Naming Names: Google Wrestles With Anonymity
When you have a new social network populated by a large number of outspoken and opinionated tech enthusiasts, they're going to be watching very, very carefully for any kind of misstep.
Up to now, the missteps at Google+ have been, for the most part, handled well. For example, early on, Google announced that all Google Profiles were going to become public, and that there were only two parts of that public profile that were required: name and gender. You could describe yourself as male, female or "other," but you had to call yourself something. There was an immediate reaction from a number of users, many of them women, and after a few days, the gender requirement was dropped.
However, now the naming requirement has also come into question. Google is insisting that users go by their real names. A lot of users are not happy. Why such a fuss? To some users, this may seem a bit odd and unnecessary, especially if you employ the Internet predominantly for business purposes, or for checking the day's news and sending emails to your friends. Why would anyone want to go by a fake name, unless it be for nefarious purposes?
