> 4) Never store firstname and lastname in the same field
I have the opposite opinion: unless you have a specific reason why you need to know one's "first name" and "last name" (e.g. to interface with some other system that requires names to be split up like that), just use a single field and stop caring about whether or not the name conforms to your preconceived notions of format and structure.
I have the opposite opinion: unless you have a specific reason why you need to know one's "first name" and "last name" (e.g. to interface with some other system that requires names to be split up like that), just use a single field and stop caring about whether or not the name conforms to your preconceived notions of format and structure.