Putting Your REAL NAME on the internet, being YOU!

In social media by Michael Michelini12 Comments

Social media has changed the internet, or “web 2.0”. I think the original web 1.0 was more just websites posting news and it hard for the general public to interact. Now, anyone with an internet connection can create a facebook account, twitter account, or whatever, and say how they feel to the world.

Its going one step further, as bigger blogs like techcrunch making people use facebook to comment…..PEOPLE HAVE TO BE PEOPLE to comment now.

Robert Scoble, a very open and bold blogger, really goes out there and calls people COWARDS who are afraid to put their name / identity to their comments on the internet, part of his article is quoted below:

Hello! Name one person on the web that doesn’t use Google or Bing. One. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Hint, your 700 friends are on Google. Your grandma is on google. Your five ex-girlfriends are on Google. My ex-wife is on Google.

Thinking back over my 46-year life I’ve only read something more wrong a few times.

Not to mention I worked with an executive at NEC who got fired for something he anonymously wrote on a forum (a racist post). Someone figured out where the IP address came from and sent the post to his boss, who quickly fired him. Being truly anonymous and untrackable on the Web is very difficult.

So, what’s going on here? Why is it causing people to lose all perspective on EVERYTHING?
These “authenticity is dead” people are cowards.

See, where I ONLY post opinions I’m willing to sign my name to, lots of people are actually cowards and just not willing to sign their names to their mealy-mouthed attacks.

He is a little harsh there….but if more and more big blogs force you to use facebook connect in order to comment….then either people will have to start creating fake facebook accounts (which do exist I am sure, but is not allowed by facebook’s terms of service) OR only comment when they are not afraid everyone in their life can see what they are saying, and new people they don’t know can look them up on facebook and connect with them more.

For example, I have had my fair share of “comment trolls” on this blog here…..they would use fake names and reach out and criticize me, one some of my friends and readers here (I’m not even going to go back on this blog and check his fake name) he really did annoy me…and he never would say who he was. Every blog post he would say some new annoying comment and upset me, as well as the readers here. I didn’t want to delete / moderate his comments, but after so many of my friends complained I had to block him/her from leaving future comments.

Maybe I will soon force blog commenters here to use facebook connect in order to comment?

Its also going to change SEO as well, as we all know how much comment spam we get in blogs with keywords as the comment name and the SEO target website too. Things keep on changing….social media and SEO merging. People and businesses becoming 1…..the dividing line between personal life and business life blurring….

When can we separate our work life from our personal life? that is another issue.

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Comments

  1. i agree – do it. make people sign in to leave comments or give yourself the right to approve comments left by anonymous people. i also think its rude to try and log on anonymously and attempt to hurt someone else. it is cowardly. but is there another thing other than facebook. my facebook is blocked at work and if i have to log into facebook i won’t be able to leave comments while at work. just a suggestion – possible warning.

    1. a warning in that some people may not be able to leave comments as often if you require the facebook authentication

    2. Author

      yea…..i dont get bombarded with comments on this blog specifically….and new blog peoples comments i have to approve.

      but in big blogs, with high authority, get spammed and trolled so much……i can understand

      but yes Piotr, like u say, facebook is blocked in your office…..it is also blocked in the country of china…….and many of the nice chinese girls commenting here never even used facebook and could no longer comment

  2. Would be good to have everyone sign in but you may also discourage more interaction as some people would still prefer to be anonymous (unless of course we are all friends here commenting). For some still, you can’t “take away” their “right” of having their own little “privacy”. Which is to be respected of course.

    But you as the blog owner should have the right to screen. Don’t forget to put in your “agreement to terms and conditions” =) At least they know what theyre getting into.

    1. Author

      terms and conditions….come on man, life isnt about being so politically correct

      u coming out in hong kong tonight

    2. i agree with Mike Mo – u def need to have terms and conditions. get it in there now before you really NEED it

        1. Its not about being politically correct! its about protecting yourself and your blog!

          HK is Fri mate!

  3. Maybe I will soon force blog commenters here to use facebook connect in order to comment? Facebook can not be opened in Shenzhen。so please don’t do that.
    what’s mean of “techcrunch”.can you explain it to me,thanks.

    1. Author

      hi Connie,
      ok….I won’t force facebook login to leave comment here, don’t worry la! I am just using this as an example of how the internet is forcing people online to use their real ID and not hide as a different person.

      Techcrunch – its a big USA website / blog that talks about all kinds of new websites, companies, and ideas. techcrunch.com is the link. You should try to read it sometimes, very famous.

  4. speaking of true identities online, i once talked to a blogger who has a very good project but he prefers not to be revealed to the point of making another Facebook/Twitter account for his blog particularly. i couldn’t imagine how his blog gonna survive, how to have loyal followers and be known if social media is all about real time / online presence. if social media is parodied as the survival of the “most aloud” and “opinionated” he might not really have a place here coz there’s a bit of reality about it… you’ve got to make waves, big waves if possible.
    like what difference does it gonna make if he gets a little recognition or a bit of criticism about it? the project is very humanitarian & impressive but he sees true identity as an issue and privacy as a big deal.
    few months have passed still haven’t heard about the blog’s progress. even the blog link he gave i can’t find it elsewhere. i think he better get out of facebook or quit blogging if that’s the case. Im waiting for the right timing on how to tell this to him or explain straight coz he remained a good friend after. I just don’t know how to say it.

    1. Author

      thanks Monamie,

      glad u agree we need to put our real name on the web….its the future and the web is now just an extension of who we are…not a second life.

      hard to fully undrstand your friends casw without seeing the url and site….maybe over time he will come around.

      even for me and this blog, at first the url was happinessinpursuit.com (still have domain) but then felt it was dumb to hide my name and as it is about my life may as well use my name here…..

      but it is a process….i am still sometimes a little hesitant to post thoughts and feelings

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