Online anonymity

lahalane

If Boards decided to do away with usernames and instead your account on here was the same as a Facebook profile, i.e. your name, where you're from and your picture, would you keep posting?

I'd have no problem with people knowing who I am. If they tried hard enough they could get this information anyway.

Just wondering is anonymity a big factor in peoples registration on this website, and if so, why?

ScumLord

lahalane wrote: »

If Boards decided to do away with usernames and instead your account on here was the same as a Facebook profile, i.e. your name, where you're from and your picture, would you keep posting?

No. It would fill up with self righteousness and inane babble just like Facebook.

Working under a pseudonym allows you to voice your opinion without having to worry about some tool making it their life mission to make you pay for having an opinion that's different from them.

Seachmall

I'd be out of here in a heartbeat.

Vojera

I would go. I haven't said anything I wouldn't want attributed to me but I also wouldn't want potential employers being able to trawl boards and find out stuff about me. I can control what access people have on Facebook, but not on here.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I'd go or else create a fictional FB page.

lahalane

ScumLord wrote: »

No. It would fill up with self righteousness and inane babble just like Facebook.

Working under a pseudonym allows you to voice your opinion without having to worry about some tool making it their life mission to make you pay for having an opinion that's different from them.

But Facebook is for people who are friends with each other to babble. This would still just be people who don't know each other voicing their opinions. Granted that you might realise somebody you know is posting when you originally didn't but I don't know if it would descend into chaos that easily?

If somebody is petty enough to make you pay for your opinion then they'd probably do it with your pseudonym anyway. Unless you mean 'make you pay' in an offline method, which I naively assume would not happen.

Artful_Badger

I'd stay but I probably wouldnt post near as much as I would with anonymity. What I would post I'd be very careful about how I phrased it too without committing to any particular position.

This stuff is in the public domain and it will be here for a long long time linked to your name. Its not like facebook where you can keep it somewhat private and kill it all by closing the account.

Menas

What? Some people have fictional user names in here?

darkpagandeath

Vojera wrote: »

I would go. I haven't said anything I wouldn't want attributed to me but I also wouldn't want potential employers being able to trawl boards and find out stuff about me. I can control what access people have on Facebook, but not on here.

Yeah i mean having an opinion should not bar you from being employed but I'm aware this is used quite allot in the interview process and in general in the job if they can get your fb details or Twitter. Why i only have one to look at FB is someone links me something. To be fair there should be some kind of privacy legislation drafted so they cant hold any of that over your head. If its an illegal thing like inciting hate fair enough but anything else no no.

Nodin

lahalane wrote: »

If Boards decided to do away with usernames and instead your account on here was the same as a Facebook profile, i.e. your name, where you're from and your picture, would you keep posting?

I'd have no problem with people knowing who I am. If they tried hard enough they could get this information anyway.

Just wondering is anonymity a big factor in peoples registration on this website, and if so, why?

.......I'm a worse bollocks IRL so it would make little difference, tbh.

Conmaicne Mara

Anonymity on the internet is a myth.

meemeemee

Go.

Certain posters on Boards.ie, are like stalkers !

Sh1tbag OToole

Go. Dont want to worry about future employers and godknows who else reading this and judging me in real life over my sh1te talk on here

Ace Attorney

go, I dont like the whole social media thing anyway, hence not having a Facebook or Twitter, but having things that you have said on the internet under your real name and with people and potential employers being able to Google that info at their fingertips they could easily have snippits of what you said and recieve it out of context, there are too many flaws to having someting attached to your name amd it being available easily on the internet for everyone to see

Czarcasm

I can understand why the place would clear out if we were only allowed use our offline identity on Boards, but I'm actually looking forward to the day when a law is made that forces us to use our offline identity online.

It would cut down on half the dubious crap that gets posted in here carte blanche when posters have no regard for being responsible for what they post, and therefore post whatever they like without thinking about it.

