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Pseudonyms Now Allowed On Google+

Posted by Soulskill on from the finally-batman-can-set-up-a-profile dept.

An anonymous reader writes When Google+ launched, it received criticism across the internet for requiring that users register with their real names. Now, Google has finally relented and removed all restrictions on what usernames people are allowed to use. The company said, "We know you've been calling for this change for a while. We know that our names policy has been unclear, and this has led to some unnecessarily difficult experiences for some of our users. For this we apologize, and we hope that today's change is a step toward making Google+ the welcoming and inclusive place that we want it to be."

9 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. Youtube Comments by exomondo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I see the only major impact of this being that people can now leave pseudonymous comments on Youtube again.

    1. Re:Youtube Comments by sd4f · · Score: 5, Interesting

      After so long of not posting comments (i may have been able, but youtube just started annoying me too much to bother, with all these screens that desperately wanted to know who I am and create google+ accounts), I no longer care. They can keep their commenting system.

    2. Re:Youtube Comments by Darinbob · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Google+ is not about a popularity contest. It's about being social without being on facebook, or keeping track of special interest groups (including celebreties). The only real problem with Google+ was that it wanted to tie you to other stupid services like youtube, without even letting you go slumming on a separate account. Google should have left it alone instead of trying to get a one-acount-fits-all login (trying too hard to be a facebook clone instead of being something better).

    3. Re:Youtube Comments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There's no reason to be contributing to that pool of bile anyway. Youtube comments are notoriously atrocious.

      They got worse with the redesign, though.

      Old and busted: You could always look at page 1/2/3 of the comments or binary-search your way through the pages (pre-page-57 or post-page 57? pre-page 84 or post-page-84?) if a video that hadn't been relevant for ages became relevant. At 100 comments per page, all displayed in full, and popping tabs for each page with a bunch of middle-clicks, it was relatively easy to skim through the 99.99% of the shit to find the 0.01% you wanted
      New hotness: Some fucking UXtard goes for infinite scroll, and you have to click to expand subthreads, and then click to expand any comment longer than three lines in any subthread.

      Every time a UX designer fucks with something to make it more mobile-friendly, they make it less usable for both desktop and mobile users.

  2. In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Now that our pseudonym to single user identity resolution algorithm is reasonably accurate, go right ahead and make up a fake name."

    1. Re:In other words by osu-neko · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yeah, I already figured Google knows who I am and what all my aliases are anyhow. It's not Google I'm trying to keep from putting the pieces together, it's J. Random HR twerp who doesn't need to know my hobbies and kinks to determine if I'm qualified for the job.

      --
      "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
  3. Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now Google+ is sure to become the popular destination it's always been destined to be! I'm going to go on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Reddit and Tumblr and a site with Disqus and tell everyone it's time for Google+! Then I'll pull down my pants and tell all my friends on SnapChat!

  4. Re:Anonymous Coward for the WIN!! by Snufu · · Score: 5, Funny

    Actually, "Anonymous Coward for the WIN!" should be the headline of this story.

  5. Re:Anonymity makes sense for special cases. by jeIIomizer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Whistleblowing, witness protection, for example. For most other cases anonymity degenerates into a cesspool of behavior that is not accepted in normal society.

    People suppress their true nature in "normal society." "normal society" bores me to tears.

    Overnoght the forum changed from endless spam and trolling to respectful discourse between actual people.

    More like useless, non-controversial discourse. By tying everything to real names, you make it less likely that anyone will do anything controversial, even when it needs to be done. Who knows if a future employer will decide to not hire you because you said something they don't like, even if you thought it was completely innocuous?

    I'd rather deal with trolls and spam than have "respectful discourse" between fake people.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.