Who's Who?

[jsp]

As to what do you benefit? Well that's kind of subjective. Maybe it doesn't matter at all to you. But I find it kind of refreshing and even honorable that I stand behind what I say, that I'm accountable for what I've said in the past, that I say what I mean and mean what I say, that you know who you're talking to.

This is where we disagree. It wouldn't feel any more "refreshing" or "honorable" if I included my last name on my posts. Even if it does make me feel a bit better, would that added satisfaction outweigh the increased likelihood of the invasion of my privacy? Not for me. I have a wife, a kid, and another on the way. Their privacy and protection mean infinitely more to me than any satisfaction I could ever have on any internet forum.

I know your name is Joe, which brings up another point. I know your name is Joe because you once corrected me when I called you Jim. Apparently all I internalized when I read your initials was the guy who uses three initials that starts with j. You're jsp. There's another poster , jal, whose name is Jim. When I called you Jim, it was because I confused you with jal. So for a long time all your opinions and views I interpreted in the context of someone who had posted all of jal's stuff. It painted an incorrect picture of you.

It's no insult to me that you mistook me for someone as smart as Jal. Though, maybe Jal might take offense to that.

BTW, do I question the intelligence of Jal's technical posts any more so because he hasn't revealed his last name? Nope.

...(2) A poster will develop into a respected voice faster if he has a name/identity that are easy to remember.

No...at least not to me.

I remember when I first started posting on this forum over two years ago, the one poster that stood out from the rest was sjm, arguably the most repected poster on this forum, and also a poster who prefers to remain anonymous. I took what sjm posted at face value, and didn't regard his posts any more or any less because of his lack of identity. It's only recently that I finally came across sjm's real name...but it really didn't matter. He is still sjm to me, the most respected forum member.

But yes, I do agree to an extent that revealing more about yourself will give some sense of reality to your posts. Though, that doesn't mean you need to provide your last name. Your first name, location, and age are more than sufficient information needed to give fellow posters a certain sense of the type of person you are. If you want, you can even include your occupation in your profile. Any of those four bits of information would be much more valuable to me as forum member than your last name.

Even more valuable would be a picture of yourself, if you want to go to that extent. I thought the "Faces for the names" thread that Mr. Wilson started was an excellent idea. Of course, no one should be forced to provide a picture, but to me it's still more valuable than a last name. BTW, if you haven't seen it, I have posted a picture of myself in that thread a long time ago...if you want to take the time to look for it (I don't).

To me, you're mikepage. You could have posted as mikep or mp...it wouldn't have mattered to me. BTW, how do I know Mike Page is your real name anyway? A name is just a name. From your posts, and your posts alone, I already have a pretty good understanding of the type of person you are, and it's not pretty. (Just kidding )

jsp <~~ Joe, 28, Raleigh-area, analog IC designer, father of two, D+ player (fastly approaching C- status)

 

[9 on the snap]

It takes me until wenesday to remember my name.

My name is Joe and I am a poolaholic

 

[ShootingArts]

????

Joe is your last name really W? Most people have a little more. I would make a small bet that there are more Joe W's in your town than there are Hu's in mine. Wanna bet?

Hu

I think that it comes down to the idea that indeed its true, I (JoeW) do not care what your name is. You should care that you are known and respected for who you are. If you take the time to post and share your thoughts with others then you should be willing to stand behind your words, with your integrity and self responsibility.

I learned to respect people over time and by their behavior and their actions. If you begin with your face behind a mask you place your self in a bad light to begin with. In addition, you temp yourself to make sniper attacks because no one knows who you are. This diminishes you in your own eyes.

People say it is the way of the internet. I am not a crusader but I have never believed in following the crowd simply to follow the crowd. At times the crowd's way is acceptable and at other times it causes harm. In every case the individual is responsible for the behavior he or she engages in regardless of what the crowd does. We all learned that in WWII and it is a very serious message.

Do you think that you should teach your children to remain anonymous in their interactions with others? Is this the way to live a "good" life?

Some would say the Internet is but leisure activity and that it doesn't really matter. By that reasoning, then playing pool doesn't matter either. And why would anyone engage in some thing that does not matter with reasonably serious thoughts that might lead to a better approach to playing pool?

Contradictions abound and it comes down to the dangerous pastime of wearing the coat of anonymity that allows one to say and be anyone. I may have to accept what others do but I do not have to agree with it - and neither do you. I think this is an important topic that needs to be discussed because of the way it affects the internet, which is a part of life in the modern world and because it is important to how we wisely raise our children.

So how do we teach our children to be proud of who they are and to remain safe in a dangerous world? A difficult questions and one that bears more thought than simply doing what everyone else does.

Before anyone takes offense, my comments are truly not about any one post or poster but are simply some thoughts on the matter.

