I wonder if it's time for a Name Amnesty?

[Pin0t]

Pretty please?

I'd like to be able to lose the zero and be Pinot, but it's taken by someone who posted in 2002. Trés annoying.

After a recent thread in chat about how lots of MNers have crazy amounts of names (most forgotten about/unused), it occurred that as MN is now growing rapidly, a name amnesty would be a good idea to free up names gathering dust somewhere.

What say you?

[AtYourCervix]

you can have most of mine back but in return I want SheelaNaGig.

[Pin0t]

AYC you have the best name on MN bar none. Fact!

[AtYourCervix]

I do wish I'd thought it up myself though

[Pin0t]

Paggy is too good, AYC, tooooo goooood!

[Cattleprod]

Great idea - stop people hogging all the good names then buggering off to Netmums.

What about all the old threads though - could be a bit confusing if someone dredged up an old thread where Pinot was trolling, for example. People might assume it was you!

Maybe if a name hasn't been used for 5 or more years and it's owner isn't a regular user, it could be recycled?

[2shoes]

i always wanted to be twoshoes, yet it is taken so I have to be a number, yet in the 5 years I have been here I have never seen a twoshoes

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

I think there has been an AuctionOfDormantNames previously, perhaps it's time to get it out the cupboard, dust it off and raise some money for good causes?

[OvO]

I've gone back to sites years after first joining so I wouldn't want names to be taken back just because someone hasn't posted with it recently.

But I'd be happy with donating our own unwanted/unused names. I haven't used a lot on my list. If you want to name change to a very minor HGTTG character then you'll struggle as I have them all.

[AtYourCervix]

0v0 - you may have half of them but I have the other half

[OvO]

It was probably you I was cursing when all the best minor character names were gone!

[SecretSquirrels]

I give up. What's HGTTG

[AbsDuCroissant]

Hear hear!

I was thinking about shamelessly copying GetOrf going minimalist, and using just "Abs", but it's taken. And the person who took it, has NEVER posted (or I'm just really bad at seaching)

[AtYourCervix]

which one did you want 0v0? i'll have a looksy.

[OvO]

Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. Damn you for making me type it all out on my iPad!

Cervix, I can't remember now, it was ages ago I wanted a HGTTG name, but thanks anyway. . I think I posted once as BowlOfPetunias and then went off the idea.

[SecretSquirrels]

Thank you!

[LaCidrai]

I'd like to be OldSpeckledHen but that's taken!

[JarethTheGoblinKing]

Yes, time for an old names auction me thinks.

[MardyBra]

I wanted MrsMadrigal. Mind you I'm used to being mardy now...

[MardyBra]

I wanted MrsMadrigal. Mind you I'm used to being mardy now...

[MardyBra]

Oops.

[MrsShrekTheThird]

well surely it wouldn't be hard to go for something similar to the 'hide thread' idea and have a button next to the names in your only used once whilst drunk spare names list in order to chuck 'em back in the ring? And yes to unused posting names being released after a set number of months[along the lines of phone numbers. well if it's good enuf for BT?]

[Pin0t]

Although I'm off on holiday soon so please don't do it until I'm home :) I would be well peed off if I missed the damn thing I asked for

[BitOfFun]

I'd like Bof or Boff, but they are gone and unused.

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello all,

Thanks for this - do keep posting to let us know what you think. If it seems like a very popular idea we will try to have a look at it after the summer when everyone's back from hols.

Thanks
MNHQ