[Changes to Display Names Based on Your Feedback]

Please Disregard the reply before this one! The EDIT button is BROKEN and wouldn't let me save the edited version so had to make a new reply.

With over 375 friends on my list, re-friending them will be a nusiance. I would be willing to pay a fee to change my username, but I don't want to lose all those friends and then have to re-friend them, especially considering that I've actually deleted MOST of my calling cards. I don't need them, don't use them. The few I've actually kept belong to those who have passed away in RL or have cancelled their accounts and kept their profiles.

Otherwise I really don't need the Display Name feature nor would I want to create an alt and have to be stuck with a "Resident" for a last name. I pride myself on coming up with unique first names to match up with the provided last names. It should be an option on registration if we wish to pick a last name from a provided list, use the last name of Resident, or pay a fee to chose a lastname of our own choosing. ( I realize this option is already available as a "vanity name" but the cost of that should also include being able to choose a custom lastname. This cost should also be reduced considerably since "Vanity Names" would be replaced with the Display Name feature. (currently $500USD for a Vanity Name as of the last time I checked this out.)

[Changes to Display Names Based on Your Feedback]

With over 375 friends on my list, re-friending them will be a nusiance. I would be willing to pay a fee to change my username, but I don't want to lose all those friends and then have to re-friend them, especially considering that I've actually deleted MOST of my calling cards. I don't need them, don't use them. The few I've actually kept belong to those who have passed away in RL or have cancelled their accounts and kept their profiles.

Otherwise I really don't need the Display Name feature nor would I want to create an alt and have to be stuck with a "Resident" for a last name. I pride myself on coming up with unique first names to match up with the provided last names. It should be an option on registration if we wish to pick a last name from a provided list, use the last name of Resident, or pay a fee to chose a lastname of our own choosing. ( I realize this option is already available as a "vanity name" but the cost of that should also include being able to choose a custom lastname. )

[Changes to Display Names Based on Your Feedback]

It's real early for me and the minute I saw the word grieving, I was like, what does losing a loved one have to do with Display names. Re-read it and realized you you probably meant Griefing. In almost 2 years I haven't seen any of that in the usual places, I've heard it happening on educational sims, but to me it seems it has been happening a lot fewer.

With this new Display Name arriving, perhaps that will bring on a different kind of griefing? But, unless they can really impersonate your personality as well, it won't be easy to fool those who are closest to you.

I've mentioned this before but the best way to avoid confusion with your identity is to make sure to have some sort of key that only the real you would know so they can determine if the person is really you or not. Take the necessary steps to make sure there is no denying who is the real person and who isn't. Just because somoene has their Display name set to yours doesn't mean many would believe they are you.

Not every single newbie who will enter SL once this takes place is going to skip opening up a profile to check out who this person is and if the original user name is going to be displayed there, they're gonna see that there's a difference, some will ask questions and if they see "that" person again only this time it is the original person, they're prolly going to say something to that person about meeting them earlier or ask them why do they have 2 names before... For the most part and through my own personal experience, it is usually those who are under the age of 25 who aren't going to ask someone questions if they see they have 2 or more names in their profile, those older and familiar with the person are going to ask why they created an alt.

I know I  woudl rather be able to change my account name permanently then to have this Changeable display Name. I don't think Linden Lab understood exactly what we were asking for and think this is the right way when in fact it isn't.  While it may be a good idea for those who want to put on band shows of say Kiss or Areosmith and be able to show the band members name instead of creating alts to include those names making the account name rather long. Or perhaps to portray chatacrers in a machinima where they wisht o show the name tags in the film. Most of the time they don't show those so anyone can use their own name.

As far as Griefing goes, mostly it is the younger 'crowd' doing that. Will this cause a new wave of griefing? No one really knows for sure, but it has already been happening by some having the person's identity as their first name and picking the same or comparable last name. It's nothing new but Display Names will make it easier, but it will also make it easier to identify them too.

If Lindens do take what we say seriously, they'll make some changes before they roll it out on the main grid. Maybe make it easier to spot who is using a Display name and who isn't regardless if they turn it off or not. Change the color if they do use it and not change that color even if they hide the option. * They would have had to already used the Display name feature for the color to be changed permanently. Then at least everyone will know who has used it even if it was a one time deal, against those who never bothered with enabling it in the first place. 

[Changes to Display Names Based on Your Feedback]

Ok quite honestly this Display Name isn't even live yet so who knows what changes LL may make to it before it becomes live. Having a gadget out before something is solid is not a good idea. It seems to me just a scam to scare people out of their money before they actually have to... A good business would at least supply a trial version to see if they'd like it or not first, then when the official copy comes out then can charge for continued service...

However, this system is not a good one. Several people may have the same Display Name they wish to use. Innocent people would up getting banned because not only did they not know such a gadget existed, they didn't know that their chosen Display Name they were legally allowed to use was already registered by someone else. Doesn't seem fair.

How do you know LL isn't going to make some change to the Display Name before it comes to the main grid? Just because it might look the same doesn't mean its coded the same. To me this is just some poor attempt to take money from unsuspecting people who may not have needed to register their Display Name in the frist place...

