Ned,
I agree with you 100%. This club is different than most in that we deal with one another in a personal way as if some day we might actually meet somewhere in real life. (Tiller Con anyone?) The best way to go, in my humble opinion, is with our real names. Nick names are fine, but with your real name included, such as: Don "Maxwell Smart" Adams, just as we do: 5th Texas "Lone Star" Cavalry Brigade, 1st "Phantom Division", "The Swamp Legion" III Corps, ANV which to the club database is simply ANV III 1 5. We can have all the fun and nicknames we want, but at the same time keep things constant for record keeping purposes. One of the decisions that came out of a recent discussion of the Units was how to handle the different names and designations for Corps, Divisions, and Brigades, whether Cavalry, Infantry, Artillery or what. The concensus was that the basic numbering system of the club would be standardized for record keeping and reporting, but that the individual websites could continue using whatever they had always been using. It really helped simplify the record keeping aspects of the club. It may be called the "Reserve Division", "Phantom Division" or whatever on the "local" Army's website, but in the club records it has a number instead of that name. It gives a rigid structure to the club organization, but at the same time gives complete flexibility in the "local" naming conventions. If a new commander takes over and wants to call the AoP the "River Rats" it is no problem and has no effect on the club records.
I hope all of that made sense. [:p] And I hope I also made clear it is my opinion that everyone should be using their real names. I have always "assumed" (a dangerous thing to do) that is what everyone was doing in the first place. Kind of like it just makes sense that in this club you only belong to one side at a time. It is not written anywhere as a rule, but common sense dictates that.[8D]
Lt. Gen. Don Adams
5th Texas "Lone Star" Cavalry Brigade
I/III ANV
http://www.rootsandsaddles.com/index.htm
