Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 14:46:56 -0700 (PDT) From: Arthur Chandler <arthurc@crl.crl.com> [...] Isn't it tough enough to build up a rep under our real names? What is the point to using a pseudonym? I can think of some bad reasons; but I can't come up with any good ones, except for "fun" and "just to see what it feels like to put out opinions not my own." I'm sure I'm missing the point; so, before you jump on me as a Clueless Newbie, can you run by the reasons why you want to have alternate personas on the NET? Here's an example: you're a rock star, but your rock star identity is a pseudonymous one, so you can function as a normal person in your true name identity. When you are a celebrity your life becomes limited because of people's reactions. There will certainly be cyberspatial equivalents of celebrities. Another scenario: if you develop some notoriety in a certain field, it may affect how your work in another field is received. Say, for example you are a dominatrix and a composer of church music, and you love to do both. So you have separate identities for each. It could also be instructive to have a cyberspatial pseudonymous identity that is of a different gender, race, species, etc. Andy