What should we call each other?

Then, ya like me. Ya really, really like me ...
 

Many here will click on the profile.

 
Like good little doggies, most of us here are clicker trained. [] We can click on links to get more information about forum members. We can also click links to read back to previous posts so we can follow what's going on.
 
I wonder if there are training manuals for the members who seem to have trouble with that idea. []
 
(Before anyone gets upset, I'm just teasing!!)

I never find it disrespectful or rude when someone refers someone else by their name or username on a thread. I'm not really interested in their name, more of what it is they have to say instead.
 
When I first came to this forum, it never bothered me. In fact, this is the first time I've even thought about it. People used to refer to me by "ash" or "ashland", but as time has gone on more people refer to me as Sylvia. I think you just get familiar with certain people and I don't think it's rude to then refer to someone by their first name at that point.
 
 

My birth name is Elizabeth Olinda.  My username is Olinda (how original, I also wish I could change it)
 
You all can call me Olinda or Romeo''s mom. []
 
I do not know what is with my keyboard, but it types all the wrong characters, I guess I will have to reconfigure.

I never click profiles...I don't like them.  I subconciously make connections when people call others on the forum by their legal names.  It didn't take me long to figure out that Glenda was Glenmar, and that spiritdogs was Anne.  I refer to Anne as either or...it depends on what pops into my head first at the time.

My name is Jackie, but it's such a dull and common name, I prefer Xeph (short for Xepherya, an old Dragon character I used to role play ^_^)...I won't throw a conniption if you call me Jackie though.

If you want to call people by their logins, go ahead, but don't go all "That is soooo rude" just because you can't or won't keep up.  If somebody is quoted and there is no username in the box, I usually remember who said it and/or where it was said so I can go back and re read if I like, but it is exceedingly rare that I go through 12 pages of posts and read quotes over and over.  I just don't get lost like that.

I tend to do the quote box, and then I put who said it at the top of the box, because I copy paste quotes.

I never noticed Billy's name in his signature until somebody pointed it out to me.  I knew he was Billy (the Jerk xD) because people referred to him as Billy.  I just caught on.  Knowing some of your real names is really cool because people I thought were male are female, and vice versa xD  And I don't know why, but I just can't picture Xerxes dad as an Ed...don't ask me why...I always thought he was a girl, and every time I see "Don't worry Ed..." I just go "Oh yeah, dog DAD!"  It's probably because I'm used to dog mothers, and not dog fathers.

ORIGINAL: Xeph
I never noticed Billy's name in his signature until somebody pointed it out to me.  I knew he was Billy (the Jerk xD) because people referred to him as Billy.  I just caught on.  Knowing some of your real names is really cool because people I thought were male are female, and vice versa xD  And I don't know why, but I just can't picture Xerxes dad as an Ed...don't ask me why...I always thought he was a girl, and every time I see "Don't worry Ed..." I just go "Oh yeah, dog DAD!"  It's probably because I'm used to dog mothers, and not dog fathers.

 
Same here. I just caught on. I never really had to look at profiles. I do, but it wasn't often neccessary. As for Xerxes being Ed, I feel the same way! I can't picture it either! []

ORIGINAL: Xeph

"That is soooo rude" just because you can't or won't keep up.  If somebody is quoted and there is no username in the box, I usually remember who said it and/or where it was said so I can go back and re read if I like, but it is exceedingly rare that I go through 12 pages of posts and read quotes over and over.  I just don't get lost like that.

I don't think I ever said it was rude but I did say it was inconsiderate.  You are lucky to have all your senses intact.  I find myself with the attention span and memory of only about 2 post back. My eye sight isn't the best and if I mousing around a long time, my fingers go numb. 

Whats seems ironic to me is that I am not asking anyone to change or do anything different than before.  This thread indicated to me that all of you were going to change to referring to one another by their real names and I have the forsight to see the potential problems in that.  Ron2 says, and I paraphrase, that new people have to come up to speed to the pack.  But what is not realized that the pack that causes me personal issues are the oldies when they refer to each other by their first names.  And the oldies are very few.  I am good at spotting trends and consistencies in things and as I see it the majority of posters respond directly to the OP and in so doing address the audience.  Others who use the real name use in an emotional content as an endearment word.  It is only a few that buck the majority  and that is how a pet peeve is created.

Silly me ... I'm just assuming here that if someone does NOT want their real name used, they won't put that name in their profile or their signature, and they certainly won't add it to a post.  There's no requirement to do so. If the name is there, then they probably don't have a problem with people using it - especially if they've got a goofy log-in name. [][]
 
Joyce

David, this is going off-topic, but when you took that picture that is currently being used as your avatar, did you realize there was a pooper scooper in the background?![]  Not that it really matters, I mean, I don't even know if you care.  I noticed it a while ago but never mentioned it.

Well, while I can't speak for others, I don't believe that any of us oldies are using first names to be rude or to make others feel that they are not welcome.....and quite honestly, I appreciate knowing names, particularly when we come to long and/or cumbersome usernames.  Sue is a heck of a lot faster to type than momtotwentyfour dogs, or whatever......

Can we just forget about being rude and stuff and get back on topic?  Please?!  Besides, all I wanted to know was whether I should call you by your first names or your usernames.

Well Erin[] I think the general consensus was either.  []

My eyesight is absolute crap (basically on my way to going blind), and I have ADD, but I still keep up.  I say call anybody whatever as long as they find it acceptable.
 
 - Whatever <--it's a joke

ORIGINAL: cairnterriers

David, this is going off-topic, but when you took that picture that is currently being used as your avatar, did you realize there was a pooper scooper in the background?![]  Not that it really matters, I mean, I don't even know if you care.  I noticed it a while ago but never mentioned it.

 
cairnterriers, thank you for the exercise.  For those that was curious about what you were talking about they had to figure out who David is.  If they did not know who David is then they had to scroll and look at all the avatars and try and find the pooper scooper.  I wager a lot of people did that because of man's curious nature.
 
I think the answer you got from the concensus is that it is not important.  And if either way is fine then consideration to others should sway you to use usernames.

I'm not sure why this is such an issue, honestly.  Many of us had our actual names before the forum changed format.  When they moved everything, they changed us.....I was Glenda Lee, username Glenmar, and when the change happened, I became glenmar.  Not my choice, but neither worth throwing a fit about......as Jaime pointed out, I don't LIKE being called glenmar......I have a name, it's in my sig and I prefer to be called by that name......and I used to get kind of cranky about folks not using my name, but I finally got over that.  If you have to scroll back to see who posted or what they said, it shouldn't be a huge big deal to glance for a name while you are there.  JMHO.