When I first stumbled across the 'cat I was in the process of separating my life from that of an emotionally unstable SO. So I felt I had reason to make it a little tougher to find me. Granted, no one is anonymous on the net, but keeping an alias and your real name completely dissociated will make it a little more difficult to find you via forum postings.
I lurked for a few days before deciding to become a member, and so had time to think of what handle I wanted. At the time, Homeless rather described my life. Not just my condition of shelter, but my life. If home is where the heart is, I was always a wanderer. I never fit well in any group, clique, or stereotype. I've always been viewed, and view myself, as an outsider, so Homeless seemed the most accurate
description in a word.
By my reckoning, it doesn't matter if you use a handle or real name, as long as you pick something to use consistantly. When I was posting regularly, the people here knew who I was and what I was like. I don't see that it matters whether I was know as Homeless or Rob Frumderich. A rose by any other name, and all that happy horsepuckey. What drives me nuts are the people who use multiple names, concurrently or consecutively.