When Apple announced Ping, it’s “social network for music”, I gave it my default fan-boy happy dance. Oh, look what the great wizard has done now! Sure – I couldn’t see the need or reason for it, but it was another possibly cool thing from Apple, so I jumped on board.
I struggled to see the value in it – so few of my friends used it – but it did offer a way to tweet likes and statuses to the community beyond iTunes, so I thought I would grow to embrace it.
That all changed this morning.
There was an app that I wanted to write a review of (Sleep Cycle), but when I posted the review it referenced my full name. I don’t care how good Apple’s security is – my full name goes nowhere. I hunted high and low for an ability to use an alias or a nickname for iTunes reviews – but to no avail.
To quote from the Apple FAQ on Ping:
[your] Ping profile name must match the name designated in your Account Payment Information screen within iTunes. If you’ve previously created an iTunes nickname, it will automatically be replaced with your Ping profile name. Your Ping name appears on all of your published Customer Reviews.
So I can use Ping, or I can publish reviews using my web alias. Sorry Apple, I get the win on this one.
What I don’t understand is “why”. I’ve read some people say that if you post a review with your real name you’re more likely to be honest about it. My argument is that if I have a Ping account and you give me the option of writing a review with a pen name; people could then follow that pen name (with my authorization) and it would accomplish the same thing. I don’t mind people knowing who I am, I just want to control the flow of that information.
I wish Apple would change this. Ping integrated with Twitter would be a useful tool to help music fans to unite. But enforcing that kind of vulnerability just doesn’t sit right with me