The old chestnut of the User Name Amnesty?

[AlpacaLypse]

I really do think a Username that was used for about a week and a half five years ago and has lain dormant ever since should be freed up. Maybe HQ could email dormant username owners and give them (say) thirty days to confirm they still want the name? Obviously some names should never be revived eg Mitmoo but I'm thinking the sort that posted once for innocuous advice and then drifted off, either nc-ing or to Another Site?

What do you reckon?

Kind of.

Would anyone like to buy this?

Hmm. I wanted Madame Cholet and it was gone. I have never seen a Madame Cholet post. I cook, I live there, we recycle and have solar panels and I have had to compromise. I want to be Madame Cholet - it is perfect.

Under ground, over ground, wombling free, Madame Cholet is the right name for me.

How did you know it was a troll, usual? How could you tell?

But I met Mitmoo - she had a badge - it was on her forehead at a meet-up. She was lovely. sorry was that really reelingintheyears where are you btw?

Hah too late Coconutty! I've already registered Alpacalypse1 and 2 and am just doublechecking randommoment still works!

I think NearTheWindymill deserves Madame Cholet.

You could just be MmeCholet instead...

We don't disagree that this would be brilliant if we could do it easily. BUT. When we did it before it really did use up fifty bazillion hours of staff time. You'd think it would be easy to reallocate a few hundred names between active users and dormant accounts but no.

We're trying to think if there's a way around the general hair-pulling difficulty of it, but tbh so far we got nuthin.

The NN 'Alpaca' hasn't been used since 2005.

2005!!

I'll be AmitymooHorror

As much as I would love this to happen I think we would massively overload the servers desperately trying to bag the names we all want

but if you would just free up granny weatherwax and give it to me

@Maryz

I have a quick and easy suggestion.

Any name that has been taken but never used (or only used on chat so there are no posts under that name) should just be shoved back into the pool.

That's it.

Worry about the used ones later.

It's just not that easy

OK Rowan.

But I'd come and make Tech lots of Gin and Tonics help?

Actually I'm not sure I'd like my name (or any of my alter egos) to be shoved back into the pool. I mean, I post often enough, but does MichaelTheBeachPoliceman, or NeilTheDoctor? They might be a bit miffed if they got consigned to the recycle bin!

Hey, Norman, I've been looking for you...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2068455-To-ask-NormanTheForeman-how-they-will-be-celebrating-Playmobils-40th-anniversary-in-PlaymoLand?

@AlpacaLypse

OK Rowan.

But I'd come and make Tech lots of Gin and Tonics help?

NO MORE GIN FOR TECH

I seem to remember MadameCholet was around a lot when I first joined - haven't seen her for a while, though. I remember GrannyWeatherwax too.

I saw this book and thought of MN. Maybe tech coukd have it instead of the actual (we need that emoticon, dammit!)