[Jim Kelso]

I would like to make an appeal that members use a personal name when registering. It hopefully would not be an alias, but if someone is really concerned, could be. I'm making this appeal as a member not an admin, so it is just a request on my part, in keeping with the collegial aims here.

It seems awkward and disconcerting to me to make serious replies to curious appellations such as " Knotweed" or "Tweedleknife" (hope these aren't registered members!)

Thanks for considering.

Jim

[Janel]

I second your appeal, Jim.

In addition, I will offer to change your display name, which is an admin job. PM me or send me an email with your current Display name and the name you wish to change it to.

Also, I am hoping to see some smiling faces on your avatars when reading the contributions from the members. I do enjoy the feeling of sitting down with friends, granted we may not be all logged in at the same time, but we do share these forum pages like friends who share conversations.

Kindest regards,

Janel

[Woodworm]

Jim, I do understand and actually support your reasoning, but their are as equal legitimate reasons why some are reluctant to do so.
I am sending you a private message.
Bill

[Phil White]

Jim,

I am with you on this. In fact, I was thinking about posting just such an appeal, but you beat me to it.

I consider this small group of carvers, sculptors, and other talented artists to be more like a family, more so than any other forum that I have observed, except perhaps the Iron Brush Forum, which requires that members use their real name. To me, this makes any dialogue between members more genuine, and honestly, I am much more inclined to reply to a posting where I can at least address someone by their first name.

In a way, I have similar problem when I am in a coffee house where I am forced to use the words "grandé Sumatran" while ordering a coffee, when I can go to the place next door and ask for a "large to go".

I understand the desire for privacy, but a first name at least would be most appreciated.

Best regards,

Phil

[Jim Kelso]

Thanks Janel, Bill and Phil for your thoughtful input.
I'm a little less one-way about it after hearing some practical reasons to be anonymous.
Personally I would still prefer to respond to a first name alias(or first and last) rather than "kerplunk823" , if someone needs the privacy.

Thanks again.

Jim

[Mike Ruslander]

I agree and have done this from the get go on forums and even my email addresses. The only reason that I dropped my last name and go by my initial elsewhere is that if you Google yourself, you will find everything that you post on every forum, including this one, MySpace, Amazon.com and others appears there on Google for the world to read at will. It's just a little too transparent (with a family to protect) to be so targeted by spammers, phishers and the creeps from high school that you hoped you left behind, who suddenly find you on the net.
But we are like family here, and if discussions could stay in the family, in a perfect world, that would be awesome.

[polymita]

Sorry for my late reply to this conversation but my opinion it´s that some people doesn´t want to show theirselfs because are shine maybe, another people are just trolls that want to create problems indeed and some like me we are naive...on my case my wife is telling to me all the time about the problems to use your real name on the web because I put always my name without an afraid behaviour, and for that reason I put Polymita, but in my former presentation as new member of the forum I talked about my first book and I said I´m malacologists, so Jim Kelso very quickly discover my name on the web, ja, ja, ja...and when Janel asked for my name I answer as soon as her mail gets into my mail. I´m thinking like Mike saids that there are nasty people trying always to get your data to destroy your hard drive with virus, and for some of us the PCs are a little expensives, but we are a family here as he also pointed, so there´s no need to hide ourselves from our brothers in arms. I don´t think I will find here the true friends I´m trying to find since a lot of years ago, but I had an strog hope that yes maybe I will find here that friends, so I don´t care to tell my name and everything...but remember my fellow members that certain people in this wrld there are many kinds of people, many different ways to see the color of the truth and many greedy people, so If someone doesn´t want to share with us his real name is Ok, except if is a person that came here to act as a troll to destroy this miniatures carvers ¨family¨. Privacy is a choice the site can offer, personal opinions and diffderent ways to explain our ideas is another democratic choice, but conflictive behaviour and non constructive critisizing is something out of the site rules, it doesn´t matter if you are named ¨Slugknife666¨ or you use your real name. I hope you guys will be agree in general terms....Adrián González Guillén.

[polymita]

Sorry I´m hurry and I wrote wrong some english words, Oops I expect don´t be a problem...anyhow I´m a spanish speaker and my english is really bad...but I try all the time to answer in english because this is mostly an anglospeakers site and we must show respect to the main language of the site ¿correct? Sorry again and Good Luck fellows.....Adrián

[Mike Ruslander]

Your English is fine Adrian.

[RVM45]

The letter combination "RVM" is my initials. The first time I needed a sign-in, they wanted an alphanumeric. .45 is a favorite caliber; so I knew that it would be easy to remember.

I used to be active on quite a several Forums; and it was handy to keep the same handle for each...

And I was a fairly prolific online Author for awhile.

Really cut back on the Forums lately. Fortunately the compulsion to write seldom hits me anymore...

Nonetheless, I think I'll keep my handle...

But anyone who wants to, can call me "Bob"

.....RVM45