quote:
Originally posted by Yugo
Windows Live introduced the real name a while ago, and everyone that updated it on his profile made it visible to every Messenger contact, also in the previous version of Messenger.
Not entirly true though.
quote:
Originally posted by Yugo
In addition, even if you don't put your full name on Windows Live, if you use the same mail address on Facebook, everyone of your Messenger contacts using Facebook will be able to find you on Facebook and so discover your real name.
Very true, but not everyone uses/links with facebook. Hence, the Facebook argument hasn't that much of a weight here imo.
Also, there is something like giving people everything on a platter or spoon feeding them. I mean, I don't care if people put some effort in it and try to find out my real name. I know there are ways to do it. But giving them everything on a platter is taking it a step further. In that case they don't need to search for anything, they don't need to connect the dots themselfs. In some ways this is a good thing of course, but it is also taking it a step closer to some privacy issues. Making it 'harder' for people to find such personal info (but not impossible) is quite often enough to protect yourself from basic abuse/bullying/etc.
quote:
Originally posted by Yugo
So, if you worry about showing your real name, simply don't put it on Windows Live and don't associate your WL ID with anything that uses your real name!
True... for new accounts or newly added contacts. But here comes that privacy issue into play. There was no warning when MS made the change to how it currently is. Hence, everyone could see your real name after that change, without giving you the chance to change it to something fake. Also, you still can not select who will be able to see your last name or not, despite the instructions given on your Profile page.
But regardless of all of this, it would indeed be very nice if they at least add the ability again to have a display name again.
quote:
Originally posted by Yugo
I have many contacts that use simply their first name as display name, and many have the same names! So, if they don't have a photo, I have to check their mail address to understand who they are... so I think that showing the full name somewhere in a tip or in the conversation window is useful. But I want to be able to show me as "Johnny" instead of "John" keeping "John" in my profile!
Aye! I too have a very hard time now recognizing my contacts because quite frankly I do not know their real names (I always knew them by their online handle/display name) nor do I know the emails they use for some of them (who would think that you need to remember it). And thus I don't know anymore who is who. So, even now that everything is linked and real names are shown, I actually need to put serious effort into finding out who is who again and in some cases I actually can not identify some contacts anymore at all (other than sending an embarrassing message asking them who they are), lol!
Thank god you can still set a nickname in your own contactlist for your contacts.
/ 
