102 replies to this topic

[Doctor Steuss]

William Schryver, on 08 December 2011 - 04:02 PM, said:

Tell me about it!  When we get a strong south wind, I can smell you clear up here in Cedar City!

I swear it was my dog.

[Nemesis]

Brade, on 08 December 2011 - 04:37 PM, said:

Who is 'they'?  Just to be clear, I'm being serious.  I really don't know.

Different players and the proverbial "they".  I'll let you ask them to point out the they.  I have run out of time and will end it at, take your online security seriously and make a decision knowing that everything said on the internet can and will come back to haunt you later in life even if you think its harmless.

Nemesis

[frankenstein]

Nemesis, on 08 December 2011 - 04:42 PM, said:

Different players and the proverbial "they".  I'll let you ask them to point out the they.  I have run out of time and will end it at, take your online security seriously and make a decision knowing that everything said on the internet can and will come back to haunt you later in life even if you think its harmless.

Nemesis

I use to tell people I knew who "they" were....though in the context of the quote "they" is not the "they" I will speak of.

In short, Who are they? These are they...LOL, ahh scripture humor.

More to point, sound advice Nemesis. Everyone should be cognizant of what online can be associated with their IRL identity.  Though, the anonymity of the interwebs direct contributes to the hostilities on the interwebs. I tend to doubt Maxwell Institute would publish or retain papers of individuals that the Institute knew the online personas of, simply for the back lash of online message board content regardless of the quality of the work submitted - .

[Anijen]

Security and peace of mind. For those who know me, know I am pretty much Anijen, what I write is how I am in real life.

Edited by Anijen, 08 December 2011 - 06:17 PM.

[Ares]

As a moderator I would discourage participation with a real name unless the participant is a published apologist or religious scholar who is already exposed to the public in a sense.

There are too many crazies out there.  Providing a forum where we can discuss ideas and concepts without personal threats does imply that people will behave as they would face to face.  Trolls notwithstanding.  But we eat those for breakfast.

[Nathair]

Brade, on 08 December 2011 - 04:25 PM, said:

I'm interested to know what you're talking about.  The main thing that comes to mind is Dr whatsisname's Dr. Peterson fetish.

This guy?

[saemo]

I started posting at a time where my views and apostate status could have jeopardized my employment. I had a friend who was using the moniker "secret agent" on a site that had nothing to do with religion. So I copied and went with "secret agent ex mo".....saemo.

I don't feel that paranoia and worry over employment like I did back then, I work for a place now where no one cares what religion you are. But I'm not ready to use my real name either.

I've also converted to Catholicism since then and I don't use saemo anywhere else. These days I associate myself much more to Catholicism than I do exmormonism.

[Judd]

saemo, on 08 December 2011 - 09:14 PM, said:

I started posting at a time where my views and apostate status could have jeopardized my employment. I had a friend who was using the moniker "secret agent" on a site that had nothing to do with religion. So I copied and went with "secret agent ex mo".....saemo.

I don't feel that paranoia and worry over employment like I did back then, I work for a place now where no one cares what religion you are. But I'm not ready to use my real name either.

I've also converted to Catholicism since then and I don't use saemo anywhere else. These days I associate myself much more to Catholicism than I do exmormonism.

Obviously you don't have to give specifics, but I'm having a hard time seeings under what circumstances you being an ex-member would affect your employment.

I post with my real name, by the way.

[Bernard Gui]

Sky, on 07 December 2011 - 08:45 PM, said:

From the “Internet Anti-Mormonism” thread, page 7 and post #126, rcrocket posted a response to me about why he thinks it is better to post using our real name as opposed to an anonymous screen name.  I thought this would be a good topic for a separate thread.  Obviously most of us here post with a screen name.  Does this somehow make us less courageous and more likely to say things we wouldn’t otherwise say?  Do our comments not carry as much weight as if we were to post with our real names?  Is our time automatically wasted to some degree?  What are the compelling reasons for and against both ways?

On a previous incarnation of this forum, I was viciously and falsely accused by two miserable anti-Mormon women of being a pedophile because as a school teacher I advocated for school uniforms. At that time I was using my real name. Henceforth, someone Googling my name and pedophile, such as an employer, could possibly see that accusation out of context. Since that time I have always used a screen name.

Bernard

Edited by Bernard Gui, 08 December 2011 - 11:07 PM.

[ebeddoulos]

I've used this moniker for as long as I can recall.  Somewhere around a decade ago, I used to frequent a chat forum in Yahoo which if I recall correctly was called LDSQANDA.  There was a gentleman there who went by MH****a.  (I decided to somewhat disguise the name.)  I saved the following memorable snippet from one conversation:

Quote

MH****a: Ebed you defend your false religon well...
MH****a: just like Joseph did until he got shot ROFL

At the time I took it to be a thinly veiled threat.

