Nym Wars. I hadn't been paying much attention to the Google "Real Names" clusterfuck, because it was so obvious to me that they were going to lose this one in the press that it would all be over soon. But it's still not over, and the Google brass appear to be digging in their heels, despite the universally bad press they're getting over it. And then the other night I had dinner with a friend which turned into an hour long argument over it, because he thought that forcing everyone to use their real names was just fine.
This is someone I've known for decades, so to say that I was shocked and horrified by his attitude is an understatement. It was as if my friend had suddenly started beginning sentences with, "I'm not a racist, but... " EFF: A Case for Pseudonyms There are myriad reasons why an individual may feel safer identifying under a name other than their birth name. "Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority. Anonymous speech on the Internet is a messThis is absolutely true. Bradley Horowitz on Google+ Nicknames. Last night, +Robert Scoble shared some information based on his conversation with +Vic Gundotra. That post ( went a long way toward clearing the air, and we want to thank many of you for your feedback and support.
I wanted to also more directly address some of what we’re learning and how we’re reacting to the feedback. Note that this isn’t a comprehensive “last word” on the topic that touches on every issue. On the contrary, it’s just some transparency and insight into a dialog that I expect will continue for a long time. (It’s worth noting that in general we’ve only been discussing upcoming changes to Google+ as they are being released. In this case, we felt it would be helpful to signal to concerned parties “what’s coming.” This immediately raises the question of “When?!”
These include: - Giving these users a warning and a chance to correct their name in advance of any suspension. These and many more changes are coming. Robert Scoble on Google+ Nicknames. Dear +Marcin Ciszewicz I wish you hadn't broken your resolution. I realize you insistently want to redefine the definition of fascism, you want to misconstrue the definition of fascism regarding my application of the word to Google's user name policy, but I will not allow your mistakes to go unchallenged even though it is extremely wearying replying to your false allegations.
It's pure idiocy to champion the defeatist attitude of saying: “Control over our identities is not very good thus I will relinquish all control.” If you live in a high crime area maybe you will want to relinquish all control regarding your home security? Leave your door unlocked if you want to, but I prefer to lock my door because if gives me an added layer of security. Some people say: "If you want something kept secret then don't put it on the internet. "... but that notion is silly. Describing Google's policies as fascism does not cheapen any other example of fascism you can name. Robert Scoble - Google+ - Several people have asked me to make this a real post so it… Welcoming Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Google Plus Name Policy Is A Clueless Lie Google can do whatever it wants with its products and services, requiring real names or not, although ultimately the free market is a grand arbiter of success or failure. Yes even Google must answer to the objective reality of supply and demand.
We as consumers, can take it or leave it. Clueless: We all know intuitively that our "real names" are not who we really are; we had no choice in the matter. In spite of what +Robert Scoble says, whether we intend to be good or evil on any social network--and overwhelmingly the vast majority will be good, nice, kind, caring, helpful, encouraging, creative and inspirational--whether we use a pseudonym or not, it wont make any difference in our behavior good-or-evil-wise.
Notice that I didn't say pseudonyms will make us more good (less evil), I said more real. So in fact, pseudonyms will make us more real not less. A Lie: What if we all changed our last names to 'Smith? ' My Google Profile was suspended. How long until I get it back? More importantly, CAN I get it back? - Gmail Help.