My friends have real names? October 30, 2012 5:25 PM Subscribe
I'm enjoying shakespeherian's choose your own adventures, on Google Plus, but found it hard to follow just which Real Names belong to more familiar pseudonyms. So, I wrote a simple a userscript which could help.
The script reads pseudonym/gplus pairs out of a Google Spreadsheet and uses those relations to add a title attribute to profile links on Google Plus. That means that when you hover over someone's real name in most places, their pseudonym will pop up like alt text.
At the moment, only myself and shakespeherian are in the spreadsheet. However, the spreadsheet is publicly editable, so please do help to fill it out. Just make sure to keep the right format: pseudonym in the first column, Google Plus ID in the second. Your ID is that long, ugly number in the URL to your profile, like this.
The script reads pseudonym/gplus pairs out of a Google Spreadsheet and uses those relations to add a title attribute to profile links on Google Plus. That means that when you hover over someone's real name in most places, their pseudonym will pop up like alt text.
At the moment, only myself and shakespeherian are in the spreadsheet. However, the spreadsheet is publicly editable, so please do help to fill it out. Just make sure to keep the right format: pseudonym in the first column, Google Plus ID in the second. Your ID is that long, ugly number in the URL to your profile, like this.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- Brandon Blatcher
*Grows moustache to conceal identity.*
posted by arcticseal at 6:19 PM on October 30, 2012
posted by arcticseal at 6:19 PM on October 30, 2012
I really want to have to use this extension, such a joiner! but don't really have the need. I guess, uh... —Good luck!
posted by carsonb at 6:35 PM on October 30, 2012
posted by carsonb at 6:35 PM on October 30, 2012
Hopefully, no one enters Google Plus IDs on behalf of other users who would rather remain disconnected.
Tom Bojangles, you worry too much!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:46 PM on October 30, 2012 [2 favorites]
Tom Bojangles, you worry too much!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:46 PM on October 30, 2012 [2 favorites]
Chrome doesn't let you install userscripts from anywhere but their store, now
Huh, when did that happen?
posted by shakespeherian at 7:17 PM on October 30, 2012
Huh, when did that happen?
posted by shakespeherian at 7:17 PM on October 30, 2012
> Hopefully, no one enters Google Plus IDs on behalf of other users who would rather remain disconnected.
Ditto.
posted by desuetude at 8:07 PM on October 30, 2012
Ditto.
posted by desuetude at 8:07 PM on October 30, 2012
gilrain, I'll happily memail you my meatspace name, but I don't want to put info into a shared document that could identify my mefi account. I like my anonymity here.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 11:13 PM on October 30, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 11:13 PM on October 30, 2012 [1 favorite]
Will you delete the spreadsheet when the story ends, or will it stay there forever? I guess I could delete my details from it afterwards anyway, right?
posted by lollusc at 12:36 AM on October 31, 2012
posted by lollusc at 12:36 AM on October 31, 2012
I'm not overly hurried to add my pair to the spreadsheet, as anyone confused by my g+ username and how it relates to my mefi username should go back to bed now.
posted by subbes at 4:57 AM on October 31, 2012
posted by subbes at 4:57 AM on October 31, 2012
I guess I could delete my details from it afterwards anyway, right?
Unless it becomes read-only at some point.
posted by grouse at 7:01 AM on October 31, 2012
Unless it becomes read-only at some point.
posted by grouse at 7:01 AM on October 31, 2012
Is it just me or is the script not working? I realize that maybe no one in the current CYOABC thread has added their info to the spreadsheet yet, but I have. Should my pseudonym not be appearing when I hover over my own name?
posted by asnider at 9:00 AM on October 31, 2012
posted by asnider at 9:00 AM on October 31, 2012
I think it doesn't work in the notification drop-down menu, if that's where you're looking asnider. (Or else it doesn't seem to in mine.) It certainly works on an actual honest-to-goodness webpage though.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:35 AM on October 31, 2012
posted by shakespeherian at 9:35 AM on October 31, 2012
It's working for me now. Apparently, there are certain locations on gplus where it won't work (notification drop down and the "header" on your profile page). It works elsewhere. I guess I was just testing it in locations where it doesn't take effect.
posted by asnider at 9:46 AM on October 31, 2012
posted by asnider at 9:46 AM on October 31, 2012
Blazecock Pileon: “Hopefully, no one enters Google Plus IDs on behalf of other users who would rather remain disconnected.”
