This is normal. The additional information shows up on your user page, but does not replace your user name. There is a different plugin that shows the real name, but it is not in the collection of plugins for hosted Vanilla forums. Eventually I will figure out how to install other plugins. Hopefully that won’t require me to host the forum myself.
James - Bummer about the limitations of the hosted software, but I think the success of this forum is directly tied to whether people see full names in the threads.
I really doubt that real names in threads are critical. Most forums, including Typophile, get by without that. But I do like the idea and will work on it.
I don’t mind using my given name, Nick Shinn, but on the spur of the moment I registered as nickster and it won’t change. The avatar is a recent picture of me, with hardly any Photoshopping.
I’ll look into it when I have a chance. I’ll be at Nadine Chahine’s Arabic type workshop on Friday and Saturday, so I may not get to it until next week.
Syelon: no attitude intended, and I hope James didn't take it that way. I sincerely think the workshop sounds cool, wish I was able to go, and further wish I knew more about the subject.
This makes me think of the limitations of online discussions. Text is so incredibly impoverished compared to speaking in person. It's so easy to be misunderstood. You look at the people who regularly are at each other's throats on that other place, and when they meet at conferences, it's a completely different story. Way more civility.
Back in the Compuserve days, I used to hang out in the Typography forum. Terrible flame wars would flare up regularly. Ever since then, my persistent image of online discussion is this: A pitch black room of unknown size containing an unknown number of people speaking through a shared monotone speech synthesizer.
I try to keep these things in mind when interacting online.
I used to get into tussles with Hrant years ago. My solution is: never take the bait. Ignore it. Stay on topic. Pretend he's just got Turret's syndrome or something.
Ever had a struggle with a dog over a rag or something? Let go and they drop it.
(Sorry for talking about you know who and you know where, again.)
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