I have belonged to other groups before and used to use my real name. Then I got stalked online in a very unpleasant way. I was finally able to identify my stalker (although she never knew I was onto her) but it taught me to not assume that people will do the right thing. Some people take delight in being mean and vicious, simply because it gives them a sense of power especially over people they are jealous of (for whatever reason).
I had also had another stalker who had been plaguing us with emails by the dozen, every day. I knew him personally, had to deal with him for business reasons until I finally managed to cut ties.
A third experience - I had clashed with a few teachers at the local school over easy child 2/difficult child 2 (long story) and I wrote an article about it using my name, but not using the school's name. My article was published in a small specialist parenting magazine and later in a book, a compilation of similar articles (I hadn't known about the book). Imagine my surprise when a copy of my article was shown around the staff at the local school!
As a result - I avoid identifying myself in any way which could make me easily tracked from my real identity, to this one. You could fairly easily track me back to my real identity from this site, but that's OK. I just don't want any stalker, or any teacher I have cause to clash with, using anything I've written as a weapon against me or my family. I don't want them to Google my real name, and find CD with everything I've ever written here about them.
So I freely admit Marguerite is not my real name. But it is the name my parents wanted to call me. My sisters talked them out of it. However, I use the name so much now, that I'm sure I would answer to it if I heard myself addressed as Marg in the supermarket. Because it is the name my parents wanted, I do feel I have a right to the name. I feel the name owns me now, to such an extent that if/when I ever get my book published about parenting kids with autism, I may well publish using "Marguerite" as my name.
My real name is more distinctive, more easily identified as me. I think I'm almost the only person in the village, with my real first name.
Marg