Winboard Forum

I answer in public because I think this could be of some common interest.

Someone tried to register here. His request was denied because he was not using his real name. Now he replies again.

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someone@*****.edu.** wrote:


Based on this email address I presume this mail haven't been written by a dumbhead.

...

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I have read that post and I really don't know what I did wrong. Is it a
 kind request or requirement to use my real name?


English is not the first language of both of us. Nevertheless I don't get
how:

...To use your real name (that one written in your passport) is required...

can be misunderstood.

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 I'm sure, that I've provided my real name in the profile - and if so - anyone can see it if needed...

Now it is getting interesting. That feature is simply not installed in
this forum. That something is installed in the Computer Chess Club
does not mean it is available here -also vice versa- too .

...

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I would say I'm used to it beacuse I have been using it for
many years and it's shorter.
>
> PS. In the first email I didn't get any links to click on.

Let's beginn with the last remark. Again you mix up this forum with
the CCC. They have enabled confirmation by the user. Confirmation by the
admin is activated here.

Here is the reason why. In the last two days the following entities tried
to register in this forum:

prads_in
lglhome
Hugo Neeson
Malatar
nczempin
Jaap Weidemann
Laitinen
and you.

The only who get it right on the first try was Jaap Weidemann.
I doubt "prads_in" and "lglhome" are persons at all. If "Hugo Neeson"
really exist he should be aware he is a disgustful spammer.

I have to add that a fraction of 12.5% correct registrations
is much. Usually there are 20 or more trash registrations before
a serious one. Look at the memberlist of CCC to see what I mean.
Do you feel good among all the "SexyRussianGirl"s, "nutusipisik69"s and
"phsum07"s?

Purpose of most of these registration is to present a link to a
real or fictional website. Most of these sites are porn related.
They are to say it in on word: spam.

I want to keep that stuff out of here. Therefore I ask for the real
name and also check the profile. If there is suspicious stuff in it
the account will not be activated.

In other forums they remove the spam links manually and the accounts
remain. Thats to much effort for that rubbish from my point of view.
I never took part in any "who has the longest" contest and I
never took and don't take part in any "who has most members" championships.

Therefore the profiles of the members are not visible until at least
one post has been made.

The argument that your firstname is shorter than the whole name
is also not really convincing. By one click you can activate a feature
that the forum remembers you and you have to type nothing at all.

So if you want to register here please use your real name.

Volker

I think Nczempin was Nicolai Czempin, the programmer of Eden. Then again I see that he got a membership here, so I could very well be wrong.

Tony Thomas wrote:I think Nczempin was Nicolai Czempin...

Of course. But I can't know for everyone.

Volker

Volker Pittlik wrote:

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> PS. In the first email I didn't get any links to click on.

Let's beginn with the last remark. Again you mix up this forum with
the CCC. They have enabled confirmation by the user. Confirmation by the
admin is activated here.

in the 'Read me first!' message you wrote:A few minutes after registering you will receive an e-mail with your password. There will be also a link in the mail to confirm your registration.

I think confusion here is understandable.

It may not make any difference, but

Those who want to use a pseudonym are encouraged to do so without attracting attention.

may sound a little too much like a request. Perhaps

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Those who use an obvious pseudonym will not be allowed to register

would be better.

Hello Greg Simpson,

The July 2005 update is exhaustive on the point of false names etc. There was also an update regarding the intention of the moderators to totally ignore persons who refuse to take the time to even read the rules of the board they are trying to join.

Can you imagine, upwards of ten obviously false names in a day?

I think that persons who attempt to sign in as Robert J. Fischer - or Robert Heinlein for that matter - should not be given any warning at all. I will not comment on the f******** and the su**** attempts. As for the porn people....



I do agree that Volker seems too polite but I suppose that it is some sort of understated appeal to good taste and manners. Yeah, more luck to him in his quest to find some, right?



Later.

Greg Simpson wrote:...
I think confusion here is understandable.

It may not make any difference, but

Those who want to use a pseudonym are encouraged to do so without attracting attention.

...

Thank you. The readme will be updated. That may take some time.

Volker

My 2cents on the topic. I also got registration wrong the first time, trying to register with "Sparky". Anyway I got registered and have been a member for about two months now. I enjoy the discussions very much.

It is refreshing to be part of a forum where real names are used and off-topic comments, spam and unwanted elements are kept to a minimum. It also gives me a feel of credibility...

I think that the real name policy is an excellent idea and it should remain. I did not like it at first, but now that I have experienced the advantages of it, it is the best thing since ..., well, chess!

Of course I am nczempin, just as I am everywhere else (including the talkchess.com forum). Obviously I'm not hiding my real identity, and I wouldn't even if I had used a username such as "Pajanick", as long as I set the fields in my profile correctly.

It has just become a habit. It is a slight nuisance to log in with my full name (not every machine I log in from has the cookies set), but manageable.

I think I remember having read that real names are preferred in this forum. I must have thought that this does not apply to the actual usernames, but that we should set the "Firstname" etc. correctly.

In any case, Volker made the friendly effort to change my username when I registered, I noticed, accepted, and that was that.

If he prefers real names that's perfectly fine, and I don't see a reason to have an extensive discussion about it.