How do you go about using your real name not as username but setting it as “Display Name”?
In my mind, this makes absolutely no sense when I’m trying to preserve my privacy by using random usernames but then setting the display name to my real name. E.g. my username could be “sherry3865” but then I’d use “John Doe” as my “display name” on the service.
What are your best practices considering this?
we cant really answer that?
Generally you can stay with a pseudonym if you would like to remain this way but there isn’t really a best practice if you’re willing to use your real name, go ahead and put it into the display name…
Personally I remain with my pseudonym, it helps that for things like others can hold me accountable for mistakes among other things still.
I get that it’s not a question which there’s a clear answer to.
I’m struggling to come up with a way to create an online presence which basically is privacy preserving on the one hand but still consistent on the other. Does that make sense?
I’ve checked out your socials for example. They seem to be all linked together. Doesn’t this completely undermine the attempt of achieving privacy?
I really hope I don’t sound ignorant or insulting. These are genuine questions. So please don’t feel offended! 
Dude, do what you want. It should be obvious if if you want to be private, do not use your real name.
There is no best practice. There is no wrong answer either.
As long as it stays separate from my real world, it’s fine.
I’m known as that for the digital world and have a separate identity for the real world and it’s fine this way for me.
Also:
Pseudonymity is a similar concept, but it allows you to have a persistent identifier without it being tied to your real identity. If everybody knows you as
@GamerGuy12online, but nobody knows your real name, that is your pseudonym.All of these concepts overlap, but it is possible to have any combination of these. The sweet spot for most people is when all three of these concepts overlap. However, it’s trickier to achieve than many initially believe. Sometimes, you have to compromise on some of these, and that’s okay too. This is where threat modeling comes into play, allowing you to make informed decisions about the software and services you use.
You shouldn’t confuse privacy with secrecy. We know what happens in the bathroom, but you still close the door. That’s because you want privacy, not secrecy. There are always certain facts about us—say, personal health information, or sexual behavior—that we wouldn’t want the whole world to know, and that’s okay. The need for privacy is legitimate, and that’s what makes us human. Privacy is about empowering your rights over your own information, not about hiding secrets.
this.
Look, if you are new to privacy (and I think you are) and still trying to figure out how to compartmentalize your online presense on different platforms, there are a couple ways to go about it. So, since you asked here are the following:
For example: I use the same alias here and on Techlore. But I use a different one on Mastodon and Discord. And another alias on other platforms. I get to decide this and so would anyone as you want. And I save all this info in Proton Pass.
So - there is a lot of potential here with how and why you want the way you do with your online identities. Do what’s you think is best for you having read and understood the pros and cons for your use case should you have one.
Thanks a lot for both your input! Really appreciate it.
My question to you @anon36940904 specifically would be, whether you use “Walter Burns” on all platforms as well.
I’d just like to hear a little more about your motivation and practices.
I don’t have a specific set of rules or protocols I follow when deciding to name my “screen name” for each account on each platform whereever I can.
To answer your question directly, I don’t use the same name on all platforms for several reasons. I only use the same name here and on Techlore because both are similar platforms and both platforms have a lot of the same people and I want them to recognize who I am on both for some consistency based on my activity on both platforms/forums.
But I don’t want the same name on Mastodon because I don’t want anyone from these two platforms to follow me on there or comment or interact with me on there. Hence, the seperation. Same goes for any other platform I may be on and I can decide which alias I want to use where and how.
Like I said, there is no wrong answer her nor there is a “right” way to go about it.
It all depends on how compartmentalized you want to be with your online identities based on your preferences, threat model, and other reasons. There is also no “coherent” logic necessarily for it all - it really and seriously only comes down to you and what and how you want things.