Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

Let's say you want to be friends with people in your life on a daily basis. And you don't want people to be able to google your name and have your page come up. Can you do this? Would it be odd? Does anyone on facebook not have their name on their page, hence it will not come up in a search? And only people you know would know it's your page? KWIM?

Or does NO ONE do this?

In a way I want to create an acct, but don't want my name in google searches etc.

Message edited 8/23/2009 11:38:51 PM.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

I had some temp friends for games that had made up names, like Cartoon Head.

You could set up your account with a name you are comfortable having displayed then invite your friends so they know it's you.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

Posted by Christine

I had some temp friends for games that had made up names, like Cartoon Head.

You could set up your account with a name you are comfortable having displayed then invite your friends so they know it's you.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

If you don't use your full last name, your name won't come up in google searches.

On facebook, there are privacy settings so that only your friends see what's on your wall, your p ictures, profile info etc. You can limit how you come up in searches...you'll see if you set up an account.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

under the privacy settings you can check a box that won't have your name come up on the internet (i.e. google searches). I did that and i use my full name on facebook.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

I didn't use my real last name. My last name isn't common and I don't want people knowing it to commit identity theft. I am a bit too paranoid about it.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

My niece has her first and middle name.

If you post on other peoples walls, other people might realize it is you so might find you that way.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

I actually changed my real lastname to a different made up name.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

I used to have my full name, maiden and married. I've since changed it to my first name, my middle name, and the first initial of my last name. I don't come up in searches.

When you befriend someone on Facebook, their friends can see your full name and avatar. That part bothered me, so I changed it. By then, anyone who would have searched for my maiden or married name had already found me.

I usually don't "friend" anyone that I don't know in real life. In the case of LIF people, I only have a few that I've met before or that I've had extensive conversations with over a long period. I think there's only two people who have all my information - all my message boards, email addresses, know my full name, where I live, met me in person and chat online with me.

It sounds paranoid, but I've seen enough shady dealings here to want to keep my full information limited!

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

my brother uses his first name and middle name. Not his last.

you could also get a yahoo email account so that people cant search you by your regular email.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

While I do use my full name, there are plenty of people I know who just use their first and middle name or even just initials, like Mary Elizabeth or Jenny R. T.

My name does not show up in Google searches either.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

Yep. I have some friends who abbreviated their names for this precise reason.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

All these are good ideas...another one I have seen is someone who splits up their first and last name: ie: Nicole Smith would be Nic ole Smi th.

Re: Can you create a facebook account but not use your full or real name?

you can set up your privacy settings so you account is completely private and so you won't come up in any searches or search engines. that's how my acct is set up.