"Menu Driven Identities" Workshop

Q1) Which categories are available for users to choose from when signing up for Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or in order to use the Second Life gameworld? What presumptions do these categories make about the users, and what does the absence of certain categories say?
The categories that are the most commonly used when signing up for these websites are gender, age and country (living in or origin). Perhaps, these are seen to be the most important aspects of our identity. On the internet, we need to be identified in some way in order to connect with people. Although the Second Life gameworld differs in that you can make up a name and be identified by an animated character. But, I think the basic categories used to identify users (i.e. gender and age) are presumptious in the sense that these facts are the only information that is given about us to the website. So, gender and age define who we are even in cyberspace. The absence of categories like race, sexuality, marital status suggests that perhaps these are not as definitive aspects to our identies.

Q2) What sort of 'identities' are visible in the profiles on LavaLife? How are they displayed? What presumptions does this display make about both the people reading these profiles and those users who made them?
The identities on lavalife also include age, gender, country. They do include some extra details like religious views and whether or not they are smokers Obviously, the profiles are displayed in a positive light as they are wanting to attract someone. A presumption that the displays make about the people reading them and those who made them are that religion is of particular importance in a relationship. I found this aspect interesting because obviously, conflicts of religion are a big concern when forming a relationship. This is perhaps more important that things like political views.