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== Real Connections, Real Community ==
[[Image:RealPerson.png|left]]People and organizations no sooner start to take you seriously, as when you act with responsibility as a real person. Using your real name, backed up by things like your picture and interests, makes real world interactions in culture, politics and business possible, realistic, effective and useful.

Is a person more likely to join a community online, if they see that there are real people involved?  Are they less likely to participate in an online community with characters like RedDog88, Snivelcritter, etc?
[[Image:ipreferrealpeopleslide.png|left]]
Professionalism, trust, and community all emerge, when real people are involved, standing behind their work.  Using your real name substantiates your commitment to [[Transparency| transparency]] and allows others to better collaborate with you.  It also creates a greater investment in your work.

Using a real name, however, is not a requirement for participation -- look around, get your bearings, and once you come to know the vibrant, trusting community at [[AboutUs]], make the switch.

You'll see many of our community members making posts, edits and suggestion using their ''real names''.  We encourage you to do the same.

== Connecting to the Core ==
[[RealPeople]] is central to our mission at AboutUs of connecting people and organizations and it provides a vital component to our Core of values.  The openness of [[RealPeople]] requires a trust in the community that arises only when you [[AssumeGoodFaith]].  It is also helps catalyze the communication necessary to creating a consensus, a vital part of the communal work of [[ItsAboutUs]].  Using real names also helps the effort to [[BeABuilder]] because it allows community members to recognize each others' accomplishments and reward and recognize each other.

== Other Communities that also Prefer RealPeople ==
* [[PortlandPatternRepository]]
* [[MeatballWiki]]
* [[Citizendium.org]] [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Special:Recentchanges RecentChanges] (weblog post [http://blog.citizendium.org/2008/02/27/why-citizendium/ Real names are better])

== Okay! Switch Me! ==
I'd like to switch to my real name but my account is already using a [[Pseudonym]].  Please switch me to my real name:
* '''Switch name here''' ''NOTE: Sometimes it takes a little time to get noticed, but the switch will happen :-)''
* [[User:NickBurrus|Nick Burrus]] was [[User:Skydork|Skydork]]
* [[User:cindy krcmarik|cindy krcmarik]] was [[User:Ckrcmarik]]
* [[Drew Myers]] ... was [[User:Dclacroix]]
* [[DannyG]] ... was [[User:Master Baitor]]

== Spread the Word ==

The following list of folks understand and practice the [[WikiWayLesson]] described on this page. Furthermore, they are actively propagating the [[RealPeople]] [[Meme]] by adding <nowiki>{{Badge:IPreferRealPeople}}</nowiki> to their [[PersonalPage]].

[[Category:AboutUs:Glossary]]
[[Category:WikiAnatomy]]
[[Category:WikiWayLesson]]
[[Category:AboutUsValues]]
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