Posted on 12/04/2011 3:21:05 PM PST by Dysart
Forget phone numbers and e-mail addresses. The era of the Internet handle is emerging.
Instead of having to remember a phone number or an e-mail address, in a few short years we might simply find somebody remotely over the Internet via his or her handle, another word for an Internet nickname.
It would be similar to the way handles are used in instant messaging or Skype, except that the handle would apply to all modes of getting in touch, including a phone number or e-mail address (or several of each). In my case, my Skype handle, "MattaboyBoston," could become the way you would reach me.
"People will no longer seek each other's phone numbers or email address[es] when establishing personal or working relationships," wrote Gartner analyst Adib Ghubril in a report on mobile predictions for 2012 and beyond. "Instead, they will ask each other, 'What's your handle?' "
Ghubril said that handles will have a huge advantage. They could remain unchanged for a long time, if not for life.
However, to use the handle format, everyone will need a personal Web page that can be reached via a person's Internet handle. In that Web page, the user would store personal phone numbers and e-mail addresses, all kept up to date by the user. All of those phone numbers and addresses would be unseen by outsiders who would have the user's handle stored in their own contacts directory, Ghubril said.
For businesses, a contact manager application could be designed for a workplace or organization. These apps would manage a directory of Internet handles that would read Web-based or cloud -based information about the one being contacted. It would also provide rules for communications (such as not calling at certain times).
(Excerpt) Read more at pcworld.com ...
Every taxpaying American already has a unique numerical identifier. It could be tattooed someplace identifiable and user for a “bio-metric” form of ID (photo still would also be required).
The Prisoner was lucky. He got #6, far easier to remember. He’s the envy of his peers.
You never use your real name online, but how many GraceGs are online that you may have to answer to/for in the internets’ forums?
Journalists seem to like doing online research first and legwork only as a last resort.
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