In my experience, this can be troublesome. People change over time. What if a longstanding member becomes increasingly offensive over time? Other long-termers may not become offended because they are gradually exposed to a persona overtime. But if a newbie did the same thing, people might find it offensive.

Hellish, anyone?

I'm gonna go back and COMM RL's posts right now, 'cause I love her that much. I also love Fay and Denise.

I just wanted to add, re: "TMI Miner" and other obviously fake names -- we should be careful with dismissing them out of hand, just in case Josh Wheaton is someone's real name. (Perhaps the email should include a line that indicates, even if your momma named you Timothy J. Minner at birth, on this board, we'd like you to make up a pseud so there's no confusion with the show people.)

mwah!

(Perhaps the email should include a line that indicates, even if your momma named you Timothy J. Minner at birth, on this board, we'd like you to make up a pseud so there's no confusion with the show people.)

You know, I think something like that would be fair enough - just explaining that sometimes people involved with the ME shows do post, and that for simplicity's sake we'd prefer to avoid posters using screen-names that might cause confusion. I can't see myself being upset by that if my name were (eg) Martine Nixon

Perhaps a line in the e-mail telling them that if we allowed that username they'd be deluged with posts asking them if they were the real Marti/Tim/Joss, and would they like to have the poster's children? Spin it as a favour to them.

I can't see myself being upset by that if my name were (eg) Martine Nixon

OTOH, imagine the fun if Marnie Nixon (the singer) turned out to be a Buffy fan and tried to register.

Sorry. I'm easily amused sometimes.

I did notice someone at the Firefly site get a little confused by Amber B, which made me smile.

So Marni Noxon couldn't post under her real name?

I just read through the whole thing here in bureacracy and I think there is little more to say. To sum up, I think the conclusions reached were to:
1. Suspend the particular poster for 2 months
2. add something somewhere to keep posters from using names that sound too much like ME names
3. Register the ME names premptively and have them available should any of them want to post.

In addition, I think there was a consensus that a little something should be added to the FAQ on etiquette, perhaps the bit by Denise that Hec quoted

Please have respect for our there-when-you-got-there mores. If you offend them without having intended to, we will tell you, politely, as we do and did; then, your path is (I feel) to absolutely take a polite, apologetic tone. If you feel you were warned too hastily, or within a double standard, you absolutely may argue with us; but your basic tone *must* be a polite one. This is our sandbox. You are the newbie. Argue; but you must be brilliant to make us change our minds about something we've already had sixty thousand posts in the Bureaucracy thread about; but, then again, it is possible. Be polite and brilliant. Certainly. Surprise us.

And also it seems this should be somewhere:

And Kristen's point is also valuable. His lack of responsiveness to being told he was offensive is telling. It's a good Red Flag for all of us to keep in mind when we're looking at these situations.

OK-- DX and I cross-posted the Marni Noxon joke! I guess we are both easily amused.

Hee, Sophia, and neither of us spelled her name correctly. Just so we're clear, it's Marni Nixon. (I just IMDBed her.)

Shit-- before I knew of Marti I always could spell Marni's name right!

before I knew of Marti I always could spell Marni's name right!

That's Marti for ya. Always messin' with yo haid.

Just chiming in with my appreciation of the thoughtfulness and time taken in crafting a response/refining community standards. As we all know, Buffistas rocketh.

Thanks.