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I’m not sure where to post this in this thread, so I’m just going to throw it
out there. If anyone here decides they want to take action (as I said, I’m not
sure what) to build or rebuild the sort of service we had with BS, I want to
make one suggestion: Use people’s real names.
In my experience Lugnet is one of the few web-services I’ve seen that does this.
But I prefer it! Some reasons why:
One concern voiced in this thread is that the work of AFOLs who have passed on
or otherwise left the hobby was accessible only through sites like BS. But even
with such sites, it is almost impossible for some viewers to know which AFOL is
tied to which username. (Okay, with me it’s a tad easier since my typical user
name is the same nickname I’ve had since before there was an internet, but you
get my point.) Even if BS was running, does everyone know the nicknames and
usernames of each other well enough that if a favorite builder went away that
we’d be able to search for his MOCs? I know I couldn’t. ...Except here on
Lugnet, I can search for the name I know them by - the same name I might have
met them as at a convention or train show or gaming event.
Further, the more sites each of us joins - Flickr, BS, BL, LUG boards, Blogs,
Lego.com, etc. etc. - the more variations of fake usernames we’re likely to
have. E.g., I try to use Hendo when I join a new site, but sometimes it’s in
use so I have to add a digit (which I hate because there should be only one!) or
I go with a variation like Hendotron. But even so, it’s all still a variation
of my real name. If we use real names only, it’s easier to find each other.
And finally, I’ve always felt this feature strengthens the community. Somehow,
responsding to a Lugnet post has always been more “real” to me. I like knowing
I’m talking to Joseph Smith of Queensland Australia who is married with a
daughter, as opposed to internet chatting with jqueen102. This difference here
at Lugnet has helped us get to know each other better, and connect more quickly
if/when we meet in person. ...And isn’t connecting what this hobby is all
about? :)
So, despite that I posted earlier that my hands feel tied when it comes to
helping on the BS issue, I nonetheless put forth this idea to whomever might
ever try to offer a similar service to BS - please consider using full, real
names as Lugnet has.
Thanks!
-Hendo
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In lugnet.general, John P. Henderson wrote:
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I’m not sure where to post this in this thread, so I’m just going to throw it
out there. If anyone here decides they want to take action (as I said, I’m
not sure what) to build or rebuild the sort of service we had with BS, I want
to make one suggestion: Use people’s real names.
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Brickshelf used to use real names but there have been some laws passed in the
past few years that make that problematic. For one thing, there are laws
against collecting certain information online from people under the age of 13.
The idea is to make it harder for pedophiles to track down their prey. Kevin
took all the real names down one day a few years ago (without much fanfare, they
just disappeared). You used to be able to browse users by their real names, but
then after that you could only use the login name.
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In lugnet.general, William R. Ward wrote:
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In lugnet.general, John P. Henderson wrote:
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I’m not sure where to post this in this thread, so I’m just going to throw
it out there. If anyone here decides they want to take action (as I said,
I’m not sure what) to build or rebuild the sort of service we had with BS, I
want to make one suggestion: Use people’s real names.
|
Brickshelf used to use real names but there have been some laws passed in the
past few years that make that problematic. For one thing, there are laws
against collecting certain information online from people under the age of
13. The idea is to make it harder for pedophiles to track down their prey.
Kevin took all the real names down one day a few years ago (without much
fanfare, they just disappeared). You used to be able to browse users by
their real names, but then after that you could only use the login name.
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You’re referring to the US Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
(There are similar things in many other countries, but as I understand COPPA is
one of the most stringent, so it’s what many people deal with as a default)
Basically COPPA says that you can’t ask for and/or accept personally
identifiable information from anyone 13 or younger without parental consent. You
can have them sign up all day long, but you can’t ask them for things like name,
address, phone, email, hometown, etc., but you have to have parental consent.
(Which is fairly difficult according to COPPA’s rules)
That doesn’t preclude a site from taking “reasonable efforts” to ensure that a
new user is older than 13 then asking them for all kinds of personal data. Those
reasonable efforts just have to meet certain criteria (like not actively
encouraging a kid to lie ... “You have to be older than 13 to get the really
good stuff! Are you older than 13?”)
Jake
---
Jake McKee
Private Citizen
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