To ask what is the big deal????

[Babylon1]

With outing yourself????

Now I'm relatively new here, but I've got the same name on every Internet forum I use.

What's the deal with name changing - unless it's something REALLY REALLY confidential obviously.......

I accidentally outed someone on here, and she either doesn't use the forum anymore or has name changed. But i don't understand why???

I haven't ever name changed because I don't know how but I can't see any reason why I would need to? I don't come here to troll, I'm happy to have discussions with people who don't share my opinion, I just genuinely don't understand the name change thing.......

Ok fair enough, hadn't really thought about that.

Interestingly enough, I just googled my RL name - that was eye-opening!!!

Yes, already knew her in RL and then found she was a MNer - she has subsequently disappeared so has either name changed or stopped using

It's quite easy to work out who I am IRL due to twitter and my blog, which are both in my RL name. I couldn't give a toss as I go by the rule of what I wouldn't say IRL doesn't get said online. I also don't care if friends/family/bosses know who I am here but again, I wouldn't say anything I wouldn't say to their faces!

Though I do understand why people name change because privacy is a big thing and is vitally important for some, especially those in sensitive situations and if I were in a sensitive situation I would probably name change and did on another site years ago when I was posting information about an adopted relative of mine (who's birth family are all dead now, so I don't bother NCing on here!)

Ok so you didn't actually "out" her publicly? why are you using that term? You accidentally discovered who she was and did nothing with the information. You didn't "out" her

babylon: googling yourself is never good!

One of the top entries for mine is a post somebody wrote when I was in college claiming I hacked into her accounts online. That makes me look great when I work alone in peoples houses I seem to be the only person in the UK with my name as well so every search thing is something to do with me Dread to think what my bosses thought if they googled me before hire!

Kittyandthefontanelles - that was her terminology not mine! I've used it as it seems to be used quite commonly on here and people know what I mean if I say outed - I think

Confused, I was quite shocked! Just typing in my RL name gives access to my dob, address, maiden name, middle name, where I work/have worked, publications I've had printed and a whole host of other stuff!!

When I Google my name I just get obits for long dead 19th century Irish women

It would bother me if other mums at school or nursery had figured out who I am and could see what I was saying and what I was whinging about.

You aren't as anonymous as you think you might be really, I know someone in RL and have recognised her on here. I sometimes read a post, maybe whining about her DH or her MIL or something at the local school and then realise its her when I see the name. If I've spotted her I bet a few of the other local mums will have spotted her too. When she moans about someone on the PTA or whatever I always wonder if the mum she is moaning about is a MNetter!

I haven't been brave enough to tell her that I have spotted her, I just try to avoid her on here, but sometimes I have read her posts before I realise they are hers.

I name change occasionally because every post gives more information about me. Some of it very personal. If someone i know reads a post of mine and thinks it might be me so reads my other posts they would find out things i would rather they didn't.

But isn't that obvious. Not sure why the need to question it!

Maybe she's been bitching about you all over AIBU...

Babylon: It's awful isn't it? Scary how much info we put about ourselves online these days! I was a young teen when the internet became popular so put a lot of info online before internet safety became a known thing, and now I can't get rid of it so have given up trying!

The irony of that confusedpixie, is that I deliver CEOPS training to other professionals, so you think I'd know better!!

I name change a lot. I prefer to keep anonymous. Too many people have mentioned spreadsheets WTF? Why? So, rather safe than sorry.

Ooh just found out that there is an erotic writer with my name! There are also several artistic and talented people!

I recognised someone on here last week and then had a look through her other posts. I saw her post about being annoyed by one of her friends and was mildly surprised (could work out who it was from the context). I'd never tell her though or let on that I know what she thinks. I suppose name changing prevents nosy people like me from seeing what else you've said.

I've never name changed but then again I don't poster personal info

I can understand those who do name change might have personal reasons for it.

But it's those who keep name changing just for the sake of it that confuse me and when they start a thread with something stupid like...

"Name changed but Pom Bears, Crisp-Gate, pickled gherkins and dog's bollocks"....like we're supposed to know what any of that shit means, let alone who they actually were...it makes me want to slap their heads with blunt objects.

Spreadsheets? Eh?

I've never name changed. I've posted some pretty personal stuff on here in the past couple of months, but I actually don't mind if people irl found it, if they are close enough to recognise me from what I've said on here then they are close enough to read the personal things I've posted here too. I only haven't spoken to people irl about everything because I can't actually say the words out loud, but it's easier to type them.

I googled myself too and it was page 6 before i actually found me rather than somebody else with my name. Loads of people with my name have loads of personal info on the web but I can't find anything about me . And somebody else has this nn on other forums so when I googled that I got a load of results about running and dieting, so that would put people off the track of suspecting me as I'm rather too fat to be into running.

Spreadsheets is a joke!

Luckily there is a real life journalist with my rl name so I can hide behind her .

I think some people just namechange because it can be fun, and sometimes I think having a different name on here allows aspects of personality to shine differently.

I certainly post more light heartedly under this nn than under my previous one!