Difference between revisions of "Google+/policy/naming"
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(Created page with "==About== ===Justifications=== * '''Findability''': Google wants to make it easier for people to find each other by name. * '''Civility''': Although Google has not stated this d...") |
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* It is not clear what the purpose of this policy is, as Google's explanations so far have not correlated with reality. | * It is not clear what the purpose of this policy is, as Google's explanations so far have not correlated with reality. | ||
** The '''findability''' justification does not make sense because in many cases an alias works better for this, e.g. an author known mainly by her pen-name, or a user with a very common legal name who prefers to go by her unusual alias ''because'' it is more recognizable and unique than her legal name. | ** The '''findability''' justification does not make sense because in many cases an alias works better for this, e.g. an author known mainly by her pen-name, or a user with a very common legal name who prefers to go by her unusual alias ''because'' it is more recognizable and unique than her legal name. | ||
| − | ** The '''civility''' justification goes against many people's individual experience as well as [[URL/to file::http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/jul/12/guardianweeklytechnologysection.privacy|empirical data]]. | + | ** The '''civility''' justification goes against many people's individual experience as well as [[URL/to file::http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/jul/12/guardianweeklytechnologysection.privacy|empirical data]] ([https://plus.google.com/106055159954550860573/posts/3epwxfJhbpV h/t with commentary]). |
| + | |||
==Links== | ==Links== | ||
===Reference=== | ===Reference=== | ||
* '''2011-08-04''' [[URL/to file::http://infotrope.net/2011/08/04/google-plus-names-policy-explained/|Google+ names policy, explained]] | * '''2011-08-04''' [[URL/to file::http://infotrope.net/2011/08/04/google-plus-names-policy-explained/|Google+ names policy, explained]] | ||
{{links/smw}} | {{links/smw}} | ||
Revision as of 13:51, 14 August 2011
About
Justifications
- Findability: Google wants to make it easier for people to find each other by name.
- Civility: Although Google has not stated this directly, a 3rd party reported that G+ VP Vic Gundotra "is trying to make sure a positive tone gets set here. Like when a restaurant doesn't allow people who aren't wearing shirts to enter."
Dispute
G+'s policy of requiring users to use only "the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you" has been the source of a large number of user complaints for the following reasons:
- Google's enforcement of this policy has been somewhat arbitrary.
- Google's enforcement of this policy has not always been consistent with the policy as written. The policy says you can use a name that people "usually call you", but enforcers seem to be interpreting this to mean "legal name (or variant thereof)"... unless that name sounds too unusual (to their ears) to be a "real" name.
- Towards enforcement of the policy on G+, Google often cut users off from access to all other Google services such as Gmail.
- There does not appear to be a formal appeal process after having your account (either G+ or Google in general) disabled.
- Many users are known better by their online handles than by their legal names.
- Many users have valid reasons not to use their legal names in public or semi-public spaces online, ranging from personal protection to aesthetic preference.
- It is not clear what the purpose of this policy is, as Google's explanations so far have not correlated with reality.
- The findability justification does not make sense because in many cases an alias works better for this, e.g. an author known mainly by her pen-name, or a user with a very common legal name who prefers to go by her unusual alias because it is more recognizable and unique than her legal name.
- The civility justification goes against many people's individual experience as well as empirical data (h/t with commentary).
Links
Reference
- 2011-08-04 Google+ names policy, explained
News
- 2011/07/11 [L..T] Google Confirms: Non-Real Name Google Profiles Risk Suspension (I.E., Google Still Doesn't Get Social)
- 2011/07/08 [L..T] Anti-pseudonym bingo “People testing the Google+ social network are discussing increasing evidence that, terms of service requirement or not, Google+ wants people to use their legal names much as Facebook does. Skud shares a heads-up from a user banned for using his initials. Then, for example, see discussion around it on Mark Cuban's stream, Skud's stream and Sarah Stokely's blog.” The post includes a bingo card to keep score of anti-nym arguments.