On Google+ and names.
Aug. 20th, 2011 11:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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googleplusSince last night I've been educated on what names Google+ allows. And how many people are being shut out.
You are required to display one 'first' name, one 'last' name. Both must be one word.
You may not have three names on display, so all native Spanish speakers are out and so are lots of Chinese people. No punctuation, so goodbye go a lot of people of Irish descent and a slew of people from African countries. No diminutives (parts of names like Von, Van, De), so goodbye to lots of Dutch and French, Arab and Scots descended people. No single names, so goodbye to all those mononymed Indonesians and Australians. Last names must be longer than two letters, so all the Ngs and Os and Eks are now gone (yes, those are all real surnames). No hyphens, so goodbye lots of British and Norwegian people. I'm missing a lot of countries out, feel absolutely free to enlighten me.
If your legal, tax name doesn't fit the policies, then Google tells you, edit it until it does. Or we'll suspend you.
The number of people in the world who actually do have one first name and one last name as their 'name they are known by' is actually a tiny minority. Google+, by its naming policy, has made it very exclusive indeed.
You are required to display one 'first' name, one 'last' name. Both must be one word.
You may not have three names on display, so all native Spanish speakers are out and so are lots of Chinese people. No punctuation, so goodbye go a lot of people of Irish descent and a slew of people from African countries. No diminutives (parts of names like Von, Van, De), so goodbye to lots of Dutch and French, Arab and Scots descended people. No single names, so goodbye to all those mononymed Indonesians and Australians. Last names must be longer than two letters, so all the Ngs and Os and Eks are now gone (yes, those are all real surnames). No hyphens, so goodbye lots of British and Norwegian people. I'm missing a lot of countries out, feel absolutely free to enlighten me.
If your legal, tax name doesn't fit the policies, then Google tells you, edit it until it does. Or we'll suspend you.
The number of people in the world who actually do have one first name and one last name as their 'name they are known by' is actually a tiny minority. Google+, by its naming policy, has made it very exclusive indeed.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-20 05:26 pm (UTC)If nothing else, it has served the socially useful purpose of illustrating that Google management is no longer on the side of the users (if it ever was).