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   Evan Prodromou (evan@cosocial.ca)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 14:18:37 JST Evan Prodromou

   • @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

   @reiver so, you use a pseudonym and a non-representational avatar. (Your name and other info is findable by following your profile links, though.) Could your neighbours, friends, family and colleagues find you here if you were indexed in a user database or something? Would they know it was you? Or do you want to be found with this name and avatar, based on online reputation, but not be found by your everyday IRL name or legal name, or identifiable by face? What does being findable means to you?

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@cosocial.ca)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 22:53:08 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

     @reiver This is all really interesting, thanks! So, I think "findable" can mean something like:

     1) "I know <IRL name> from work, and he mentioned that he was using Mastodon. I should find his account and follow him."

     2) "I remember reiver from (some online platform). I wonder if he's on Mastodon? I should try and find him; he has interesting ideas."

     They're both interesting use cases!

   • Embed this notice
     @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman: (reiver@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 22:53:09 JST @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

     in reply to

     @evan

     Most of my neighbours probably don't know me as "reiver" and don't know my avatar image, but I would be fine if they did.

     Although I am nice to my neighbours (and have helped them out whenever they ask me), I am not close enough to any of them for them to discover that information.

     But I would be OK with them knowing all this.

     ...

   • Embed this notice
     @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman: (reiver@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 22:53:09 JST @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

     in reply to

     @evan

     Details of my personal life are shared online using another account that is linked to from the profile of this Mastodon account.

     I life-cast there.

     I talk about my kids. I talk about my personal life. Etc.

     I don't post that type of stuff on this Mastodon account, because I assume that most people who follow this account aren't interested in that type of content.

     But if anyone cares they could go look at it or follow it if they wanted to.

     ...

   • Embed this notice
     @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman: (reiver@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 22:53:10 JST @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

     in reply to

     @evan

     If you dig around my personal website enough, you can find a section that lists out various events in my life. Including things that are personal to me.

     It is incomplete, and I need to add more to it, but it is there for anyone to discover.

     A sort of light version of an autobiography

     I mostly write it for my children, in case they are interested in that information when they get older. Although I started writing it decades before they were born

     But I am OK with anyone reading it

     ...

   • Embed this notice
     @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman: (reiver@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 22:53:10 JST @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

     in reply to

     @evan

     Most of my friends and family know my nickname is "reiver".

     I would call "reiver" a nickname rather than a "pseudonym", as my real-life identity has been very connected with it.

     And most of my friends and many of my family (that I am close to) know that my avatar image (which I think I have been using since the year 2008) is mine. As I use all over the place.)

     ...

   • Embed this notice
     @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman: (reiver@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 22:53:10 JST @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

     in reply to

     @evan

     Me using the "reiver" nickname and that avatar image doesn't make it hidden — they make me discoverable to many, many people.

   • Embed this notice
     @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman: (reiver@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 22:53:10 JST @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

     in reply to

     @evan

     Most of my colleagues also know me as "reiver" and know my avatar image, too. Since I use it all over the place.

     (For example, in our internal online chat system, for work, I am "reiver" and use that avatar image.)

     (Same with the local tech chat groups I am in.)

     ...

   • Embed this notice
     @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman: (reiver@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 22:53:11 JST @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

     in reply to

     @evan

     If we are just talking about me (rather than the poll) —

     ...

   • Embed this notice
     @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman: (reiver@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 22:53:11 JST @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

     in reply to

     @evan

     My full-name would appear on my Mastodon profile if Mastodon's character limit didn't prevent it. I have a long name, and it doesn't fit.

     In other places online, where the character limit isn't too short, my full-name is there.

     ...

   • Embed this notice
     @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman: (reiver@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 13-Feb-2025 22:53:11 JST @reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:

     in reply to

     @evan

     Me personally — I am fine with anyone discovering, reading, etc, this Mastodon account, and linking it to my real-life identity. (Many already do.)

     I am not trying to be pseudononymous or anonymous.

     ...