From: Ian Turton <ian@geography.leeds.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 02:27:52 PDT
To: Arthur Chandler <arthurc@crl.crl.com>
Subject: No Subject
Message-ID: <23551.9310270926@geography.leeds.ac.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Authur Chandler writes:
> 
>    Isn't it tough enough to build up a rep under our real names? What is 
> the point to using a pseudonym? I can think of some bad reasons; but I 
> can't come up with any good ones, except for "fun" and "just to see what 
> it feels like to put out opinions not my own."  I'm sure I'm missing the 
> point; so, before you jump on me as a Clueless Newbie, can you run by 
> the reasons why you want to have alternate personas on the NET?

Well the one case that comes to mind for me is a friend I knew at a
previous university where I worked. There was a member of the support staff
who was responsible for introducing the net/email to new users (amongst
other things). He had two personas one for dealing with official things and
the other obvoiusly an alias (FoFP) for ranting about the government etc.
However new users still regualarly reported this alias to Mike (in his
official role) for bringing the university in to disrepute. I'm fairly sure
he owned up to them at this point :-).  However I'd contend that it was
important for him to distinguish official posts from unofficial posts more
strongly than just by sticking a disclaimer on the end of unoficial
messages - since who really reads them anyway.


> 
Ian Turton - School of Geography, Leeds University
	     0532 -333309