Full Names and Login Names

It is common on the internet today to use just a single-word login name as an identifier in chats, discussions, email lists, etc.  And I think the underlying software we are using for astrocartography.net started out with this style.  But I am not comfortable with the uncertain, anonymous, or even multiple identities possible in this kind of culture, and I think is a fairly poor fit in astrology.

So throughout the site we have been trying to create a consistent use of Full Names and Login Names. Basically, login names are only used where their brevity is a convenient feature.  Of course they are used to log in!  And they are used in URLs to identify a unique path to each member's folder.  By the way, this means that every login name must be unique.  Full names, on the other hand, are used everywhere on the site to identify the author of any kind of document.  They are usually shown as links which lead to the member's author page (short bio, picture, external web site, etc).  Full names don't have to be unique.  If someone else has the same name as you -- well, that happens sometimes!

I think that it is important also to realize that full names are expected to be real names, and that multiple member folders for the same person are strongly discouraged.

When you have logged in, you are able to search for and list members by clicking on the Members tab in the navigation bar.  This will give you a form allowing you to enter a login name and a full name or any part of these names.  If you enter the letter "a" in the Full Name field and then click on search,  the system will list everyone who has an "a" in their full name.  If you enter "xyz", then it will list everyone who has an "xyz" in their full name.  If you don't enter anything, it will attempt to list everyone.

There isn't really a big purpose for searching for members through their login name unless you have forgotten your own login name, then searching this way might help you find it.

Once you see list of members, clicking on a picture/name will display the author page.  From there you can go to that member's folder if it has been made public, or to the external web site of the member, if he or she has listed one.