E-mail Not the Place to be Incognito

When it comes to forums or message boards, even other areas of the Internet where one can communicate with others, using a nick-name or "handle" is accepted practice. Many times these nick-names reflect your hobby or interests. In these venues that is just fine.

E-mail is not the place to use a nick-name or handle or to hide your true identity. The From: field of every e-mail you send should clearly reflect your proper name: John A. Doe or John Doe. Just using your first name, in the case of John can make those you communicate with have to determine "which" John you may be. J. Doe -- you could use that, but it is a bit formal. j doe, john doe or j a doe -- all small caps; not acceptable either (unless you are a gradeschooler). The From: field should reflect your full name in proper case.

Using a pseudonym, nick-name or handle in e-mail makes one wonder why you don't want to be identified; what is it that you are trying to hide? Not to mention that you could very easily be mistaken as a spammer and deleted. There simply is no good reason to hide your identity in e-mails.

But wait, I was just told otherwise the other day...

The excuse that was recently provided for this practice was that using their real name in the From: field "caused me much grief as my computer was sending viruses to my numerous contacts." What?

You deserved the grief if you were not properly protecting your computer and those you communicate with by using a virus program and keeping it updated. So now you hide your identity so that when you make mistakes people don't know who you are? If you make a mistake be "man enough" to take your comeuppance.

I've yet to receive an valid excuse as to why one should not want to use their full and proper name in the From: field. That is unless you do have something to hide -- and that's exactly what everyone will presume!