Agreed. At the same time, however, I think this solution does it exactly the right way. This doesn't scrape user profiles on Metafilter or Google Plus, it doesn't publish anyone's info inadvertently, and it's pretty firmly opt-in. Thanks for that, gilrain.
posted by koeselitz at 1:29 PM on October 31, 2012 [2 favorites]
Agreed. At the same time, however, I think this solution does it exactly the right way. This doesn't scrape user profiles on Metafilter or Google Plus, it doesn't publish anyone's info inadvertently, and it's pretty firmly opt-in. Thanks for that, gilrain.
posted by koeselitz at 1:29 PM on October 31, 2012 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I must admit it's a cool idea. Thanks for setting it up, gilrain.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 8:07 PM on October 31, 2012
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 8:07 PM on October 31, 2012
This doesn't scrape user profiles on Metafilter or Google Plus, it doesn't publish anyone's info inadvertently, and it's pretty firmly opt-in.
Maybe we need to have a discussion about privacy policy and the use of personal data like this, because this is "opt-in", in the sense that "someone-can-opt-you-in" if that someone has your personal info and some motivation to violate your privacy.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:43 AM on November 1, 2012
Maybe we need to have a discussion about privacy policy and the use of personal data like this, because this is "opt-in", in the sense that "someone-can-opt-you-in" if that someone has your personal info and some motivation to violate your privacy.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:43 AM on November 1, 2012
Blazecock, yes but also see the Internet in general, right?
I agree that I see that explanation used often to excuse violations of privacy. I don't think you're acting in bad faith, but what you're doing is a problem for people who value some level of anonymity. This is not opt-in (or even opt-out) as those terms are commonly understood.
Anyway, I'm really not going to get into a long back-and-forth about this, and I probably should have voiced my concerns with a different account. I do hope that we one day have a privacy policy in place, though.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:27 AM on November 1, 2012
I agree that I see that explanation used often to excuse violations of privacy. I don't think you're acting in bad faith, but what you're doing is a problem for people who value some level of anonymity. This is not opt-in (or even opt-out) as those terms are commonly understood.
Anyway, I'm really not going to get into a long back-and-forth about this, and I probably should have voiced my concerns with a different account. I do hope that we one day have a privacy policy in place, though.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:27 AM on November 1, 2012
Considering that there are relatively few people involved in CYOABC, might it be easier for people to simply MeMail gilrain to have their information added to the spreadsheet? That way it would be truly opt-in and remove the concern about bad faith actors forcing others to "opt in" against their will?
I'm assuming, of course, that this wouldn't place undue burden on gilrain.
posted by asnider at 3:01 PM on November 1, 2012
I'm assuming, of course, that this wouldn't place undue burden on gilrain.
posted by asnider at 3:01 PM on November 1, 2012
I am also under the impression that a lot-- possibly a majority-- of the participants aren't on MeFi.
posted by shakespeherian at 6:57 AM on November 2, 2012
posted by shakespeherian at 6:57 AM on November 2, 2012
I finally got a chance to peek at this, and it really is the best thing ever. I wish I could do the spreadsheet thing, but even though I'm not super anonymous, linking this pseudonym with my real name would be a very bad idea, at least for now. And since I can't do it, I don't feel right using the script to see other people's MeFi names.
It's kinda fun wondering about people's secret identity, anyway, as they speculate wildly about the implications of time travel and fret over story details.
posted by Superplin at 7:10 AM on November 2, 2012
It's kinda fun wondering about people's secret identity, anyway, as they speculate wildly about the implications of time travel and fret over story details.
posted by Superplin at 7:10 AM on November 2, 2012
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:58 PM on October 30, 2012 [4 favorites]