Submitted by Jeff Buster on Sun, 02/19/2006 - 21:25.
Betsey,
It didn't dawn on me until after I had finished commenting regarding the network map that I had blown the main point.
The reason names are critical in a network map is because trust cannot be anonymous.
"building trust" - we hear it at all the meetings, we hear it from Jack, from Valdis, from Norm, from Ed, from Tom, from George, from Berlin, from William - but you can't build trust with anonymity. We need names and faces - lots of them - like in high school - to connect to and listen too. Then trust will come.
So anonymous maps are a waste of time. Same with anonymous log ins on realneo or elsewhere. Who is going to do business with someone who is reluctant to put their name on their comments?
If one wants business to come from their civic involvement - then I think one needs to be their real self...
Thanks for all your (and Susan's) hard work on getting the message out!
Dear Abby
Who is going to trust some one that does not use their real name... hmm pseudonyms have been employed for many years in order to:
pseudonyms aren't 4 trust
Zebra, when is the last time you signed a contract with a pseudonym? Or even, when is the last time you went to coffee with a pseudonym?
Want to go for coffee?
You guys do need to get together!!!
ZM and Martha met up at the Nature Center last week but perhaps you two haven't met - Jeff, time to get back to Cleveland... coffee's waiting. What's your ETA these days?
I dont drink coffee or
I dont drink coffee. Rose Hip tea, please. Actually I went for tea with a pseudonym at Shaker Lakes NC this week, thank you for asking. Multiple people calling me ZM that day... it was great... of course I was introduced that way in a side bar conversation. I was zee real me for the collaboration. Oi!
I have emailed SR about the vibrations I am feeling coming my way on this thread. Have inquired about what the official stance is on my approach here with pseudonyms. I saw no rules about the use of pseudonyms on the board and have been waiting for something other than forum jibes against to base a course of action upon.
I can actively participate, speak my mind and not endanger my career by using ZM or I can be way less engaged...not much wiggle room for me unless someone wants to help me transition into a nonprofit career.
You can private message within realneo
Keep in mind, the realneo technology allows registered users to private message and contact each other, without ever exchanging names or email addresses if you don't like. Just click on the username in any posting and that will load the user's profile - you'll see a link there for "send private message" and a tab for "contact", if the user has selected this. That way, when you want to take a discussion private or make direct contact, you may, yet everyone's contact info can remain confidential. Just wanted to make sure you knew...