Anonymous

It's very difficult to say.

Same reason as you call yourself spaceracer D'uh.
There is ample oportunity to add as little or as much personal info as you wish in your profile.
It's blindingly obvious really... you don't go and spill your life story to every checkout lady, pretty girl or drunkard. (well not until you are my age)

Anyhow what has this got to do with engineering.
You really should get a hoby, or back to your work...
Oh gtg, boss is coming
Del
But I am a cat... honest.

Pot calling kettle black

Oh, Sometimes I sign my name, But not today

Good question, I have often wondered the same.

I can't speak for everyone, but I am an alien that is attempting to integrate with the human race. Pronouncing my real name, is not within the realm of human speech.

"What are you hiding?" Stuff.

"Are you employed by a government?" Maybe yes, but I might not be.

"Are you a wanted criminal?" It's nice to be wanted.

"A spy?" Now just because a guy drives a fast car, does that mean you are a spy?

"Military?" I support our troops.

"An adolescent?" A practicing one, so I am told.

"The fact is our members could be any one of these and more." We cherish diversity, but we adore adolescent government criminal spies from the military.

"I fail to understand why people in a forum of engineers have to hide their identities."

Well, you use an alias. Maybe the reason you use one is not all that different than anyone else's reasons.

However, there are some good reasons to keep your head down. Not so much from our government, but from the crack pots with some imaginary axe to grind, criminals intent on stealing from your or stealing your identity, and possibly employers that may not agree with your social point of view (people have been fired for their babbling before). Most of us have families. I can pretty much handle myself, but I really do not want to expose family members to sociopaths.

And last, but not least, it can be fun. Mine was a statement of humor because when I joined, anyone that posted as a guest was titled 'Anonymous Coward'. Now that political correctness has set in, you are simply an 'Anonymous Poster' - how dull.

Why not? What is your given name anyways, other than an identifying set of letters (or maybe numbers??- symbols anyways!) that identifies who you are. What you are is identified by who you have become in your life, and is associated with your name by other people according to the manner in which they perceive you.

So look through this forum and follow one or two people. I think maybe you'll find out more about what sort of person they really are than you would if you spent all day with them. You just won't know who they are if you meet them in real life, but then how well do you actually know most of the people you interact with anyways?

(p.s. I use my initials. How does that count??)

But are they in the right order? Hmmm? :)

Oh shoot...umm, wait'll I pull out my driver's license & check... Yup! They are.

_{But you'll have to take my word for it....}

Thank heavens for our documentation as we get older. :)

Freedom of speech!

Are you saying engineers are not allowed that? That they should give credibility to their post by posting under their real name? That they should be willing to accept the retribution involved in doing so? You daft? No two people will agree all the time! Some people hold grudges!

Also this is a engineering forum you do not have to be an engineer to join.

Why do the members of this forum use aliases? What are you hiding?

Are you employed by a government? --YES

Are you a wanted criminal? -- YES, according to NYS, I have a ticket from 1971 that remains unresolved.

A spy?-- Yes. (but for who)

Military? -- Yes, (former)

An adolescent? -- Yes, at least in mind.

The fact is our members could be any one of these and more. -- Do I get a prize for getting all of the questions correct?

Why do the members of this forum use aliases?

Probably for privacy, it's the only place we still have that illusion. But I don't use an alias, I really am a car. A 550 to be more precise, but I can't tell you what color. I'm shy!

What are you hiding?

Everything! But if I opened my trunk you would just see a lot of excess baggage.

Are you employed by a government?

Yea, right! Like they could afford me!

Are you a wanted criminal?

Does speeding count?

A spy?

I'd have to let my driver answer that one. His name is Bond, James Bond.

Military?

Hmm.. let me check. _{"So that's what those buttons do! Cool!}" No comment.

An adolescent?

Unfortunately no. But I've never done anything to prove otherwise! _{Except maybe, using the word "otherwise".}

I assumed you really are a spaceracer. Though I'm not certain what that is, I think your the one that steals the parking space I'm about to pull into. You really should use an alias if you're going to do that kinda stuff.

