internet screen name theft

[mrbob1000]

i typed my screen name into google and it turns out some guy from dallas stole my screen name. has this happened to anyone else? i tried to contact the person to ask them to please change there screen name but there was no way to contact them.

my screen name is still all me except for one or 2 entrys but its still troubling to see that somone stole my screen name.

and whats worse is its on some dating site!

[JBotAlan]

What, "mrbob1000"? That's not all that unique. How many Bobs are on this planet?

JBotAlan, on the other hand...

Come up with something new then! And some people believe it's a good idea to use different S/Ns everywhere you go.

JBot

[Cynette]

Did he steal your screen name, or did you steal his?

If he is old enough to be on a dating site, maybe he had the name first?

[mrbob1000]

Originally Posted by Cynette

Did he steal your screen name, or did you steal his?

If he is old enough to be on a dating site, maybe he had the name first?

nope. i had this screen name for a long time, since i first started playing runescape in 2000

[Michelle Celio]

Maybe I don't see the big deal, it is just a screen name.

If the individual was using your first and last name fraudulently I'd understand.

This is the internet, you've created a screen name to mask your real identity, this new identity does not automatically become yours on every site.

Just let it go, maybe make a new one if it really bothers you that much. Is this person impersonating you? Or are they just trying to mask their true identity like you are?

How do you know that you had the screen name first? Maybe the accounts were dormant and the google spiders just now discovered them. Maybe you are in fact the "thief" in this situation. Look at it from other perspectives.

Why is it so important, that in a virtual world someone else has your fake name? There maybe people in the real world who share your name, these people have no control over such name seeing as how it was given to them at birth.

Do yourself a favor, step away from the computer, go outside, sit in some grass and appreciate who you are away from the virtual world. Forget that someone "stole" your "screen name" and appreciate all that there is away from the computers.

[EricH]

Or, better yet, do a Google search on your real name and see what comes up. It's good for some fun if you've got some free time. (I've done it a time or two myself.)

[artdutra04]

How does someone even "own" a screen name in the first place?



It's not like a domain name that you paid money for, and legally own.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by EricH

Or, better yet, do a Google search on your real name and see what comes up. It's good for some fun if you've got some free time. (I've done it a time or two myself.)

I have a billion results when I do that...*



*Ok, maybe not a billion... but there are quite a bit. lol

[mrbob1000]

i still feel a little wronged. i am fairly certain that i have been mrbob1000 for longer than him but the real reason is i dont want anyone reading things he writes thinking i wrote them. also, employers later in life might say "i googled this guy and he look really wierd. cancel the interview"

[Michelle Celio]

Originally Posted by mrbob1000

i still feel a little wronged. i am fairly certain that i have been mrbob1000 for longer than him but the real reason is i dont want anyone reading things he writes thinking i wrote them. also, employers later in life might say "i googled this guy and he look really wierd. cancel the interview"

How would they know it was you unless you provided them with this information? They're going to look for Stephen Johnston not MrBob1000. If while they are looking for Stephen Johnston they find MrBob1000 then maybe they'll look into it. But I'm pretty sure that they will be able to tell the difference between the "impostor" and yourself.

Do yourself a favor, if you want to get rid of the worry that anyone will be using a scree name that anyone could come up with, come up with something more original, or even use your name I suppose.

I've also noticed that google likes to link to my most recent posts so - I'm Michelle Celio, and I like robots

[Cynette]

Originally Posted by mrbob1000

also, employers later in life might say "i googled this guy and he look really wierd. cancel the interview"

I'm with Michelle, I'm hoping that you never tell an employer to search for you as "MrBob1000." That would be strange, very strange.

It is good advice to Google yourself when you hit the stage of applying to colleges and applying for jobs. Employers will often check out their prospective employees on line, and I recently heard that Colleges were starting that practice as well. That's why I cringe when I see what some of you post in other social networking sites.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Cynette

That's why I cringe when I see what some of you post in other social networking sites.

Especially when you remember that information in Google or other search engines takes years to be purged...if ever. So what you posted in 2008 might be there to haunt you in 2020...

Don

[Molten]

I definitely can relate. I actually went to a gaming site once, and there was a guy with the name 'Molten' that was just spamming the chat. I was mad. My suggestion is to alter your name slightly. Add a year at the end. Any year. The more random the better. Then nobody will copy it.

Also, A note to Michelle: You believe(it seems from reading your posts) that your real name makes you who you are. However, you also state that nobody has control over it. Everyone does choose their username. It is my opinion that you can tell a lot more about someone by their username then you can from their real name. For instance, from my username you might deduct that I think Fire is cool. What can you tell from my real name? Just something to think about.

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by Cynette

That's why I cringe when I see what some of you post in other social networking sites.

This is possibly the single most important message from this entire thread.

"Ownership" of a screen name is an irrelevant concept. No one "owns" a screen name as a globally unique identifier. You can't prevent anyone else from using it any more than you can prevent someone else from being given the same real name as yours (example: guess how many people there are in the world named "Dave Lavery" - while I would argue that any more than one is superfluous, it would appear that the world does not agree).

However, what you, as a unique individual, do while using that identifier in a manner that allows your actions to be coupled to you -IS- something that you can control. You have to remember that "gee-it-seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time" bile-filled rant about the dumb restrictive decision your parents just made is going to have a life of its own after you post it on Facebook. Six years from now, long after you have forgotten about it, that really cool prospective employer that you really want to work for is going to do a search on Archive.org and read through it. They will realize how you trash talk about your family "in private" and wonder if you will do the same about their company. The "this-is-why-I-think-my-chemistry-teacher-is-the-most-moronic-person-on-the-planet" five-page diatribe that you just posted one day will be reviewed by your co-worker down the hall that is supposed to be mentoring you in your new job. Long after you have forgotten writing that blog entry about your first weekend binge as a college student, an as-yet-unmet significant other is going to read it and wonder why they should ever waste their time with someone that behaves so boorishly. And let's not even consider the reaction from your grandmother (remember? that person that we are all supposed to be making proud?) as she reads through your latest harangue on the universal unfairness of the world and how the rest of us should all just go and stick our heads in dark places.

So please, before you make that vituperative post disparaging the "horrible, wrong-headed, my dog could have done better" post about the refs decision during your last match - think. Think about those words that you are about to post publicly. Think about the message that they convey. But most importantly, think about what those words say about you - as an author, a possible employee, a future compatriot, a potential friend, and a current family member. Because those words WILL get out. And they will have your name on them.

-dave



.

[chris31]

I just saw this today and figured I would post it. Lets you know if the name you want to use is already registered on these popular sites.
http://www.usernamecheck.com/