Long post about multiple identities and other cyberlogical disorders.
<The SI response is VERY weak.>
Actually, the SI response didn't mention a reason why they allow anybody to choose any name, so I tried to figure out why they might allow multiple identities and the only thing that I could think of is that they may not want names to be taken forever.
Whatever the reason is, this is the reply to my email telling them that someone else was using my alias:
<Aliases are not necessarily unique. If this person is trying to
*impersonate* you, or both of you are posting on the same threads, then we'll definitely ask him/her to change their alias.
Jill>
I think that if you guys saw the posts from the new 007 on the NSOL thread, then you would assume it was me.
Upon receiving SI's response, I sent them the following message which hasn't been answered:
<Jill, I think it is unfortunate that your policy is to allow more than one person to use the same alias. I'll bet that most of your members would agree with me and feel that that's what they should be getting from a service that charges a membership fee.
SI is great because people don't just pick a name and post one misleading message like on Yahoo. You get to know the people by their aliases and to put doubt into the consistency of identities only lessens the value of your site. I'm not so concerned about having any particular name, but I would like to have a name that nobody else could have, and when I see a post from a familiar name, I would like to know that it's the same person as before.
Undoubtedly, people have read posts of mine and have a feeling for where I'm coming from. Now, when they read posts from the new 007, they naturally will assume that it's me. Likewise, when I see a post from someone I recognize and respect, should I now check the user profile on an old post and check the profile on the new post to make sure that it's the same person?
If you asked your users, I bet 90% would say that it is better to have unique aliases, and most would probably be surprised to learn that anyone can use their name.
FYI, I recently signed up with the Motley Fool and they don't allow you to have an alias that is already in use.
I would suggest that your policy should correspond to that which gives your product the most value.
James Bond>
If you agree with me, you might want to send a message to Jill by clicking "webmistress" below.
007 (I think)
PS Yesterday, I mentioned that I was trading BNYN and NSOL long. I sold NSOL today and half of BNYN. NSOL may have reached some sort of a near term peak at 300, and BNYN lost its momentum, but I kept half to see what tomorrow brings because there was very little down volume. |
