What's my name? Say my name, bitch! - American Pie (1999)
I've always attributed certain respect and recognition to the handles on this board. You get to know personalities, those with common tastes, who's full of malarkey, and who's input carries credence. We all know brothers and sisters on the board by their handles. Hobbyist and providers alike develop that sense associated with our handles.
I've had the same handle on the last three iterations of this board. My hobby email is of the same handle which helps providers match my emails to my PM's. Many providers will screen first by using a forum search to see if you are reputable. For the members long in the tooth, the screening may be satisfied upon seeing the degree and type of activity.
Recently, I've had two providers tell me they thought they were seeing me (based on handles used) when an appointment request came in. Turns out it wasn't me. There are at least two other handles very close to mine that call Austin their home forum. If they were in Seattle and Chicago, there would be little opportunity for overlap.
One handle has only 2nd 3rd and 4th letters different. The other goes without the prefix word. Even the case punctuation is the same in all 3 handles. There is only one ThatHarleyGuy, much to my ex's chagrin (she would prefer none.)
Of course Harley riders are very proud of their iron heritage, and I can understand the desire to incorporate that in their handle, and don't begrudge that. I certainly have no exclusive rights. I know of no issues or problems with the gents using those handles, so there are no accusations here. There was no attempt to mislead anybody.
We've had threads lately about providers using similiar names, and the confusion it is causing, especially for the newer members. It can be an issue for providers who think they readily recognize a handle from frequent posts, because it is so similiar. This can be at least an inconvenience, at most a safety issue. If a provider thought she was seeing Sixx, and instead was seeing SiXXX, and then posts a Girls Talk alert for something, Sixx could become a very lonely gent and have no idea why. Providers, please pay attention to the details of your screening.
Please pay attention to post and review counts if you are trying to confirm an established reputation. In my case, the other two handles both have less than a dozen posts. (I hope to see both gents become active contributors.) Make sure the right handle is being used in checking references.
This has been a public service announcement. We now return you to your regular programming.