From: Dante Alighieri dalighieri@digitalgrapefruit.com Reply-To: Discussion list for English-language Wikipediawikien-l@Wikipedia.org To: Discussion list for English-language Wikipedia wikien-l@Wikipedia.org Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] Controversial user nicknames Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2003 01:55:40 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: from pliny.wikipedia.org ([130.94.122.197]) by mc6-f23.law1.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.5600); Tue, 26 Aug 2003 01:57:47 -0700 Received: from pliny.wikipedia.org (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1])by pliny.wikipedia.org (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id h7Q8vJn20961;Tue, 26 Aug 2003 08:57:19 GMT Received: from hosting335.com (hosting335.com [203.194.209.177])by pliny.wikipedia.org (8.11.6/8.11.6) with SMTP id h7Q8ttn20902for wikien-l@Wikipedia.org; Tue, 26 Aug 2003 08:55:59 GMT Received: (qmail 25900 invoked from network); 26 Aug 2003 08:55:59 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO mungo.digitalgrapefruit.com) (12.235.79.143)by hosting335.com with SMTP; 26 Aug 2003 08:55:59 -0000 X-Message-Info: vAu4ZEtdRignNNpLtQZNUW1A5cg8hiYV Message-Id: 5.2.0.9.2.20030826015347.02d364e8@digitalgrapefruit.com X-Sender: dalighieri@digitalgrapefruit.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.2.0.9 In-Reply-To: 001201c36b8d$4d757550$7cfea8c0@COMPAQAlex02 References: BAY1-F115fdN4EtwwUF00009352@hotmail.com X-BeenThere: wikien-l@Wikipedia.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion list for English-language Wikipedia<wikien-l.Wikipedia.org> List-Unsubscribe: http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l,mailto:wikien-l-request@Wikipedia.org?subject=unsubscribe List-Archive: http://pliny.wikipedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l List-Post: mailto:wikien-l@Wikipedia.org List-Help: mailto:wikien-l-request@Wikipedia.org?subject=help List-Subscribe: http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l,mailto:wikien-l-request@Wikipedia.org?subject=subscribe Sender: wikien-l-bounces@Wikipedia.org Errors-To: wikien-l-bounces@Wikipedia.org Return-Path: wikien-l-bounces@Wikipedia.org X-OriginalArrivalTime: 26 Aug 2003 08:57:47.0155 (UTC) FILETIME=[1ECB1E30:01C36BB0]
At 09:48 PM 8/25/2003, you wrote:
How about your real name, a real pseudonym or a fanciful name? If you try and change your name to something offensive, no judge will allow you to do that, but most places allow people to use any name they want without any formalities if the use of that name is not meant to be confusing, misleading or fraudulent. Using a famous name as a pseudonym can be confusing, misleading and/or fraudulent.
How about a bright line rule: no historical or actual public figures i.e. "absolute person of contemporary history"? see: http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_rights#Personality_rights_in_Germa...
No one should be allowed to use a name that could be considered offensive, misleading or fraudulent, that includes IMHO calling onself Albert Einstein, Beethoven or Blaise Pascal (amongst others). Alex756
I'm just curious how my user name could be considered confusing, misleading and/or fraudulent. Since I can't figure out what "contemporary history" means (since you've listed people who have been dead for centuries) I'll just have to assume that my name would be forbidden under your proposal.
Aside from the fact that the historical Dante Alighieri died 682 years ago, I'm sure that I could change my name legally to Dante Alighieri if I so desired. As a matter of fact, I don't suppose there's any way that you could prove that my name /isn't/ legally Dante Alighieri.
I had your case in mind when I suggested no /twentieth century/ names that were political, military etc. I think pre-20th century names are reasonably OK though the odd problem might crop up. But 20th century/21st century is an easily understood cutoff off, whereas 'contemporary' is too ambiguous.
Re real names, I'm not in favour. By all means encourage it, but some people might prefer to keep their personal identities to themselves, and that that attitude may increase as academics, journalists, writers etc decide to come on board as we get bigger. They might prefer to be judged on what they write on wiki, not on their off wiki identity.
JT
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james duffy wrote:
Re real names, I'm not in favour. By all means encourage it, but some people might prefer to keep their personal identities to themselves, and that that attitude may increase as academics, journalists, writers etc decide to come on board as we get bigger. They might prefer to be judged on what they write on wiki, not on their off wiki identity.
That matter has come up on Ward's wiki as well. I'd encourage people to read the material there to see why real names may be a good idea -- we might more actively promote them on Wikipedia. But I do not think that we should insist on them as policy.
-- Toby