I shall continue to use my moniker without apologies.  If some do not like it ... ~~shrugs~~

[Libs]

Bernard Gui, on 08 December 2011 - 11:02 PM, said:

On a previous incarnation of this forum, I was viciously and falsely accused by two miserable anti-Mormon women of being a pedophile because as a school teacher I advocated for school uniforms. At that time I was using my real name. Henceforth, someone Googling my name and pedophile, such as an employer, could possibly see that accusation out of context. Since that time I have always used a screen name.

Bernard

Wow, that's terrible.    I can totally understand why people don't want to expose themselves to things like that.  (Interesting, because I thought that was your real name )

[Brade]

Bernard Gui, on 08 December 2011 - 11:02 PM, said:

On a previous incarnation of this forum, I was viciously and falsely accused by two miserable anti-Mormon women of being a pedophile because as a school teacher I advocated for school uniforms. At that time I was using my real name. Henceforth, someone Googling my name and pedophile, such as an employer, could possibly see that accusation out of context. Since that time I have always used a screen name.

Bernard

When I made it known that I intended not to be active in church anymore somebody on this very board asserted several times, and quite strongly, that the reason for my change was because I wanted to sow my wild oats.  They asserted that they knew that was true.  It was disturbing because it was and is (1) false, (2) not justified by any evidence, and (3) unkind.  In that light I do see the benefit of anonymity, as I'm a happily married father and that sort of baseless accusation attached to my name could misinform friends who come here.  Thankfully the mods here removed the posts.  Unfortunately, I guess, it's a little late to turn back to anonymity; and I also like the check that being somewhat un-anonymous places on my behavior around here.

[saemo]

Judd, on 08 December 2011 - 10:23 PM, said:

Obviously you don't have to give specifics, but I'm having a hard time seeings under what circumstances you being an ex-member would affect your employment.

I post with my real name, by the way.

I worked for a Mormon Church-owned business.

[Nominee]

LeSellers, on 08 December 2011 - 03:58 PM, said:

Yikes!

Lehi

[Nominee]

I use both. You can call me Nominee, it's a nickname that some friends have called me since forever ago but other friends have never heard of. It just popped in my head when I was registering here so I used it for a screen name. Or you can call me Naomi, it's a real name that some friends have called me since forever ago but other friends ignore. I answer my phone without a hello but instead with "This is Naomi." I don't know what that says about me but I have always preferred to cut to the chase. It's too much to go through the whole "Hello?" ~ "Hello. ...Naomi?" ~ "Yes, this is she." ~ "Hi." ~ "Hi." Everything just seems to flow better if I answer with "This is Naomi" and then hand the conversation right back to the caller. Many call me sister Bartlett. That works too. Still, if you notice, my real name is my member title so I guess I can make it disappear if I want to (sorta). I decided a long time ago that it is best to speak and act in life as though I am a public figure. I don't know what that says about me either. Haha! But I am willing to face the consequences that come for being me. Consequenses are good as often as they are bad. A screen name doesn't make the internet as anonymous as some would like to think anyway. Like Nemesis said,

Quote

"...make a decision knowing that everything said on the internet can and will come back to haunt you later in life even if you think its harmless."

Keep it real. Heavenly Father knows who I am no matter what screen name I use.

Edited by Nominee, 09 December 2011 - 05:22 PM.

[Brade]

Nominee, on 09 December 2011 - 04:24 PM, said:

[Nominee]

Brade, on 09 December 2011 - 06:11 PM, said:

Bahaa haha ha! You just made me laugh that hard again! Thank you.   That was just such an inside joke and I felt blessed to be reading the right threads at the right times so as to catch it. Life is sweet.

[Brade]

Nominee, on 09 December 2011 - 06:18 PM, said:

Bahaa haha ha! You just made me laugh that hard again! Thank you.   That was just such an inside joke and I felt blessed to be reading the right threads at the right times so as to catch it. Life is sweet.

[KevinG]

Daddy G is my real name.  Or Brother G if you are a Boy Scout.

The full name is unpronounceable.

Just kidding- Kevin works too.

I don't self identify for security reasons.  But I really try to act like I do in person.

[Daniel Peterson]

I have, as I said on the other thread, no particular objection to anonymous or pseudonymous posting -- except where a person hides his or her own identity while attacking the character and/or personality of another, identified, individual.  That, I think, is unfair and cowardly.  (I've been the target of a particularly obsessive campaign of such attacks from a particular individual for half a decade now, to say nothing of the scores of others who take irregular pot shots.  This isn't just an abstract issue, as far as I'm concerned.)

That said, I flirted several years ago, rather briefly, with posting under a couple of pseudonyms.  I was, already then, tired of becoming myself the topic.  But it didn't work.  My writing style is apparently so uniquely poor, and my personal depravity so distinctive and impossible to disguise, that my critics very quickly guessed my identity, and then -- although, amusingly, they themselves continued to post under pseudonyms -- gleefully added deception to my already very long catalog of crimes and sins.  So I just went back to posting very openly, under my own name.  For me, the alternative isn't worth the trouble.

Now, though, I've greatly reduced my participation on message boards.  And that has been, I think, a very good move.  It allows much more time for other things that I deem more important.

.

Edited by Daniel Peterson, 09 December 2011 - 10:12 PM.