You are correct to be concerned.

It IS a conspiracy, and we ARE out to get you.

Here is a picture of me, does it help?

We will be the new government ....

We have an agenda :

In fact, it seems every internet forum operates the same way. Why?

Spam for one, legal issues for another. The same reasons why I don't post our company name and email address on forums.

For example - You make a comment on CR4, someone uses that information and gets someone killed through their own fault, they track you back to your company and take legal action against you.

And of course privacy.

The fact is our members could be any one of these and more

A name won't help, how would you know if it is real and what does it matter anyway?

_{Jack - What do you expect for free consultancy advice?}

Obviously not anonymous enough. A customer recognised me from CR4 and two turned up to say hello.

Like the Simpsons TV program, the clues to Springfield's location (or my identity in this case) are spread throughout my comments over the years for those with the wisdom and patience to locate.

_{Jack - It's so much more satisfying when you have to work for it!}

I sincerely hope nobody gets killed or injured due to any postings in this forum. My curiosity has upset a few members, my apologies, that was not my intention. Some of your comments make sense to me and some are obviously humorous. It just seems to me the use of aliases could be good or bad, depending on ones motives. I learn something every day on CR4, today is no different.

Give me your address -- I'll tell you, but then I'll have to shoot you.

Actually, I'm a private consultant. I don't think it would be good for my business to reveal my real name, since sometimes I express a viewpoint that people disagree with. No point in antagonizing someone who might someday be a client.

I think you may be on to something here, Mr. Usbport. I am a professional, but not an engineer. There are things that I know very well, while there are other things about which I know very little. Many of you have already discerned that. However, when I am on here, I can talk with authority even if I have none, and I can wrangle with those who would question my advise and I can LEARN from each of these activities. However, being in the position I occupy in the business world in my field, I may injur my effectiveness with my pomposity and my obvious lack of knowledge in some areas. That is not to say that I specifically delve into topics about which I have no knowledge, only that it is not until I have so delved that I find out that I have no knowledge, and I have, on occassion, been justifiably informed of that fact. It gives us all a feeling of freedom to be able to banter with those who are much better qualified than we, but sometimes I get lucky and someone asks a question out of my field about which I just happen to be familiar. That's when one can shine, even if it is only in the mirror - because of my anonimity. Let's keep it going.

Very well stated.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/tweet-paris-brown-controversy-how-to--clean-up--online-to-land-that-job-103722398.html

Nah, I just tweet and sign myself as 'Del the cat'. He doesn't know yet because he's tucking into the new almond-flavoured tuns.

Very amusing. The reason for my question;

Under the veil of corporate media censorship, the US military has contracted the development of software to secretly manipulate social media websites by using fake internet personas in order to influence online conversations and spread pro-military/corporate propaganda.

According to Lt. Commander Bill Speaks, spokesman for the US Central Command(CENTCOM) the contract was awarded to Ntrepid. The so-called"online persona management service" can allow a single US serviceperson to control up to ten separate identities. The contract stipulates that up tp fifty US based controllers could operate false identities from their workstations, and that each nfake online persona has a convincing background history, and supporting details. The contract further requires that the personas"be able to appear to originate in nearly any part of the world and can interact through conventional online services and social media platforms.

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/10/exclusive-us-spies-buy-stake-in-twitter-blog-monitoring-firm/

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/22/cia_invests_in_software_firm_monitoring

Good for them...

There are 10s of thousands of us monitoring and exposing the crap that the government is up to.

Their a bit slow then (as always!) because marketers, spammers, con-artists, crooks, pedophiles, recording labels, government agencies (and others) have been caught out manipulating social media and those on it for their own purposes for years.

Why are you now surprised that due to the widespread popularity of social media and success of others that the military are now also jumping on the bandwagon?

Technology may change but human nature remains the same.