Hey Mods! It has been ages since I created my profile, so this may have already been done, but would you be able to add a new line in the forum signup? Where you have new members choose a username, it would be great if you put a warning in large, bold font stating something like
We recommend that you do NOT choose a username that includes any part of your real name. Although most of our users are friendly people, this forum's pages can be found on Google and other popular search engines.
If you are new to forums: Most people make up usernames that are based on a pun or a favorite activity or any sort of nonsense they like. You could choose a name like BestSk8er or MustacheHero or PineappleSandwichKing. Your name can be as silly as you like, but it is best if it wouldn't identify you if a family member or coworker stumbled on your posts.
I have run into a couple new members who have put down their full name (FirstMLast) as their username, so I send them a PM in warning, but it would be great to head off this issue at the start. This
creepy message thread has ended in a few people removing even their first/given names from their forum names, but preventing new users from picking these names in the first place would stop them from being quoted or, worse, mentioned in non-quotes.