Online anonymity while it allows for a certain amount of freedom of expression, it also accommodates a hell of a lot more dickish behaviour.

darkpagandeath

Thatdoesnt looksafe tome AHHHHHHH wrote: »

go, I dont like the whole social media thing anyway, hence not having a Facebook or Twitter, but having things that you have said on the internet under your real name and with people and potential employers being able to Google that info at their fingertips they could easily have snippits of what you said and recieve it out of context, there are too many flaws to having someting attached to your name being on the internet for everyone to see

Yeah to some people having a different opinion, seems to be illegal to the moral police. their quick to point out blah blah and basically say you must conform

Fox_In_Socks

Czarcasm wrote: »

I can understand why the place would clear out if we were only allowed use our offline identity on Boards, but I'm actually looking forward to the day when a law is made that forces us to use our offline identity online.

It would cut down on half the dubious crap that gets posted in here carte blanche ...

That's just what I said to the Minister last night..! :pac:

newmug

Trigger Happy wrote: »

What? Some people have fictional user names in here?

Yes Mr. Happy.

urabell

If you're not brave enough to say something then you don't have the right to call it your opinion. Same applies in real life, if you won't say something to everyone in the room then you don't deserve to say it.

newmug

urabell wrote: »

If you're not brave enough to say something then you don't have the right to call it your opinion. Same applies in real life, if you won't say something to everyone in the room then you don't deserve to say it.

Thats grand in principle, but not so grand in reality. If I walked into a loyalist pub and told everyone there what I thought of them, they'd probably be my last words. Its called, 'your mouth writing cheques that your arse cant cash'.

D1stant

lahalane wrote: »

But Facebook is for people who are friends with each other to babble.

I thought we were all friends here.....

We are right? .... Right?

Menas

urabell wrote: »

If you're not brave enough to say something then you don't have the right to call it your opinion. Same applies in real life, if you won't say something to everyone in the room then you don't deserve to say it.

Twaddle. I would never say to my 92 year old grand aunt "Would ya look at the baps on her over there".
Just like I would never say to the lads down the pub "The longer masses some times are the more satisfying ones".

AnonoBoy

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Anonymity on the internet is a myth.

Well in one sense it is. In that you can be traced and you shouldn't post anything that you wouldn't be prepared to stand over in court.

However, at the user interface boards.ie level there is anonymity.

I mean, you don't know who I am.


Sincerely,

Gerry McHale.

AnonoBoy

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Yeah to some people having a different opinion, seems to be illegal to the moral police.

I've heard of the PC Brigade but the Moral Police is new to me.

What's their pay scale like?

Czarcasm

newmug wrote: »

Thats grand in principle, but not so grand in reality. If I walked into a loyalist pub and told everyone there what I thought of them, they'd probably be my last words. Its called, 'your mouth writing cheques that your arse cant cash'.

Indeed. Would it be that bad if you had to learn to think twice before you expressed your opinion so that you could do so in a civil fashion?

Fox_In_Socks

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Well in one sense it is. In that you can be traced and you shouldn't post anything that you wouldn't be prepared to stand over in court.

However, at the user interface boards.ie level there is anonymity.

I mean, you don't know who I am.


Sincerely,

Gerry McHale.

Daddy...?

KwackerJack

Would not work.

You would gets the heads and howaya's going on to your Facebook page telling you that they will burn down your gaf because you did not agree with there post :rolleyes:

lahalane

D1stant wrote: »

I thought we were all friends here.....

We are right? .... Right?

We are strangers with no real feelings towards each other for the most part...but friends? I'm afraid you won't be getting any Christmas cards from me this year...

(I don't send Christmas cards...)

Doc Ruby

I'd go, mostly because I'd have no time for the kind of people who feel they need to have that authority. It would do no harm to have the poster's country show up though. As in, if you're posting from Ireland you'll show up as "in Ireland".

canadianwoman

lahalane wrote: »

If Boards decided to do away with usernames and instead your account on here was the same as a Facebook profile, i.e. your name, where you're from and your picture, would you keep posting?

I'd have no problem with people knowing who I am. If they tried hard enough they could get this information anyway.

Just wondering is anonymity a big factor in peoples registration on this website, and if so, why?

