Why Do People Register Different Handles On Different Boards?

[Lee]

I have never understood that myself.

Unless your handle is already taken on another board, what is the point in registering multiple nicknames across multiple boards?

Surely the whole idea of taking part on a forum is to become part of the community and known?

Regards,

Lee

[Squirt]

I've never understood that either. It seems shady.

[Lippi]

I also think that it is not very trustful to have multiple handles. It looks like people have something to hide.

[longboardjim]

I'm guessing they need "friends" and/or someone to talk to? , I am and have always been "longboardjim" ( interpreted: what changes are my passwords to different sites which at times makes it difficult because I can never remember which password get's me in which place. )

sincerely ~ ..."taking a break from conversation to see who's active here , I am still reading"... :french:

[gaystoryman]

Puzzled me as well, for over a decade, I have used the same name on all the boards, after all, its not just part of being a member of a community, but of establishing your persona. Maybe some just aren't happy with some of the things they say under one nick, and so distance themselves from it, by using another. :morning:

[abostonboy]

I have used abostonboy forever. With my new job I changed to BlakeMasonLloyd on "the other board". If Lee will let me change it here as well I will.

It is annoying when people use multiple nicks. Wouldn't say shady, just annoying as many times you think you are talking to two different people.

[Squirt]

Wouldn't say shady, just annoying as many times you think you are talking to two different people.

What would be the point of someone making you think you were talking to two or more different people?

[BelamiAlan]

They will let you make changes as I signed on with my silly "personal screen name" before I started my job here at HH. The I went back and they let me change it. Now I am the same everywhere HHAlan essentially.

[chubbs]

I've never understood that either. It seems shady.

Agree. Something about it does not seem honest to me. Unless they go out of their way to make it known who they are.

--Chubbs

[abostonboy]

What would be the point of someone making you think you were talking to two or more different people?

Stupidity? I have no idea. Seriously, I think many choose names like they do on social nets. I truly believe that many just pick any name that comes to their mind when they register. Not saying all webmasters do, but some.

I am SURE some pick a different nick so one wont think they are the same person. Those ones you can usually spot a mile a way however.

Some webmasters, including my coworker, are not board savy and don't post on boards that much.

[Jasun]

For the same reason that people try to bring in more customers by diversifying their site's content.

They're stupid.

This is an industry just like any other and branding yourself along with your content and your company is just as important as Coke being called "Coke" in every store you go to. If Coke went under other names from store to store, we'd all agree that the company was stupid.

If the new album by an artist had different cover art and a different title in every store, what would be the point of promoting it?

Focus Focus Focus.

It's my new mantra.

[basschick]

i agree that it's totally stupid - and a great way to keep from getting known in the industry.

but i do know a couple such people and they did it because years later, they didn't have the same site or program, or were into something new in their lives and didn't want to change their handle on the old boards because it was well known and had sometimes thousands of posts.

[IdolKnights]

I have two names on here and GMS

IdolKnights / HappySucks

But... You need the back-story.

I signed up as HappySucks on GWW - but I took a year vacation from "adult" forums and mainly chatted with people one on one.

I came back to GWW to see how much had changed and wanted to comment on a post I had read. So I tried to log under HappySucks and didn't remember the pw I used. So I tried to use my e-mail and it gave me one of those "No member in our database with that e-mail" messages. BUT... I was still receiving the GWW "whats new" e-mail.

So to work around the issue, I just made the new user account and was going to ask Lee to combine the two accounts, change the name on this one or reset my old account and e-mail me the info.

After I posted a few replies and a week later, I realized I had not contacted Lee with any form of account request. Looked at my post count under the new name and said F'it. Made a post that I was HappySucks and gave a small "about me" on the new name. Moved on.

I think the use of two names is not the issue. The issue is needing people to think the other name is not you.

[abostonboy]

I know someone that signs up to a new board every few months. One month he is working on project XYZ, so he picks a name with XYZ in it to brand it. Then a few months later he is on project ZYX, so he has a name w/ ZYX to brand that. God only knows what board he will find three months from now and what project he will be working on and thus what name he will go under. He's not "hiding" anything, he just thinks branding his current project is more important.

A little off topic is the names that are just hard to remember like xYvcoz45Yx, that drives me nuts!