Thank you and suggestion

[Brian Drake]

First, thank you for putting up www.theamericanview.com! What a great resource for those of us who desire a return to a God fearing government!

The site is excellent. Very clean and professional. Good organization. And great idea to implement a forum! Laudable work all around.

I have a suggestion for the forum. Since the site is brand new and forum registration hasn't yet taken off, I'd like to propose an amendment to the terms of use for the forum I've found useful elsewhere. I suggest you require, or at least strongly ask (in your terms of use and registration page), that user names be in the format of the person's full, real, name as opposed to a cute nickname/avatar.

The topics discussed on this forum are very serious. The mission the Constitution party has dedicated itself to is very serious. That's not to say the discussion should be dour or heavy hearted. Though I realize you most likely desire a friendly, open atmosphere on these forums (which I support), it would be of benefit in my opinion if you encouraged a mature and sober tone overall. Requiring real names has proven on other boards to improve the level of contribution and sense of accountability for words said, and also reduces the over all "noise to signal" ratio. The discourse is elevated when people use their real names instead of glib monikers like "ConstitutionBoy", "MarxWasWrong" or "PoorRichard".

I don't propose this with a mean spirit or intention of being a "kill joy". I have optimistic hopes for this forum as a resource for those of us who are patriots and it would be unfortunate if our commentary was degraded or dismissed due to potentially juvenile behavior.

Best wishes on the site and the forum.


Brian Drake

[Relient J]

I considered abandoning my usual forum user name when I registered for this forum for the very reasons you mentioned, Brian. Before committing to the name I chose, I checked to see what other names forum members had already chosen. That formed the basis for me deciding to go with my usual forum name. I do think that a person can use an alias online and still put forth a well-thought argument, though I definitely see where you're coming from.

[transformed1]

Some may not want their full, real name to be on line. I understand where you are coming from but I doubt that anyone would be posting on this forum if they simply wanted to joke around and have a good time.

[Jeffrey Butler]

That's a good suggestion, Brian. As you'll notice, one of the first members to sign up was Michael A. Peroutka. I think it's similar to using Mr this or Miss that and dressing nicely - and could go a long way in the discussion to the ends you're seeking. We're probably not going to require it, and as you can tell my name was just designed to look like an obscure admin who could put the smak down every now and then. I should probably hop out and get a real name for participating.

But I think the more people that come here and see "Brian Drake" and "Michael Anthony Peroutka" and "John Lofton" the more they'll do that. If it ever "gets out of hand", we'll require full names. This is already a great tool for us - and we want all those involved to get the most out of it. It's like guys wearing shorts to church. They should feel out of place because everyone else looks really nice, but probably not because there's a dress code (even though there is a dress code). A point to consider.

[Hammer]

I too understand were Mr. Drake is coming from, and yes that would be ideal.
However in our current times there is a great fear of Internet predators, take Hossam Armanious (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,144573,00.html) for example, after speaking out against islam he was tracked down by "radical" muslims and brutally slaughtered along with the rest of his family. Because of tragic events like this and the fact that we live in a hostile and anti-Christian world, there may be people who do not wish for their real names to be made public, hence, where "screen names" originated. It will be up to the moderators to enforce a biblical standard of decency and I would recommend posting the forum rules .

[Triton]

I suggest you require, or at least strongly ask (in your terms of use and registration page), that user names be in the format of the person's full, real, name as opposed to a cute nickname/avatar.

I post on 5 other fora. None of them requires my real name when posting. Some of my political views would not be taken very well by my LARGE PC employer. If I have to use my real name, I'm outta here.

[Jeffrey Butler]

...If I have to use my real name, I'm outta here.

No worries. The most we would ever do is suggest that you do.