I have no problem with people knowing my first name or where I am from but I would rather not put up a picture of myself.

jimgoose

Being anonymous doesn't bother me that much. I'm "jimgoose" on most forums these days, but I mostly blather on about motoring matters. Any opinion pieces I spew would strike those who know me in real life as fairly typical anyway. In the old days, nigh on twenty years ago now, I used to post on Usenet using my real name.

darkpagandeath

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I've heard of the PC Brigade but the Moral Police is new to me.

What's their pay scale like?

You receive smugness points there kind of like nectar points which you can then spend to receive thanks from the PC Brigade

AnonoBoy

Fox_In_Socks wrote: »

Daddy...?

Sorry kid, that's eh..... the other Gerry McHale.


"Oh look what's that over there?"

*RUNS*

urabell

Trigger Happy wrote: »

Twaddle. I would never say to my 92 year old grand aunt "Would ya look at the baps on her over there".
Just like I would never say to the lads down the pub "The longer masses some times are the more satisfying ones".

In both those situations you could just say nothing

newmug wrote: »

Thats grand in principle, but not so grand in reality. If I walked into a loyalist pub and told everyone there what I thought of them, they'd probably be my last words. Its called, 'your mouth writing cheques that your arse cant cash'.

Again just say nothing.

Do you think it would be ok to share your anti-loyalist views in a pub where half the people were loyalist, or where you were with a group of physically stronger republicans?

newmug

Czarcasm wrote: »

Indeed. Would it be that bad if you had to learn to think twice before you expressed your opinion so that you could do so in a civil fashion?

Thats exactly my point. No matter what Isay, or the way I deliver it, I cant control how other people decide to behave. So if I went into a loyalist pub, and calmly said that it was my opinion that Ireland should be a 32 county, self governing soverign republic, with punitive laws for treason, and that all those fine people would unfortunately fall fowl of the treason laws for their opinions, do you think they would be very civil towards me? They'd pull me to pieces in a second.

Czarcasm

newmug wrote: »

Thats exactly my point. No matter what Isay, or the way I deliver it, I cant control how other people decide to behave. So if I went into a loyalist pub, and calmly said that it was my opinion that Ireland should be a 32 county, self governing soverign republic, with punitive laws for treason, and that all those fine people would unfortunately fall fowl of the treason laws for their opinions, do you think they would be very civil towards me? They'd pull me to pieces in a second.

Well that's where the think twice part comes in, and you'd think better of saying that. Saying it anonymously though means there's no weight behind your opinion and it can easily be dismissed as the ravings of a lunatic.

In fact the more I think about it, chances are they'd probably feel sorry for you, clear a barstool and have you down a few Britvics bitters

Menas

urabell wrote: »

In both those situations you could just say nothing

How boring would life be if you said nothing to anyone ever except for things that would not shock or offend or bore every person you know?

Fighting Irish

**** that

UCDVet

The problem is that people communicate differently when in different situations. If my real identity were tied to my Boards.ie account, that means, for the rest of my life, some HR person at a company I'd like to work, might stumble upon an After Hours rant I made. I only believe about 30% of the stuff I say online anyway, but about 90% of everything I do say could be taken grossly out of context.

And even the stuff I *do* believe, much of it wouldn't be appropriate in a professional setting. I don't talk about my religious views at work, but I might on boards. Attach my name to it, and it would be searchable for all eternity.

There are sites like StackOverflow.com where lots of respectable IT professionals show their real names and locations. But the topics very limited....and even then people will go out of their way to post certain questions/answer anonymously.

Of course, I'd just spend 15 minutes and create a fake profile and my problem would be solved. Heck, I'd make my alter-ego be an attractive 19 year old girl and watch my steady flow of Thumbs come in.

Femme_Fatale

I might register here as myself (although if my real name were Mary Murphy, who's to stop me from calling myself Olivia Ford?) but I'd be very careful about what I posted. Opinions would actually be the least of my concerns, it's personal stuff I'd be careful about.
Comparing here with Facebook is pointless too. On Facebook you choose who sees what you write; on Boards you don't have a choice.

urabell wrote: »

If you're not brave enough to say something then you don't have the right to call it your opinion. Same applies in real life, if you won't say something to everyone in the room then you don't deserve to say it.

