(closed account) ghosts and username magic

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Warning -- long post. Comes in four parts:

Antoinette?                                                                                         
catfish666 wrote:
... rather see stop in order to prevent disruption. But I believe the disruption caused by "masked" usernames can be minimized to the point that we can have the cake and eat it too.

But you offer no way to have the cake and eat it too. I do.

"search for member's posts" -- means nothing more than a very cheap way to almost hide your username from people, and keep it out of the hands of someone who may innocently wish to see it because they cannot even remember the name.


"improve the search"                                                                                
catfish666 wrote:
Thread subject tags could prevent people from having to search for usernames. Which is the wrong thing to do, because usernames have nothing to do with the content of the post you're looking for. In addition, they may be changed at any time.
emphasis added

Yes, this would be very useful -- but it is not workable.

    1 You want users to do extra work to post a question?

    2 It is not unusual for multiple needs to be met under a different premise, making even a
      functioning tag system less useful at finding content as it would be at hiding content.

    3 You keep asserting this -- at odds with testimony from others (and from natural sociological
      law): a name absolutely does have something to do with content. The very meaning of that
      content may be understood differently based upon the speaker/writer. The trustworthiness
      of the advice and code snippets are predicated on the prior art of said user. The choice of
      algorithm or point of view depends on the user.

Eliminate the user and you have no basis for understanding content. For example, here is a useful conversation where point of view meant everything. http://www.cplusplus.com/forum/general/35312/

(BTW, care to guess how I found it on the internet?)

Knowing Grey Wolf's point of view certainly puts this next thread in context, no? http://www.cplusplus.com/forum/lounge/62708/ Not knowing his POV leaves hapless readers lost about the commentary that follows his posting.

Should he now get mad at us all and disable his account leaving us with some large alphabet soup instead of his name -- then it would certainly remove a great deal of value from all he said and what can be learned from it.

Moreover, users who recognize him as intelligent and useful would also be denied the ability to go back and find more of his commentary on any subject -- His knowledge and expertise would be effectively marginalized.


Raisins                                                                                             
catfish666 wrote:
I want the account deletion feature to stay as it currently is, because I think that if people are allowed to add their username to a forum, they should be allowed to remove it as well. Similarly to how they are allowed to edit their posts to gibberish, to cover up having asked for help online.

Well stated, yet we already know this. Unfortunately, just because you take it as a wonderful feature is not a valid reason for everyone else. The irony!

First and foremost, you are arguing against a power you would still have -- as has already been noted several times, eg:
giblet wrote:
If someone wants their account to be hidden they could always just change their username to something random themselves.


Secondly, I forgot about that annoying edit feature. I'll have to edit my first post to add it as an annoying creature (and a potential solution).


having cake and eating it too is an expression of contradictions                                    

You argue that you ought to have exclusive right to who reads what you wrote on a public forum, when they read it, and when you can revoke that information from others. You sound like a DRM exec. If you had the power to erase information from an individual mind, would you do that also?

I think that if you go out in public then you have no right to force others to forget it. You already gave your consent to others reading your material by registering and posting it -- on a forum you don't own -- don't control -- didn't copyright --

And you have ignored the ramification that our usernames themselves are made up. How many people have bothered to actually look at my profile? Without doing it, would you actually know my name? Where I am? Could you tell me anything personal about me outside of what I have revealed under my username?

You can not.

This is my second attempt to figure out why you object so strongly to being able to accurately see the past as it was.

Are you afraid that an employer (current or future) will discover you are posting instead of working?
Duoas wrote:
This is my second attempt to figure out why you object so strongly to being able to accurately see the past as it was.

Your perspective differs from mine: from my perspective you want to deny users the ability to mask their usernames when they leave (if they want to), while this is their personal choice. And I believe that it would end up causing minimal disruption if search would be enhanced.
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closed account (oGwfSL3A)
I like the idea of being able to mask usernames if they want to. They should be allowed to do that. I like the idea of being able to remove your tracks on the internet. The actual content of the post should be left alone, though.

I'm not sure if I worded the last part right, but oh well.
Speaking of that, I hope Moschops is doing alright.
catfish666 wrote:
Your perspective differs from mine

Your perspective is a bunch of twisted rubbish, then.

You continue to blatantly state a falsehood and compound it with inane (and invalidated) reasoning.


False Claim: Duoas wants "to deny users the ability to mask their usernames when they leave (if they want to)"
The Truth: "If someone wants their account to be hidden they could always just change their username to something random themselves."


Inane Reasoning: "...this is their personal choice."
Real Reasoning: You cannot present yourself to the universe, then tell the universe to pretend it never happened. You have no personal choice to undo your personal choice, or to erase yourself from other's memories. You already exercised your personal choice by posting.

The only personal choice you have now is to require others to not misrepresent you (something you seem to want to only work in your favor), or slander/libel you.


Inane Reasoning: "And I believe that it would end up causing minimal disruption..."
Real Reasoning: You are pulling a logical switch. I'm the one complaining about a disruption. You are arguing that there is no disruption. Your solution is to leave things the same -- and therefore produce minimal disruption? That's non sequitur.


Inane Reasoning: "...if search would be enhanced."
Real Reasoning: Buzzwords are meaningless without content. So while you are at it, I want world peace. And a hamburger from McDonalds. I'm hungry.




I'm tired of responding to your vapid one-dimensional argument. If you feel you have the right to waste people's time by answering people's questions -- and then play Indian giver with the world about it -- then maybe you should try erasing yourself...

Since you clearly misunderstand the nature of hack. And at this point, probably never will.

Welcome to my ignore list
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@DesiredUsernameTaken (3)
Hey, welcome to the forums!

Good luck erasing yourself from the internet.


You see, I just immortalized you by using your username...
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closed account (oGwfSL3A)
You cannot present yourself to the universe, then tell the universe to pretend it never happened. You have no personal choice to undo your personal choice, or to erase yourself from other's memories. You already exercised your personal choice by posting.

I think they should be aloud to.

And a hamburger from McDonalds. I'm hungry.

ME TOO! :D

Welcome to my ignore list

Does this mean I am on there too? :(

EDIT:
Hey, welcome to the forums!

Thank you!
Good luck erasing yourself from the internet.

I don't want to. But I think I should be allowed to if I wanted to.
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Hmm, I think you already were and I just posted without thinking.
closed account (oGwfSL3A)
You see, I just immortalized you by using your username...

he he he...idc.

Hmm, I think you already were and I just posted without thinking.

So, you forgot you were ignoring me...?
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Okay, after
Duoas wrote:
you cannot present yourself to the universe...
I'm now completely in sync with your opinion. Well said, and I agree with you.
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