Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Recital 35 --- Call For Submissions

Actually, I have no way of knowing GeorgeSchiro is a real name

I have several friends with nicknames - Sonny is one, and was rather common back in the 40s. It's his real name to me.

And casinitaly is a real name to me, too. A nickname, but a real name. And TJ, and super-hunky, and earlofmar, and Morodiene, and FarmGirl - they're all real names and real people to me.

So, even tho I sign "Cathy" on my posts, most people here call me jotur. That feels like a real name, and an affectionate nick name, actually. I've had nicknames in other activities before - cj, jo, squatty body , - and they've all felt like "in-crowd" nick names, as does jotur feel like my PW in-crowd nickname.

May you never been stalked, either online or off or both, GeorgeSchiro. I wasn't, but as I said, I have a family member who was. The stalker was perfectly capable of finding *me* and deducing things about where my family member was from posts here.

And lots of times it's about simple privacy. There are lots of things I don't share with anybody and everybody, whether those body's are contra dancers, piano players, work colleagues, clients, etc. You say you are new to forum posting - perhaps new enough online with not much of a presence online, or old enough, to not know just how ubiquitous your information is, and how easy it is for folks to connect the dots. And some of those folks aren't savory. Some are just snoopy and nosey - Frank's pretty good about the ads and stuff here, but it's amazing to me how many ads pop up even on my e-mail sidebar that show that some snoop knows something about where I've been on the internet. Bugs me

And, just for a real life example or two - one of my posts here at PW showed up on a home school site as if I was endorsing a particular piano product. I was miffed enough without it having had my "real name" associated with it. It certainly didn't have my permission. And one person here who posted under her real name had her name show up online in a student's "research" paper about online behavior. Talk about an invasion of privacy. Particularly since the description wasn't flattering :|

And I list what city I live in, a fact that everyone who knows me off PW knows. You list "Florida" - do you not tell every random stranger what city you live in?

Yeah, it's a hot button for me. It doesn't, in fact, seem "friendlier" to me to know what you think of as someone's "real" name. Or to essentially make it known that you think others aren't being "friendly". Even if you eventually say you know that's just you.

Every group, whether contra dancers, miata car owners who race SCCA, ski racers, bowlers, or PW posters, has its own cultural mores. And on PW we've gotten to know each other by whatever names we post under, and what our posts are.

And the scammers and trolls give themselves away pretty fast .

So I have huge respect for Mr. Super-Hunky, and I'd be disconcerted if you started calling him only by what he's "said" is his real name (what if it's really Maurice? how would you know?) in posts here. It would be like calling Sonny Maurice - who the heck is that?

The real proof of the pudding isn't in what name they have chosen to post under - in most cases you don't have a clue if GeorgeSchiro is a "real name", whatever that is. The real proof of the pudding is in their posts. And S-H, and Peyton, and cas, and earl, and AndyPlatt, and all, whatever name it is, are great folks.

Squatty Body

Having just joined the forum yesterday, I stumbled across this thread and would like submit an mp3 for the recital. Is it acceptable to submit a recording with accompaniment?

My piano teacher has been trying to teach me jazz and started me using the iRealPro program that generates a bass and percussion line. This has been so much more pleasant than practicing with a metronome, and it even sounds pretty good. I mix this together with the audio output from my Roland and capture it through a USB interface onto Logic Pro on my Macintosh.

It's really me on the keyboard, but it sounds like a piano bar trio. Is this ok for the recital?

...Bill

Hi Bill, welcome to the forum!

Yes, it is ok to submit with accompaniment - ther are several folks who do that regularly. Ideally the focus will be on the piano part

Thanks, Casinitaly!

Yes, It will be focussed on the piano with the accompaniment mixed down. I look forward to taking part in this forum.

...Bill

What is it that the more you listen to your own recording the worse it becomes

My first name is somewhat uncommon, so I'm not comfortable sharing even that part of my name. Jotur addressed most of the things I would be concerned about, and her posts speak to most of my own reasons for keeping my name out of public posts, so I won't repeat those points. But I just want to say that to me it seems more friendly, and more considerate, to refer to people by whatever name they ask to be referred to as.

That's just how it is...I cannot listen to mine anymore

I guess the proper explanation is that you start anticipating the things you know are coming that aren't quite perfect and they gradually grow out of proportion in your mind...

With this sentiment, I couldn't agree more. If **** had said "Just call me Mr. Super-Hunky", that (or SH for short) is what I would do.

Please call me "George" or "Geo".


You seem angry. I apologize for making you feel that way. It is a fact that in the real world I also sometimes rub people the wrong way. That is the real me.

I am simply doing here what I do everywhere else. I am extending a hand in friendship and letting you know how my friends and family know me. No offense was intended. I assumed others would feel the same way.

I would like to continue this dialog, but I don't wish to upset you any further. May I call you "Cathy"?

99% of the time, I'd rather be jotur to you There are occasions when people address me as Cathy, and they seem to have a sense about when that works and it when it doesn't, and then it works for me. But if one has yet to acquire that sense, I'd rather be jotur.

Thanks for asking.

Cathy

Ok, "jotur" it is.

First, I use the term "real name" in the most common colloquial sense. To me your "real name" is the one your parents gave you, the name your friends in the real world know you by.

Suppose I meet someone new (in the real world), someone who calls me "Mr. Schiro." If we seem to have something to share and I decide I would like to get to know that person better, I will typically ask them to please call me "George." Then I will ask for their first name as well.

That's all I am doing here.

Of course, with your understanding that most folks wish to hide their identity online, I can certainly understand your skepticism. No matter what I say you may think you still won't know who I am. That is perfectly understandable.

But that's not my outlook.

For example, I know it's possible that Mr. Super-Hunky is pulling my leg. But I always give people the benefit of the doubt. I choose to believe that most people are basically kind and honorable and they make the choice to tell the truth.

Could Mr. Super-Hunky be pretending his initials are "BS"? Of course, but I choose to believe otherwise. In other words, by default, until proven otherwise, I have faith in humanity - and that includes him.

Earlier I wrote:

I didn't mean I have never participated in an online forum before. On the contrary, I have done so extensively, but always as someone reporting facts or offering opinions about local politics.

What I meant is that never before have I interacted online this way while also endeavoring to develop relationships with new people sharing a common special interest.


Actually, you do have a way of knowing. There are multiple ways.

Here's my address:

7036 Buttonbush Loop
Harmony, FL 34773

Feel free to look up my Osceola County tax records to verify that someone with my name owns the house at the above address.

Here's my profile on Amazon.com:

http://amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AUHND6507QOX9

You can get some idea about me from my reviews.

Here's more about me that I posted in the Harmony newsgroup a couple of years ago (it even includes a not-so-high fidelity recording):

Full Disclosure
http://tinyurl.com/838w636

Here are a few articles I have written for the local newspaper:

Op-Ed: What kind of people - part 2
http://tinyurl.com/qxdb4p3

Op-Ed: The 'best' for our children?
http://tinyurl.com/meozjah

Op-Ed: Students in pursuit of honor
http://tinyurl.com/kut3x64

Here are a few articles written by others about my son:

Gateway graduate recognized as county's top national merit scholar
http://tinyurl.com/kug8ue6

Gateway High student breaks SAT record
http://tinyurl.com/l4aobou

Duke honors math and science whiz
http://tinyurl.com/l29hqtk

And if that's not enough, you have my permission to ask Frank (Mr. Piano World) to confirm that the name on the credit card used to donate money to this site matches my name in this forum.

Hopefully you can better understand my position now. What I am doing here is just being myself, as I have always done online.


So try not to get upset every time I address *** as ***. And please believe me when I tell you that it is not my intention to offend you whenever I do.

Hi George.

I understand completely what you're saying. You identify "real world" names to "real people", and are a little uncomfortable using "nicknames" to identify with "real people".

Names are only labels used to identify who we are and compartmentalize information inside our head. Which label you use is up to you, and nicknames/usernames are just a creative way to label ourselves. It is fine if you do not feel comfortable with it right now, it will probably grow on you in time.

Is there any solid, logical reason why we cannot become good friends by using labels other than what was given to us when we were born?

PS: I would edit out the address details if I were you.

I don't believe I said that

Cathy

George, I totally understand where you are coming from and share many of your feelings. But I do need to warn you. As I mentioned earlier, I too use my real name and have my web site posted with available contact info. But I do it with the knowledge that you take a chance. Here is the scenario... and this is true. Years ago, on another web site, I used my real name and got into political discussions. One of the other "anonymous" posters did not like what I was saying and attacked me personally on the forum. He brought up my business (it was a telemark ski school) and said some extremely nasty things. Sticks and stones right? Well the problem is that when something is said on the web, as Wooter said, it stays on the web. For quite a while when my business was googled, what that person had said would come up. They were all total lies but that didn't matter. And I had no recourse. So, as I mentioned earlier, the lesson I learned is that if you are going to identify yourself on the web it's best to not make waves. People hiding behind anonymous names can say what ever they want about you and can do some serious damage.

Case in point is a recent conversation I had with someone I knew under a different name at another website and hadn't run into in 5 years. The labels didn't stop me from recognizing him:











Couldn't resist

George you are much braver than me. I use my real name on this forum (but not another horse one I go to which I have made so many friends from over the years), but there is no way I would ever post my address so publicly. Via PM certainly if I needed to correspond with someone, but not in an open thread. I admire your openness (I am an open person myself) but please consider the safety of your children and wife if not yourself. I would like to believe that most people are decent but unfortunately they aren't, and there are some very ill individuals in this world. On another note, are you making a submission for this recital?

I'm in at number 27.

Yea, dpaws! Joplin! I'm looking forward to hearing your piece.

Cathy

Thanks, jotur! Please just forgive the creaky out-of-tune piano. Though, some people at the Joplin Themed Recital thought it sounded good on my out-of-tune piano, so, maybe it's OK.

AudreyJean, you wrote:

Here it is! I hope you like it! Thanks.

Hi George,

I hope you do realize that for somebody with some knowledge of computers it is now very easy to steal your identity. If I wish I could and it would cost me less than a day.

Ok,.... can we get this thread back on track now please - enough discussion about who is who and why they choose to use a nickname.

That's how the internet works. People use nicknames.


Let's get back on track and talk about the RECITAL.


George - I strongly advise you to remove your personal data from your post - it is really a BAD idea to post so much info. If you are no longer able to edit your post, I'll do it for you.