 

[frankncali]

Frank, Yes I remember practicing with you at Hollywood Billiards. Upstairs, right?
Please go to my website at www.dannyks.com and find out all tournament info. I think you'll enjoy it here.

Danny

Danny
That was me.

As for your place I like it. As a guy that wants to oneday open a place I have taken quite a few ideas from rooms, bars and taverns around the country. Yours is no different. Many good features.
I will come to one of the tournaments soon. I have been playing a little straight pool lately and raised my high run to 58. Still a long way to go though. I only get to play a few racks usually warming up or practicing.
Not many people play it anymore.
Frank

 

[Jigger]

Welcome to AZB Danny

I am Tuco.

"Wanted in fourteen counties of this State, the condemned is found guilty of murder, armed robbery of citizens, state banks, and post offices; the theft of sacred objects, arson in a state prison, perjury, bigamy, deserting his wife and children, inciting prostitution, kidnapping, extortion, receiving stolen goods, selling stolen goods, passing counterfeit money, and contrary to the laws of this State the condemned is guilty of using marked cards and loaded dice..."

sincerely,
Tuco Benedicto Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0002057/

LOL Tuco, you sound like a fun guy to hang with! Let's go bird huntin sometime.


Myself, I'm just a government bureaucrat from Montana named Richard. My friends call me Dick.

Sincerely,
Dick Cheney

View attachment 52129

 

[mikepage]

[...] I have a wife, a kid, and another on the way.

That's good. When the first wife gets tired of playing with the kid, the other one can take over.

Their privacy and protection mean infinitely more to me than any satisfaction I could ever have on any internet forum.

I guess I 'll let you slide on these priorities. I don't quite understand though the connection between people knowing you talk about pool and the safety of your family

BTW, do I question the intelligence of Jal's technical posts any more so because he hasn't revealed his last name? Nope.

Nor do I.

I remember when I first started posting on this forum over two years ago, the one poster that stood out from the rest was sjm, arguably the most repected poster on this forum, and also a poster who prefers to remain anonymous. I took what sjm posted at face value, and didn't regard his posts any more or any less because of his lack of identity. It's only recently that I finally came across sjm's real name...but it really didn't matter. He is still sjm to me, the most respected forum member.

An excellent choice, imo.
[...]

To me, you're mikepage. You could have posted as mikep or mp...it wouldn't have mattered to me. BTW, how do I know Mike Page is your real name anyway? A name is just a name. From your posts, and your posts alone, I already have a pretty good understanding of the type of person you are, and it's not pretty. (Just kidding )

Wow! And that's without the picture!

jsp <~~ Joe, 28, Raleigh-area, analog IC designer, father of two, D+ player (fastly approaching C- status)

Joe, I agree with most everything you say here with the exception of the degree of risk associated with people knowing you talk about pool

 

[thebigdog]

Mike B. Great to hear from you. I was speaking with some players from the Hesperia area and we talked about your pool room opening in the late 80s and me selling you cues and all. Your folks still live outside Reno? Can't remember the name of that city. Hope to see you when your down this way. Make sure you let me know when you're coming down.
Danny

My dad is up in the Seattle area now, he's the commisoner of gaming for the Muckleshoot Tribe. He's not playing pool these days, but he started running marathons again.

 

[Franky]

bird hunting with you sounds dangerous

Here's dialog from a potential bird hunting incident between Tuco and Dick Cheney:

Tuco: I'm very happy you are working with me! And we're together again.
[pause]
Tuco: I get dressed, I kill him and be right back.
Dick Cheney: Listen, I forgot to mention... He's not alone. There's five of 'em.
Tuco: Five?
Dick Cheney: Yeah, five of 'em.
Tuco: So, that's why you came to Tuco.
[pause]
Tuco: It doesn't matter, I'll kill them all.

Then as Tuco walks forward to kill the 5 birds, Dick blasts Tuco in the ass with buckshot because he's blind and confused. Tuco would then instantly kill Dick simply on instinct.

I'm not sure this is the kind of trip you'd enjoy.

 

[Jimk]

Mike, You make a lot of sense. We are dealing with researchable, specific information more than just chatting, and I agree if more people placed their full names out there new members would as well. I did only because I have nothing to hide and on the Steel Guitar Forum, which I also belong to everyone knows who everyone else is. Believe me, on the Steel Guitar Forum, which hosts more members than this forum, all members can trust each other. No need to be incognito.
I also agree it's easy to crack a silly (but often times demeaning)
joke and then not have to take credit for doing it. Kind of like throwing a spitball in class and then turning away so the person can't see who did it.

Just my 2 cents.

