Too Many Username Changes

[griddlebone]

I think that what Jack means is that if you're following someones progress and you are aware of the support/advice they have received in that past it can be difficult to tailor your response to someone if they keep changing their username. Continuity gets screwed up, which isnt to do with cliques or replying to someone based on knowing their username, but rather that it can be difficult to continue to support someone if you have lost track of who it is.

I know that there have been people who have left and returned and its much easier to support them appropriately if I remember them/know their previous issues when they were on RYL.

[The One Who]

Generally, I agree with Liv. I think there needs to be a limit. However, I don't think it's a good idea to encourage too many new accounts to be made.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Narcissa

And making a new account would not change the fact that there was an old account floating around with potentially thousands of personal posts attached to an identifiable username.

This is a public forum, and I think it is important that people not only know that, but remember it.

Quote:

if people fancy a username change, then that's their prerogative

Is it? Really? We do not own or run this site. The option to remove the function of username changes could happen tomorrow.

[random.swirls]

Okay so since The start of September I've done 55 username changes so that's over a 12-13 week period.

Which does seem quite a lot I guess I'm averaging 4 changes a week.

I looked through the changes and there are some names I recognise the vast majority are people who I don't know.

I tend to look through the names and if I recognise them having changed it recently I check I think maybe 3 times I've denied the change but most of the times it's outside of the 3 month limit.

[sherlock holmes]

I've only changed my name once. I used to be control freak and when I stepped down as a mod/left for a while I changed my name because I felt like I wanted a bit of a clean break.

It does confuse me when people keep changing their names, I dont know who anyone is any more, but I try to reply to threads regardless.

[Eccentrics]

I have changed my username once, and I did so because I believe my parents found my internet alias.

[Revival]

I've changed my name once in nearly 10 years because my old name no longer fit

[Isoverity]

Quote:

Originally Posted by griddlebone

I think that what Jack means is that if you're following someones progress and you are aware of the support/advice they have received in that past it can be difficult to tailor your response to someone if they keep changing their username. Continuity gets screwed up, which isnt to do with cliques or replying to someone based on knowing their username, but rather that it can be difficult to continue to support someone if you have lost track of who it is.

I know that there have been people who have left and returned and its much easier to support them appropriately if I remember them/know their previous issues when they were on RYL.

Yes that makes sense.

I've had PMs from returning people who were genuinely ecstatic that A) they recognized someone and B) someone remembered them.

I've also known some people who have had some serious issues and I can tell when things are building. I also notice when some people vanish after they hit a rough patch. There's not a lot I can do but they appreciate that someone actually noticed. Many times I've been told after a check-up PM "I didn't think anyone actually paid attention to me or cared what happened". That sort of forum sonar goes away when the landscape keeps changing.

A few rare times I have had to call someone near a member because of something bad going down. Once a girl who went on meds and suddenly wanted to jump in front of a train. I knew she did something very serious in the past. I called someone to intervene because I had a sense for the situation. That was 2006. That is a rare situation (4x in my time here) but such things happen.


Plus we all have our perspectives and approaches. My way to reply to a problem is not for everyone and I'm ok with that. One thing with me is that I can write a lot in a reply - which can be a thread killer (a reason I was always more of a PMer). If I already made someone a longish reply I don't want to have another go around with them and waste my time or piss them off. Some people even like a reply but don't need to get the same one again and again.

[LizzieRose]

I have an idea if I may.

I've had a few people on my Buddy List who changed their names, but I remembered who they were after a few moments of thought and looking at their profile.

Perhaps add people you wish to keep in touch with or keep track of to your Buddy List, so if they have a name change, you'll just have to check the profile or whatever to see if you remember them.

[Isoverity]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexiaRose

I have an idea if I may.

I've had a few people on my Buddy List who changed their names, but I remembered who they were after a few moments of thought and looking at their profile.

Perhaps add people you wish to keep in touch with or keep track of to your Buddy List, so if they have a name change, you'll just have to check the profile or whatever to see if you remember them.

I used to do that when things were more normal. I could keep track of some people using PMs. Now my PM names have changed so much I can't keep up with the situation anymore