When Australian graphic designer Beta Yee joined social-networking website Facebook, she did not expect to be virtually snubbed before sending her first "friend request".
But after she filled out the website's sign-up form she was told her name was "illegitimate", and she would not be able to join.
Facebook has banned a range of words from people's user names to prevent abuse and profanity - and Beta is on the banned list.
Ms Yee decided to try again and was accepted as "Beatrice" Yee.
"I think it's quite amusing... my first reaction was laughter at being 'rejected' for my name," she said.
Online identity crisis
Facebook bills itself as a website "that connects you with the people around you", but using the name "Beatrice", Ms Yee found she was unable to connect with many of her real-life friends on the site.
To ensure that people do not register with fake names or identities, Facebook has blocked a list of common names people might use to abuse the site 
"They were either amused or confused... while others had no idea who I was," Ms Yee said.
Many social-networking sites allow users an escape from their real-life identities. Users create online personas through profiles based on their photos, videos, music and other tastes - and choosing their own online names.
But Facebook is based on "real people making real-world connections", spokeswoman Malorie Lucich told the BBC News website.
Unless, of course, your real name has been banned.
The "real-world" networking is one of the key factors in Facebook's recent success, says Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist at the US-based Pew Internet Project, which studies the evolution of internet use.
"Facebook is trying to hold on to its initial differentiator, which is that it is more connected to your offline identity, which is why it is safer and which I think is why people were initially more attracted to it," Ms Lenhart said.
But the problem lies in the website's automated computer system, she says.
"This is really the problem, where we try to have a computer system and an online space fill in for our offline relationships," Ms Lenhart said. "It's not perfect."
Privacy controls
With nearly 50 million users around the world, Facebook is growing at a faster rate than rival social-networking websites such as MySpace and Bebo.
Facebook may only be three years old, but it is fast becoming part of the online establishment. Last week, Microsoft purchased a 1.6% share of the company, placing its value at $15bn (£7.3bn).
The company would not reveal the words it had banned for user names - or why it had banned the name Beta - but Ms Lucich said: "To ensure that people do not register with fake names or identities, Facebook has blocked a list of common names people might use to abuse the site."
While this seems prudent to prevent offensive behaviour on the website, automated processes rarely take into account real-life circumstances.
In July, it was reported that New Zealand woman Rowena Gay was unable to sign up with her real name.
"The social-networking system isn't set up to deal with people who for whatever reason have unusual names or difficult names," Ms Lenhart said.
This could become more of an issue as the site's popularity spreads - already, 60% of Facebook users are outside the US.
As social-networking sites become more popular - Facebook alone is said to account for 1% of all internet traffic - they are also coming under pressure to tighten privacy and safety controls.
This month, Facebook agreed to enhance safety mechanisms and respond more quickly to complaints of inappropriate content and conduct on the site, after New York prosecutors accused it of false advertising over its safety claims.
"The safe thing for them to do is to default to the most stringent kinds of cut-offs and requirements," Ms Lenhart said.
'No Lords'
The policy has become such a joke among some Facebook members that user Patrick Lord initially signed up with the user name "Illegitimate name" when he found his surname was on the banned list.
Other users whose real names were also rejected have created groups on the website such as "Facebook Hates My Name" and the "Against Kate Beaver Joining Facebook Coz Her Name's Illegitimate Society".
Since coming under fire from users for its banned name list, Facebook has altered its sign-up procedure, allowing users with "illegitimate names" to contact a customer service team to verify their name.
But Ms Yee says that after joining once already, she cannot be bothered to go through the process again.
"My real life takes precedence over my virtual life," she said.
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