The Name Game

[Guest S*rca****sid]

This hasn't affected me, but I have noticed that there are some members on this board with very similar names (handles). The names might be only differentiated by a couple letters or numbers. I like to think I have a keen sense of perception, so as far as I know, I haven't been confused with who's who. But I got to wonder how other members might see this. Or even what a member thought about having another member with a similar name? What does a Provider think about when they see another provider with a similar name? I could definitely see an issue with that.

 

I understand most people didn't have a chance to go through all the names to see what has been taken, and like most sites, if you pick one that has been chosen, it will tell you. But there is always that one chance that someone picks a name, at random, that's just different enough to be allowed by the system, but similar enough to make people wonder if they copied them.

 

In a virtual world like the internet, we can come up with any name we want, it's only limited to our imaginations. I don't think there would be an issue if someone wanted to change their name after discovering this. I'm sure the Mod would understand if you asked nice enough.

 

Should there be a rule about similar names? What do you think the rule should be? Maybe this is considered (or should be) during a members "probationary period"?

 

Anyone want to venture with their 2¢?

[Guest realnicehat]

I think most members of the board are intelligent enough to differentiate between people with similar handles.

 

It is considerably harder to navigate our offline lives through a myriad of Mikes and Bobs, Jennys and Amandas without reverting to last names or descriptions. But because there is a written record of every post here it can never really become enough of an issue to need a rule.

 

Also, I'm pretty sure the mods have enough on their plate.

 

As far as ladies with similar names I'm sure there is some sort of unwritten rule or professional courtesy involved. I don't expect a Kleo Katra or a Meg4Fun to show up any time soon and if they did I doubt they would last long.

 

Sometimes no rules are better: