to just keep changing my name on here because sooner or later someone will drag up old posts I have made?

[wirey]

AIBU to just keep changing my name on here because sooner or later someone will drag up old posts I have made?

I sometimes think there is no point sticking with one username for too long because the minute you post something people disagree with, someone starts digging through your posting history to use it against you.

It is so irritating when the actual topic gets ignored and instead it turns into well on your thread from six months ago you said this, or last year you posted that. Half the time it is not even relevant, it is just a way to undermine you or make you feel stupid.

I am not talking about being inconsistent or saying something outrageous. Just normal posting where your views change a bit, or different situations bring out different opinions or you do not want every random detail from previous threads tied together by strangers.

Part of me thinks I should just keep changing names and start fresh every so often. But then people start saying interesting first post so can't win.

I name change all the time- I think lots of people do. I'm not particularly worried about someone bringing up old posts (my posts are consistent and never particularly controversial), just think it's better from a privacy pov- I have certainly recognised people I know IRL on here and if anyone recognised me I'd rather limit what they see.

Litterally name change monthly!

I don't post anything very "serious" on here, but I do name change frequently as I might reference holidays/TV programmes/things that drive me up the wall that I have also mentioned to friends/family and i wouldn't want them digging through everything else I have commented on.

You're allowed to do as you see fit. Personally I think name changing is too unrestricted on here.

YANBU.

I've had it done to me a few times. Someone once dragged up a thread about my DH's sudden death to prove a point on a thread, not started by me, about cleaning

Half the time what they drag is from X years or months ago and is no longer relevant. People are not static; circumstances change, and that's never taken into account.

I can't seem to change my name on here! I did have another user name, but they won't let me use that now! I have no idea why, unless it's because I don't pay subs?

I'm always name changing. I have a few different personalities with different names. All true to me, but one I might talk about my kids, one I might say where I'm from.
I've always thought that there should be a way of differentiating between a First Post and a name change. I'm happy to engage with a controversial post with a name change, but not with a newbie.

I name change all the time and I'm not on the premium account but the free with adverts.

Yeah this is the only forum I know on the internet where you can have multiple usernames. On other forums, the admins will usually ban you if you're found to have multiple usernames. They can tell because they'll be on the same IP address.

YANBU. I've never been on a forum other than this one where people go looking for other people's old posts and then drag up the details in newer threads. I think some people have too much time on their hands.

Do whatever you want to.

The problem with people that dont change their names, and then post something completely outrageous is that other posters get annoyed

eg:

AIBU to celebrate my 12th wedding anniversary alone because my DH and DC forgot

and
AIBU to say I should not be discriminated against because I am single and childless by choice

I've seen examples of this, which clearly show total and utter BS

Really?

I've seen it all over the place

Name change if you want. Loads of people do, and on a site with this level of readership it's a practical option.

Only time I’ve done it was because I’d lost access to email address registered to account.

I don’t say anything I don’t believe so people are free to scroll through my old posts if they are that interested lol.

I’ve never scrolled back through a poster’s other replies and tbh think it’s a bit weird that people do.

You can do what you wish but I suspect much of the trolling/nonsense on here is enabled by the extent to which name changing is both permitted and encouraged.

I can see a case for allowing one username per topic/subgroup but unlimited name changing across the piece is asking for trouble.

I don't post anything I don't believe either, but things in my life change, and what was happening 12 months ago may no longer be relevant.

The example I gave above, I'd posted to defend a poster who was being shit on for her cleaning routine. I posted that I also only mop my floors once a week unless something utterly disgusting occurs.

Someone dragged up a thread where I'd posted about being frustrated that I was the only one cleaning and decorating, etc., in the aftermath of DH's death. I'd mentioned on that thread that I was sweeping and mopping twice a day, every day. Which I was. That was true. It's also true that I usually only bother once a week because 99% of the time, I am not trying to distract myself from grief with OCD level cleaning.

People change. Circumstances change. X and Y might both true.

In my experience most people on here don't do this - they understand the rules of the game.

I only had it once from someone on the Royal Family board who just had no sense of discretion or what was fair to use in an argument and what was below the belt. I reported this pp for 'following me around from thread to thread' and being extremely personal and the relevant posts were deleted. But it didn't stop them immediately - their semi-literate ramblings kept on appearing.

They have now disappeared - either given up and gone away, or changed names and learned how to behave themselves!

I have a range of usernames that I use on different boards, plus one that's the only one I use if talking about the area I live in. I find that works well.

Nothing wrong with name changing, but I almost never see what you're talking about on here. It's almost always about an OP's inconsistencies that make people suspect trolling, or context that adds to the current post (generally but not always showing a history of inaction/denial/poor judgement).

Do you post a lot on political threads or have a lot of disagreements with specific posters with a tendency to do this (though I suppose you might not know if they change names a lot too)?

Yanbu. And I think it's really creepy when people go hunting around for older posts

It is really creepy . I can’t be arsed to go around searching for older posts . It really isn’t that deep

The people with the problem are the ones who go through your old posts. I had this recently on a thread where someone was encouraging others to AS me and to cause a pile on. That particular poster seems obsessed with me anyway and has been getting increasingly personal about it too. I swear they have a notebook about me next to their computer. They change names, but it is so obvious who it is once they start commenting.

Another time, someone went through my posting history, changed their name to as close as they could to mine, and made a thread that basically was some big mish mash of many of my posts. Fucking weird.

I name change all the time.

I name change loads. I don't say anything controversial or inconsistent, but I do say some personal things and I don't need that being dragged up when I'm commenting on a post when someone is asking which shoes look best... well that may be extreme but some people are twats!

They are always like "how fucking amazing am I that I can find these things, I should work for the FBI!" They should spend less time trawling through back posts and more time finding a life! Nobheads!

Bloody hell, that is nuts!
Was it your SIL? lol