Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Real ID in WoW Forums. Guess I'm never posting there again...

I like Real ID, for the most part.  It's a little odd having friends be able to bug me on random unguilded alts, but that's a minor quibble.

But this...
The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID -- that is, their real-life first and last name -- with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged. 


Do not want. Seriously do not want. I have an internet alias for a reason. Prospective employers google for me, they're not going to find this blog, or my fanfics, or any evidence that I am a fangirl who knows far more about Lotr, HP, D&D, or WoW then most people.  My friends know about it, and while I'm not ashamed of it, I see no reason to give people a reason to not hire me or take me seriously. 


There is still quite a stigma attached to being a geek in this society, after all. 


Then there's the public safety aspect. I don't have a stalker, thank goodness, but anyone with one is unlikely to be comfortable revealing their name in an uncontrolled and potentially unsafe environment. As a single woman, one of the ways I keep myself safe on the internet is my separation of identities. I am not comfortable with Blizzard taking that away.


Yeah, this was not the best idea ever, Blizzard.  Why not link the forum accounts to a real id without displaying said RealID?  As for me, I just won't post on the forums.  This will not be a huge hardship, as I generally avoid the forums like the plague, but still....

3 comments:

  1. See, you hate the forums, so no problem. But maybe you hate them because they're so terrible. This is supposed to clean them up a bit, so then you'll want to post, but you won't want to use your name. So...

    I wonder if Blizzard has read Catch 22 and is playing an elaborate prank.

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  2. Your not the only one disapointed in blizzard, My friend is now quiting wow because of this.
    although this wont effect me, as I do not use the forums and I didnt use my real name in WoW

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  3. I would be all for an elaborate hoax, but given the negative press they've already started to receive, I kinda doubt it. I'm thinking someone over there has their head so far up their backside that they've lost touch with reality.

    And the forums are great for specific things, like tech support and finding rp. I do use them for that, I just don't post.

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