Why aren't you posting under your real name so?

darkpagandeath

UCDVet wrote: »

The problem is that people communicate differently when in different situations. If my real identity were tied to my Boards.ie account, that means, for the rest of my life, some HR person at a company I'd like to work, might stumble upon an After Hours rant I made. I only believe about 30% of the stuff I say online anyway, but about 90% of everything I do say could be taken grossly out of context.

And even the stuff I *do* believe, much of it wouldn't be appropriate in a professional setting. I don't talk about my religious views at work, but I might on boards. Attach my name to it, and it would be searchable for all eternity.

There are sites like StackOverflow.com where lots of respectable IT professionals show their real names and locations. But the topics very limited....and even then people will go out of their way to post certain questions/answer anonymously.

Of course, I'd just spend 15 minutes and create a fake profile and my problem would be solved. Heck, I'd make my alter-ego be an attractive 19 year old girl and watch my steady flow of Thumbs come in.

Must not mention ... overload

newmug

So first it was:

urabell wrote: »

If you're not brave enough to say something then you don't have the right to call it your opinion. Same applies in real life, if you won't say something to everyone in the room then you don't deserve to say it.

And now its:

urabell wrote: »

In both those situations you could just say nothing..................Again just say nothing................Do you think it would be ok to share your anti-loyalist views in a pub where half the people were loyalist, or where you were with a group of physically stronger republicans?

So which is it?

Czarcasm wrote: »

Well that's where the think twice part comes in, and you'd think better of saying that.

I agree, that's exactly the point I'm making! Urabell was championing being "brave" enough to voice your opinions to the whole room, or else you cant call it your opinion. I'm saying that, in reality, its not that simple.

seannash

I use my real name

urabell

Never thought of it to be honest, it wouldn't change what I say though

crosstownk

Public poll, please :pac:

urabell

newmug wrote: »

So first it was:



And now its:



So which is it?





I agree, that's exactly the point I'm making! Urabell was championing being "brave" enough to voice your opinions to the whole room, or else you cant call it your opinion. I'm saying that, in reality, its not that simple.

My point is say something to everyone or just don't say it at all, to go back to the loyalist example I don't feel strongly enough to say something to loyalist and don't see the point in saying something to a room filled with people with ant loyalist sentiment.
In a situation where I had strong feelings I'm the type of person who will voice my opinion iregardless of who can hear me

Menas

urabell wrote: »

My point is say something to everyone or just don't say it at all, to go back to the loyalist example I don't feel strongly enough to say something to loyalist and don't see the point in saying something to a room filled with people with ant loyalist sentiment.
In a situation where I had strong feelings I'm the type of person who will voice my opinion iregardless of who can hear me

Why do you not use your real name in here then?
Do you really believe that everything you ever say would be acceptable to everyone you know and there is never a need to check yourself?

newmug

urabell wrote: »

My point is say something to everyone or just don't say it at all, to go back to the loyalist example I don't feel strongly enough to say something to loyalist and don't see the point in saying something to a room filled with people with ant loyalist sentiment.
In a situation where I had strong feelings I'm the type of person who will voice my opinion iregardless of who can hear me

Ah well now, that's not what you said. So tell us your name.

TheBegotten

Take it one step further: I have an email account that I give to facebook and potential employers and a seperate one that I register on recreational sites such as Boards and Youtube. If someone were to search my real name, they'd find suprisingly little associated with it - whereas with this email address, I can post more liberally in the knowledge that it'd be very difficult to actually trace back to me :rolleyes:

Just did it there: my facebook page and a mention in the school website for being a member of the students counsel was all that came up.

ONeill2013

My facebook page is very private anyway, not even a profile picture on it, i also have fake profiles.

urabell

newmug wrote: »

Ah well now, that's not what you said. So tell us your name.

Austin Stone from Swords in Dublin

Trigger Happy wrote: »

Why do you not use your real name in here then?
Do you really believe that everything you ever say would be acceptable to everyone you know and there is never a need to check yourself?

Look if my opinion is 'loyalists are the scum of the earth' (it's not)

Then when asked my opinion by my mother, a person on boards or Johnny Adair himself it will be the same.