MAJOR RAKAL'S BBS TIPS #4: SCREEN NICKNAMES (HANDLES)

Many of us, myself included, enjoy posting online under a "handle" or nickname, often the name of one of our favorite Star Trek characters. Most people are very proprietary about their nicknames, and may become quite upset when a newcomer to the board usurps their nickname. Keep the following in mind to avoid hard feelings:

• First, certain handles are reserved for the use of official Decipher representatives. The Emissary and The Traveler are Decipher's Star Trek CCG "Away Team," Marcus Certa and Kyle Heuer, respectively. Major Rakal is my handle (I'm Kathy McCracken; I maintain the boards and answer rules questions). In addition, the handle Q is permanently reserved for Jason Winter, Decipher's former official rules guru for two years. Please don't use these handles or anything close to them on the Decipher boards (or mailing lists); if you do, expect several people to ask you to stop. BBS users need to be able to recognize official posts; other people using these names is confusing at best and may be construed as impersonation (grounds for banning).
  
  

• If you're new to the board, don't just start posting with the first nickname that springs into your mind. If it's one of the popular characters, it has very likely been claimed by one of the board "regulars." Scroll down through the current posts to see what names are in use. This won't tell you all of them, but you'll get a good idea of the most frequent posters. A few of the more regular "regulars" are Mot the Barber, Wesley Crusher, Mogh, Tomek, Sirna Kolrami, Alidar Jarok, Taibak, Qume, Sir Francis, and Puff the Magic Dragon.
  
  

• Wesley Crusher has compiled an unofficial registry of nicknames for this BBS and his chat rooms. Again, it is not to be considered an exhaustive list but is worth checking out.
  
  

• Consider one of the more obscure characters for your nickname. There are plenty of minor characters already depicted on personnel cards who haven't been taken; many DS9 and Voyager characters to consider; or you might even find a home as an artifact or an event. I don't think anyone has taken Picard's Artificial Heart, or The Telepathic Alien Kidnapper yet. :-)
  
  

• Be careful about using a name that is a close derivative of one already in use. For example, if someone already uses the name Toreth, they may object if you use a close variant like Commander Toreth. You might email the current user to see if they mind. Email addresses are listed for most people on the registry noted above, and most people include their email address in their posts.
  
  

• Remember that it is to your advantage as well as everyone else's to choose a nickname that won't be confused with another person's. You will want everyone to recognize you and your opinions, not attribute them to someone else.
  
  

• For the same reason, you should be consistent in the name you post under. If you're Kle'eg today, Captain Janeway tomorrow, and Jake Sisko next week, you won't be able to build a "presence" on the board, so that people begin to recognize you and look forward to reading your posts.
  
  

• If, in spite of all this, you inadvertently post under a name that is unacceptably close to an already taken nickname, you will probably be asked to stop using it. Just let the nickname-holder know it was an honest mistake, and try something else.
  
  

• Deliberately posting under another person's name or nickname with an intent to mislead others is, at the very least, a serious breach of board etiquette. If done maliciously (e.g., posting false information purportedly from Decipher staff, or defamatory messages under another's name), impersonation is cause for Decipher to ban you from the bulletin board service.
  
  

• If a newcomer usurps your handle, ask them politely to choose another name. It may be helpful to refer them to the nickname registry.

Jolan tru,

Major Rakal

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