Protocol Question: Real Name or forum user name?

[olkofri]

I prefer nickname. Otherwise, why did I go through the trouble of choosing one? In PMs and private communication, real name is fine.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Whatever's comfortable, as long as they dasn't call me Johnson.

Agree. Or late for dinner.
"My name is Raymond J. Johnson Jr. Now you can call me Ray, or you can call me J, or you can call me Johnny, or you can call me Sonny, or you can call me Junie, or you can call me Junior; now you can call me Ray J, or you can call me RJ, or you can call me RJJ, or you can call me RJJ Jr. . .but you doesn't hasta call me Johnson!"

 

[lestrout]

Long, long ago, before there were Internet forums, and well before "Social Media", I was told it was bad Internet hygiene to use one's real name on message boards. This was by half-paranoid pals that were well ahead of the identity theft trends - they even refused to reveal their birth dates and Social Security Numbers on medical records, hotel registries and such. But it caused me much confusion to try to pair real names to screen-names. So I resorted to using my real name for the first part of my screen-names. There are many folks I would call friends from fly fishing and pipe forums whom I mentally tag by their screen-names forever. It makes for funny moments when I meet folks whom I know quite well virtually when I first physically meet them at a show or on the stream. With many of them, I never get around to thinking of them by their given names.
hp

les

 

[mawnansmiff]

I've often posted some wacky questions in my time on the forum but I think this beats the lot!
My screen name is Mawnansmiff and is a play on words as I live in a village called Mawnan Smith.
I sign myself off as 'Jay' yet my real name is the huge mouthful of Julian Isaac Granville-Roland!
Jay is so much easier don't you think ::
Regards,
Jay.
BTW the only person who refers to me as Julian is my dear old Mother bless her :roll:

 

[mso489]

Past the second post on a thread, the user name makes it clearer who is being addressed, so to keep everyone in the conversation, that might be useful. On the other hand, using first names once you've learned them is convivial, so that's pleasant. I guess for the purposes of a forum, user names work best.

 

[pappymac]

Yes.

 

[derhammer]

Fine with both

 

[npod]

I don’t mind. I put my real name at the bottom of my posts in the tag line. I think real names make forum posts more personal.