[Changes to Display Names Based on Your Feedback]

I've read tons about the "Linden" name being protected, while the average user won't have that option. The only reason I see is what I was told when the CSI:NY sim was brought in via the "Electric Sheep" company. NO ONE but AUTHORIZED paid Employees of Electric Sheep were allowed the Last Name of Sheep because it was a registered trademarked within the realm of Second Life and other 'virtual worlds' Electric Sheep may be involved with. I suppose the same is of the Linden name, because it represents the paid authorized representatives of SL. Because the name "Linden" is part of the "Linden Lab Company", they most likely have trademarked or registered that name as part of the Second Life platform and only those actually employed by Linden Labs are allowed to use that. So it stands to reason that only those person actively employed by Linden Labs should be allowed to use that name in SL!

Those who have Linden as their RL last name, unless employed by Linden Labs would not be allowed while in SL to use that name...

It does make sense...

Of course they're gonna look out for their own first, but they should also understand where some here are coming from as well, most who want the protection are popular business owners, making some actual RL money from their enterprises, also those who are in the education field. Those are the 2 main categories I see wanting this protection.

Even if they can't possibly protect everyone, perhaps they should at least take care of those who bring in the most business, and those who actually conduct RL business/education. At least it will be a start.

However, in all honesty, I think everyone should be thinking of ways to protect themselves from these kind of pending impersonation. You have time to start implementing your own ways of protection. Make it hard for ANY impersonator to ruin your reputation. I know of several Estate owners who only accepted rent payments via paypal. ( paypal keeps receipts pretty much for years ) Store Owners, Offer ways that even your customers would know if it was really you or someone using a Display Name. Don't wait until this happens, get ready now, get a plan in action now. It's up to you, to make sure that regardless of what happens here that no one can deny who is fake and who is real.  It really is NOt that hard to come up with ways that even if you were impersonated, it would be easy to tell the real from the fake.

Relying on Linden Labs to protect your image/names is pretty much like trying to rely on a flying pig from Mars to show up on your RL lawn!

[Changes to Display Names Based on Your Feedback]

Creating a first and last name to log in with is why SL is so unique. It is why I joined in the first place. It gave you an identity, a whole "new" world so to speak. Now it'll be just like those plain old websites that I never even log into anymore.

This Display thing is becoming ridiculous. I got the name I wanted when I signed up, I went through and purposely choose the lastname I'd be happy with. Why would anyone want to have something different. It's their fault they were in such a hurry to get in. 

What they really need to do is to return back to basics, Put that WHOLE list of lastnames back up instead of making ya refresh the page to get a new set of selections. Businesses and educators should actually be given their own log in page so they can be able to choose whatever name they want. But for just average users, why turn this into a Facebook wannabe. Besides, unless you're gonna have Farmville like apps, yer not gonna get many of those users over. They're too busy playing Treasure Isle, Frontierland and all those other app games.

[Changes to Display Names Based on Your Feedback]

Been reading lots of posts and while I could care less either way whether the Display Name is implemented or not. I don't plan on using it myself. 

What concerns me the most is posts where they mention changing how we log in to SL. I work with tons of  classmates in projects that require us to spend some time in SL. I make up the alts for them to use cause many of them don't wish to have their own account. I don't want them to have access to my e-mail address to sign into an alt I created for my class projects. Nor would I want them to have access to all my alts if they ended up being combined with one single log in. I've seen these options suggested here and it definitely will not work for me and I so hope this won't be the next step Linden Lab will take!

What happened to fun? It was hilarious trying to come up with a first name to match some witty lastname you saw in the list. Bluebird became "Feathery Bluebird" ; Sideways became, Crabswalk Sideways or some other funny combination and it worked. Take that away and all you take away the reason I joined SL. Lastnames like Magic would become "MasterOF Magic" as a name. These were creativity at its best.

I think that if people wish to be known by their Real Name, Business Name, or Education Name. Then those should be options added into the registration process with ( If you wish to create an account using your Real name, etc, click here.) While the rest can still use the provided LastName options to choose their First name.

Honestly, I'd rather pay to have my actual SL name changed then to implement some Display Name over my head. I do have a few alts that I may actually wish to have their FIRST name changed, but the lastnames were chosen with pride and I love seeing those when I go to Log in to the viewer...

Just my views on this.  ( I used to be all for the Display Name process until I saw the confusion it may cause )

[Changes to Display Names Based on Your Feedback]

When I started SL I loved the fact you had to pick a last name from a list. Made choosing a name that much more fun. I wasn't in a huge hurry, why should I be? I wanted to make sure I had a name I would be happy with.

To avoid impersonation, trademarking would be a good idea EXCEPT, how long it takes will depend on if anyone else is using that name legally. They do research this before allowing the trademark to go through -- It could take up to a year to have a name trademarked depending on originality, but it seems the only true way to make sure your name can't legally be impersonated.

Real Life names: Some people wish to use those names instead, but must understand that there in fact could be tons of people out there with that exact name... IF they too were in SL they should be allowed to use that name too since it is their legal name...

Making people pay for the right to a display name, may be a good idea, but greifers on a mission and some sort of vendeta where money is no object will in fact pay for that. So even that idea won't really stop someone determined, but it will slow it down quite a bit since not every griefer will pay, but the odd 1 or 4 might.

My point is, that either way you look at the fors and against, there will always be some risk involved.

But if a person is willing to "buy" a Display Name option, then it stands to reason they should also be allowed to simply change their actual (username - SL Default name) for mispelling errors or even poor judgement in first name choices. (Charge extra for that SL Default Lastname to be changed). I'd be happy with that option as I do like all my "LastName" choices, but some of the first names could use some changing...