How to identify people?

[xaur]

Currently different IDs are used: Matrix, Slack, Twitter, Reddit usernames as well as real names. This issue is to try to define some guidelines or standards.

Matrix complicates things further by having MXID and Display name which can be different. Display name can change, while MXID cannot.

The primary reason to bother about it is giving people correct identifier to contact mentioned people.

[xaur]

@RichardRed0x suggested to use the name on the platform where the person is most active.

[xaur]

@Guang168 suggested real_name (@primary_handle). If real_name is unknown, degrade to just @primary_handle.

[xaur]

Fixing names to be consistent in Outreach of May 2019 I once again felt that sometimes real names read better in text. Thought of a system like

• on first occurrence
  • use first name if it is rather well known in the community (e.g. Luke)
  • use first and last name if first name alone is ambiguous or is not well known
  • optionally add most well known ID like Matrix display name or Twitter handle
• on subsequent occurrences
  • use first name in contexts where it is not ambiguous
• when name is not known, defer to most well known ID

[s-ben]

The above makes sense to me. I kind of prefer to just be s_ben however. Even though I'm not really pseudonymous.

[xaur]

Made a PoC with names as noted above. Quite an interesting experience because some names are better known for their public appearances, while other people are better known by their nicknames.

I left nicknames on couple people who prefer them, in Governance and in credits.

https://github.com/xaur/decred-news/blob/poc/names/journal/201905.md

edit: see last commit for that document to see which occurrences of nicknames were changed to names.

[xaur]

Once again I felt a bit weird when making names in Outreach consistent (read: all nicknames)

9e88c3c