5 ms·

I'm somewhat concerned that "find a way to use pseudonyms" is some implementation of "multiple pseudonyms, as long as you have your real name on an umbrella acc

I'm somewhat concerned that "find a way to use pseudonyms" is some implementation of "multiple pseudonyms, as long as you have your real name on an umbrella account", which completely misses the point.

thristian 15y ago
Well, maybe. Different people want pseudonyms for different reasons. Some people want to be able to completely divorce content created under one name from content created under another: for example, a well-known public figure might choose to interact with close friends and family under a pseudonym so that those people aren't dragged into the public spotlight. Other people are just known by different names in different social circles — perhaps the people you play tennis with gave you a nickname, or you have friends in another country who find your given name awkward and hard to pronounce. For those people, an absolute water-tight division between pseudonyms is not necessary. Personally, I'd be happy with settings of the form "To contacts in circle X, display the name Y", and "To strangers, display the name Z". I don't mind my friends knowing my real name, I just don't want friends blocking me because they don't recognise the value I've put in the only name field Google displays.
- sorbus 15y ago
  > Personally, I'd be happy with settings of the form "To contacts in circle X, display the name Y", and "To strangers, display the name Z". Most of my friends are in multiple circles (a "friends" circle and a circle based on why I know them). If I set different display names for two circles, what does it display to someone in both of them?
  - thristian 15y ago
    That's why I'm just some schmuck posting on HN, and Google are the ones with the globe-spanning enterprise - because they're better at finding answers to tricky questions like that than I am. If I had to guess, I'd say "use the name attached to the circle with fewer members", because I imagine a lot of people will have a few big circles for reading by content, and a number of small circles that represent their actual social circles.
- bh42222 15y ago
  Personally, I'd be happy with settings of the form "To contacts in circle X, display the name Y", and "To strangers, display the name Z". Personally I find it absolutely not acceptable to force me to hand over my real name. This isn't a government service, it is not a financial institution, and with requirements like that I will not be joining. No big loss for G+, I am sure. Just like my absence from Facebook hasn't hurt them. But that is until some other Not-Facebook service does it right, and overtakes both Facebook and G+.

thristian 15y ago

Well, maybe. Different people want pseudonyms for different reasons. Some people want to be able to completely divorce content created under one name from content created under another: for example, a well-known public figure might choose to interact with close friends and family under a pseudonym so that those people aren't dragged into the public spotlight. Other people are just known by different names in different social circles — perhaps the people you play tennis with gave you a nickname, or you have friends in another country who find your given name awkward and hard to pronounce. For those people, an absolute water-tight division between pseudonyms is not necessary. Personally, I'd be happy with settings of the form "To contacts in circle X, display the name Y", and "To strangers, display the name Z". I don't mind my friends knowing my real name, I just don't want friends blocking me because they don't recognise the value I've put in the only name field Google displays.

sorbus 15y ago
> Personally, I'd be happy with settings of the form "To contacts in circle X, display the name Y", and "To strangers, display the name Z". Most of my friends are in multiple circles (a "friends" circle and a circle based on why I know them). If I set different display names for two circles, what does it display to someone in both of them?
- thristian 15y ago
  That's why I'm just some schmuck posting on HN, and Google are the ones with the globe-spanning enterprise - because they're better at finding answers to tricky questions like that than I am. If I had to guess, I'd say "use the name attached to the circle with fewer members", because I imagine a lot of people will have a few big circles for reading by content, and a number of small circles that represent their actual social circles.
bh42222 15y ago
Personally, I'd be happy with settings of the form "To contacts in circle X, display the name Y", and "To strangers, display the name Z". Personally I find it absolutely not acceptable to force me to hand over my real name. This isn't a government service, it is not a financial institution, and with requirements like that I will not be joining. No big loss for G+, I am sure. Just like my absence from Facebook hasn't hurt them. But that is until some other Not-Facebook service does it right, and overtakes both Facebook and G+.