Entry tags:

google, nymwars, pseudonymity

This is a copy of a poll I've posted on Google+, seeking people's feedback on HOW Google should fix the names problems.

I know there are a lot of DW users and others who choose not to use G+, so this is an attempt to gather more responses from those people.

It should be accessible to anyone who is logged into DW, or who has an OpenID login from any other site.

• You can create a Dreamwidth account for free with the invite code "gplus" if you like. Sign up here.)
  
• OpenID users, login first here, using your provider's OpenID URL, then return to this page to vote.
  
  • LJ users, use http://yourname.livejournal.com
    
  • Google users who don't use G+, use https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id (wow, obscure much?)
    
  • Other OpenID users, hopefully you know what you need to put there
    

Sorry, DW doesn't support fully anonymous poll responses, but hopefully the above gives you plenty of options.

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ORIGINAL POST (https://plus.google.com/103325808503679220346/posts/KStJ8NKWaAM):

There are so many of us talking about the issue that it can be hard to tell what people really want. So here are a list of statements based on different things I've heard people suggest, and I'm trying to get a sense of what the majority of pro-nym supporters really want. (I have my own opinions on this, based on my impression from the people I read, but I might be wrong.) And yes, there are people at Google who will read this and may be able to help us based on the results, so please, let's be constructive here.

Here's how the poll works: you simply vote by +1-ing a comment below, to show your support for the statement. While of course you can +1 as many options as you like, I'm going to ask that you limit yourself to the statement(s) you most strongly support.

Comment policy for this post: I don't want this to be a free-for-all comment thread, so I'm going to moderate strictly to keep this focused on the topic of proposed improvements to the G+ names situation.


Here are the comments I posted:

POLICY AS WRITTEN IS TOO STRICT, I WANT ANYONE TO USE ANY NAME THEY LIKE. "The name you're commonly known by" is not acceptable to me, as it's too strict. I want people to be able to use any name they like, regardless of whether it's an established identity. You should be able to sign up with anything at all.

POLICY IS OK, FIX ENFORCEMENT. I think "The name you're commonly known by" is a reasonable standard to apply. However, Google needs to be liberal in what it accepts, and err on the side of believing people who say "this *is* the name I'm commonly known by", even if that name is unusual. And there need to be ways other than government ID to prove name use.

POLICY AND ENFORCEMENT ARE OK, BUT MAKE "OTHER NAMES" MORE VISIBLE. I'm OK with the policy and enforcement as it stands, and with Google making people use the name on their ID (or an invented name that's acceptable to Google, if their ID name isn't accepted). However, I want it to be easier to find people by their nicknames/other names, to be able to see those nicknames/other names when people post or comment, and generally to have those other names much more visible.

ALLOW PSEUDONYMITY WITH OPTIONAL VERIFIED NAMES. Google+ should allow anyone to sign up with any name they want, but you should be able to get a "verified name" checkmark if you want one. Google may up-rank content created by those with verified names, and down-rank unverified posters, but that would be OK with me.

ALLOW PSEUDONYMITY BACKED BY "REAL" IDENTITY KNOWN ONLY BY GOOGLE. I'd like people to be able to choose what name they display, as long as Google knows who the real person is behind an account (presumably by checking their government ID or similar).

ALLOW MULTIPLE IDENTITIES IN ONE ACCOUNT. Google needs to recognise that people present themselves in different ways depending on context, and to allow for multiple identities linked to one account. This would be in addition to the options currently available by having multiple google accounts.

OTHER, WHICH I WILL EXPLAIN BELOW.