Dear Abby: I Don’t Like or Use My Formal Name; How Do I Dodge It in a Professional Setting?

Dear Abby: I don’t like or use my formal name; how do I dodge it in a professional setting?

DEAR ABBY: I am in multiple online groups (such as academia, work, etc.) that insist on using my full first name. They require my full first name for legal reasons and do not offer an area to input the name I actually use. I know many people have far worse problems, but it gets on my nerves that everyone I interact with calls me by a formal name I have never used.

Frustrated by constant use of formal name online

DEAR ABBY: I am in multiple online groups (such as academia, work, etc.) that insist on using my full first name. They require my full first name for legal reasons and do not offer an area to input the name…