Danny

Danny, I think you are reading more into this than there really is. Most of the people who post here use a different name because that's the way this site is. Read some of the posts and you will see that for the most part it's just regular guys and regular b.s.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

It's more than a very small fraction. But I'll admit it's small. On the other hand, that small fraction, including the likes of --Bob Jewett, Jay Helfert, Jude Rosenstock, Patrick Johnson, Linda Carter, Joey Aguzin, Eydie Romano, David Sapolis, Scott Fraser, John Barton, Craig Riley, Andrew Manning, Colin Colenso, John Schmidt, Steve Lipsky, Scott Lee, Randy G. , Joe Tucker, Jack Madden, Billy Incardone, Mike Webb, Murray Tucker, Wei, Eric Yow, Alex Kanapilly, amongst many others, is responsible for a WAY disproportionate share of the quality content here.

Wow, thank you sir. Personally, I think the board would be a much better place if everyone used their real names but I can also understand why some choose to be anonymous. It has crossed my mind from time to time.

 

[8ballEinstein]

Real name or forum name

I don't know guys, I may not ever understand the need to have a poster be identified by their real name. Yes, there are a few goofballs that come on here who rile us up because they have that cloak of anonymity and we have to weed them outta here. Still, the majority of us are enthusiasts who enjoy talking about pool.

When I began playing pool, nearly everyone had a nickname. Once you broke into the "B" level, your peers started thinking of a "road" name for you. Did you to use it to hide behind something? Were you trying to avoid accepting responsibility for your actions? Was there some other devious things you had in mind? I seriously doubt it.

When I go into a pool room and play someone, I don't care if they wanna be called Stinky or Bozo or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I'm just there to play pool. Your name or handle is just something I can identify you with. This is the same way I feel about the names used on this forum. Tell me what you want to be called and I will respect that.

 

[Danny Kuykendal]

Mike, Glad your dad is doing well. Hope all is well with you, your brother and family.

Danny

 

[Danny Kuykendal]

JimK, there's more here than you perceive. Maybe you could have personally emailed me this message? Why is everyone afraid to post who they are? Are you afraid to post who you are? This general paranoia goes beyond being retiscent about who you are, and to the point of being responsible about what you post.
So, how do you like them apples. Heard that before?
Danny

 

[sjm]

I'm a little concerned at the fact that I don't know who I'm talking to on this forum.

The AZB posters that have my respect earned it form ther posts, not from their names. As a representative of those who choose to post anonymously for personal reasons that are really none of your business, I find your post to be absolutely ridiculous. As for your suggestion that protecting our gambling action is our motive, thanks for a good laugh. I can relate that I cannot remember gambling at pool even once in the last five years.

Show respect for all posters and you'll maximize the quality of your AZB forum experience.

 

[jimmy-leggs]

I'm Ceasar Morales,have never played pool before,ussually walk around with a ton of money,and would like someone to show me how to play.

 

[olauzon]

My name is Joe and I am a poolaholic

<<Hi Joe>>

 

[Terry Ardeno]

I'm Ceasar Morales,have never played pool before,ussually walk around with a ton of money,and would like someone to show me how to play.

And I'm Earl Strickland, the 6 time World 9 Ball Champion, 5 time U.S. Open 9 Ball Champion and the greatest 9 baller ever. I know I can beat you!
And hold still when I'm shooting will ya?
Morons.

***ATTENTION***NEWS BULLETIN***
This is a joke between me (Go Earl!) and my friend Jimmy (Go away Earl!)
We are buds and no need to get alarmed.This is all in jest and fun.

We now return you to the thread that younse was reading

 

[dabarbr]

Like I used to tell them, "the reason you didn't win is because "I'm The Barber" and you're not.

 

[JoeW]

Shooting Arts said, "Joe is your last name really W? Most people have a little more. I would make a small bet that there are more Joe W's in your town than there are Hu's in mine. Wanna bet?"

Most places I go there are several people named Joe -- no bet. However, I think that here and in other places there is more information about who I am than most would want to know, including my photo for those who would like to see who it is that presents these statements. If you were to see me at some event I think that you would recognize me from the photo and you would know my name.

And I doubt that it means anything to anyone except that I know that every time I post I am telling people who I really am and what I really think. Using my real name has a way of making me be more polite, more thoughtful of others comments, and more sensitive to how I am perceived by others. In general, it requires me to be more tactful most of the time.

A few months ago I played a few sets with a fellow I met on AZB. He commented something to the effect that he felt like he already knew me and a great deal about me, my family, and the things I think. He had already seen my pool room and felt right at home. I liked that as it cut right through the BS and made for some enjoyable evenings, even if I was quite a bit off my game during those few weeks. So there are advantages to being you in public and private life. It keeps me honest and requires that I be as polite in my posts as I would be in person.

BTW my email, listed on the forum, is Joe_Waldron at comcast.net so the full name is available and it is not necessary to spell out my whole name when responding to a post. I am the only JoeW in Rogers, Ohio (population about 500) that I know of. Our telephone book is for about 10-15 towns so I can't check this out very well or I would take some of your money I am very easy to find.

 

[memikey]

Duplicate post, system keeps logging me out. Subtle hint? LOL.