Anonymity on the official forums is going away

[Grawlix]

Sometime before the Cataclysm launch, Blizzard is going to start displaying people's real names on their official forum posts:nnhttp://www.wow.com/2010/07/06/official- ... displayed/nnSay goodbye to your favorite forum trolls.

[Punkybrewzer]

We'll see if this actually comes to pass. I avoid forums due to trolls in general but there is some concern about privacy issues and folks having their full first and last names posted online in association with an On-Line Game. I hate trolls and love to see them go but at the same time I'd rather not have a google search reveal my opinions on Strength vs Attack Power (I know also going away in Cat) for any potential employer. Also if one of said forum trolls, or if another player, lets say someone from Starsong, Kingship, whatever, could get your real name and could track you down, harass you, etc, things might get complicated. nnWe'll see if this change actually takes place. I think it has the potential to do more harm then good.

[Cetan]

Looks like I won't be posting on the forums ever again.nnOn the plus side, it's a nice counter to level 1 trolls.

[Shimmerwind]

I'm sincerely all for this change, and will likely be more active on the o-boards as a result. And this is coming from someone who is fairly active as it is. I can't help but think this is a good deal all the way around. It does make me wonder somewhat if our real names will end up on the Armory as well, but honestly I can't say I would complain much about that either.

[Cetan]

I'm sincerely all for this change, and will likely be more active on the o-boards as a result. And this is coming from someone who is fairly active as it is. I can't help but think this is a good deal all the way around. It does make me wonder somewhat if our real names will end up on the Armory as well, but honestly I can't say I would complain much about that either.

nnnI'm honestly a few clicks away from setting up a new Battle.net ID email, using "Cake" as my first and last name. I don't want people knowing my real name unless I tell them.

[Desias Stormfalcon]

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this, but I'll have to agree with Punky on this one.

[Cetan]

The current topic in the WoW Official Forums: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/threa ... 1&pageNo=1nnIt is currently (as of now) growing at a rate of three pages of posts every 10 seconds.

[Asarelah]

It is currently (as of now) growing at a rate of three pages of posts every 10 seconds.

nnOh dear !! Do you think it will implode before the servers come back up ?nnAnd I agree with Punky also.

[Aitana]

I will never post on the forums again if this goes through, not even the tech support forums. What I do on my own time is my business. nnSee post 881:n

I don't want the #1 Google return by a prospective employer for me being what I post on the WoW forums - and I know your site gets enough hits and recognition to know that it will be up there on the first page.

nnThat alone is enough to keep me from ever posting again. There are a number of other reasons listed in this thread that apply too like post #1041 on http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/threa ... &pageNo=53 nnWe tell our kids over and over to NEVER post their real names on the Internet, yet that is exactly what they are forcing anybody who needs their forums even to report a bug, get technical support or help with their account to do. nThere are hundreds of posts listing and restating how bad this idea is so I don't need to restate them all here. This is absolutely the worst idea they have ever had bar none.

[Grawlix]

Yeah, I think this is misguided. I am not particularly private but I don't want to post on the official boards under my real name. It just seems wrong to me, somehow.