Hi,  

an alias is an action that hides you from the audience ... it's ok, as I'm doing with this post, but it's not that helpful if you're looking for "help" ... who would know you?

Your not using an alias. That is your handle

This post should have been under Hasha100, sorry Sgt.  
This seems to come up from time to time.  It's in the self help section but a quick vesion is that the difference between a post made by a handle and one made by an alias is the presence of a yellow envelope on the left corner of the post.  If you see the envelope it is a TER handle.  Once that handle has posted reviews the number of reviews will be listed.  A handle (yellow envelope) with no reviews simply means the owner of that handle has not written any.  Providers also start out with a yellow envelope and when they get reviews, they need to contact TER and ask that their reviews be linked to their handle.  Then when she posts you will see her handle, the yellow envelope and "see my TER reviews".  A provider with VIP can also have an alias.  

Some aliases do have credibility, if a poster  has hundreds or even thousands of posts under the same alias, that alias has MORE credibility than a poster using his "real" fake name, but who only has a handful of posts, and no reviews.

TER does not allow multiple accounts or multiple handles, except for the use of one alias, but that doesn't stop people from creating "brown envelopes" who have less credibility than any alias.

and one last thing, reviews are not the only yardstick where it comes to board credibility. Take me for example, I don't have a single review to my credit, but after tens of thousands of posts over a period of 11 years, many of them as a moderator on several  different TER boards, believe it or not even this board,I think I have as much "board cred" as any poster with hundreds of reviews.