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Comment by troymc | Hacker News Reader

Just because someone is using a pseudonym doesn't mean they're using an alternate persona.

Google allows pseudonyms on almost all of their other services, which are supposedly getting integrated with Google+. How is that supposed to happen, exactly?

Twitter isn't primarily for alternate personas. Where did you get that idea?

Futhermore, what makes you think pseudonyms are for just for alternate personas? There are plenty of legitimate reasons for people to be using pseudonyms, both online and offline.

Many people are known only by their pseudonym (even when not online). How are their friends supposed to find them on a social network where they're only allowed to use their "real name"?

To quote you: "I want to call people by the same name we use in person."

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>Futhermore, what makes you think pseudonyms are for just for alternate personas? There are plenty of legitimate reasons for people to be using pseudonyms, both online and offline.

In their personal dealings? That's a pretty weird edge case. I can't think of anyone that does that besides con artists. (Dissidents, yes, but again, Google+ is for extending your personal identity; your alter ego belongs on a Facebook Page or Twitter or Blogspot or Wordpress).

>Twitter isn't primarily for alternate personas. Where did you get that idea?

Because Twitter accounts tend to be a way for organizations and celebrities to push information. Case in point: http://twitter.com/#!/paulg is about Paul Graham the entrepreneur, the professional persona, not Paul Graham the friend/son. I don't live in the Valley, but I have never encountered anyone with an active personal Twitter account. (Lots of people, including myself, made one, tweeted a few times, and gave up because nobody else we knew was there.)

To quote you: "I want to call people by the same name we use in person."

Unless I am dealing with a con artist, that is usually a real name. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Google has an issue with normal first-name shortening/common nicknames). In what situations would someone be known to their friends and family by a pseudonym?

I laughed when I saw this because MY Twitter account is @paulgraham and I get mentions all the time where I get credit for @paulg's writings.

I've gone by the name "Otto" for about half my life. It's a nickname I got in college. Many of my best friends didn't know my real name for years. It just never came up. My mom is the only person who uses my real name, and every now and then even she slips up. So when I go online, I tend to use "Otto" instead of "Samuel". Not trying to fool anybody, it's just the name I go by.

There's nothing special about a nickname, is there? Or do you not consider those to be pseudonyms?

Now, Google+ might have no problem with this, but I can't use just "Otto" there. It requires a first and last name, I believe. Also, I can't be "verified" under the name Otto. I currently am verified with my real name, via the old Knol trick from Google Profiles way back when. I kinda like the verification, and so use my real name there. But it's weird, as almost everybody both on and offline knows me by Otto, not by my real name. And if I change it, I'd lose the verified checkmark. Kinda annoying, that.

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