thought about Michael Hunt (Too Blue) then Helen Hunt but really didn't fancy changing sex.

Robin Banks & Ben Dover have both been done to death, my mother's maiden name of Gascoigne would only cause me to be called "Bob" by more senior Brits.

Toyed with Ivor Carr for a while but that's not really true as I onlyhave a Dream. So finally decided to go with what the locals call me here, which I have kind of grown into as Ken is not my real name.

P.S. My given name is far too difficult to pronounce for the average Thai - So Uncle Ken it is

I have been an avid online gamer for almost a decade, so I have simply become accustomed to using my username as my online alias. I started using one because of fears over security.

Identity theft is the main reason for caution, even though many here already know who I am and where I work from the posts made here, and frankly I'm still not 100% comfortable with that.

That's not because of the advice I give in the real estate forums or the debates I partake in Bedders, I stand by all that I post and people can contact me directly if they choose to do so but if I was to use my real name in all message boards that I frequent... well it could be inviting trouble.

A friend of mine has been a victim of ID theft and like most people he thought "it could never happen to me", but it did. In fact it affects about 3.7% of the adult population So I think its only prudent to be cautious about revealing your true ID online.

How would that work then? I'm struggling to see how using one's own name on an internet forum would be inviting trouble or increasing the risk of identity theft . . . or am I displaying a worrying level of naivety?

This has turned out to be a more interesting thread than I expected.

JxP

JxP