Real Names
Hey everyone! If you could please make sure that your forum name includes your REAL NAME. I know many of you are known from other forums by a nickname or other handle, so feel free to put that in quotes in between your first and last names.
It facilitates a tighter-knit community when everyone knows the true name of whomever they're chatting with. It may seem trivial to some, but we believe it's important to set our forum apart as well as be welcoming to new members.
It's no secret that internet forums can devolve into nasty places, and this is made easier when people have the ability to hide behind anonymity. I know we do not have any of those folks here now, but this across-the-board policy will help prevent it in the future.
I cannot express how grateful I am to all of you for keeping this forum a welcoming place for all of us to communicate. The example all of you are setting for the new folks who will be joining us as we grow is exactly what I had in mind when I set this forum up.
I still see some nicknames being used without real names attached. Please change your display name to be your real name. This is important to us as an organization. I'll be starting to message individuals about this soon. Sorry to be a stickler, but this is what sets us apart from other internet forums.