please get rid of the user1234567 system

[LurcioAgain]

It's just troll heaven.

I know it's common to a lot of sites (eg. the Guardian's Comment is free aka censorship is free) - but here, where it's only recently come into being it simply confuses things and is massively open to abuse

For instance, there's a very sane, interesting poster who has registered in good faith, let's call them user 1234567. Then there's a user with shall we say rather outre views - it's taken a while to get used to the fact that user 9876543 isn't user1234567 (and I've seen people caught out confusing the two).

And now there's a complete troll thread in relationships, started by user1235467 - i.e. almost the same number I'd got used to as being a real poster who makes sensible contributions, but not quite.

Please get rid of this glitch in the system - make people choose user names rather than issuing default numbers.

Yes please put it back how it was.

I agree with everything said upthread. No matter how appalling, random names are much better than User567839 ones. At least there would be less confusion. And we might get a laugh.

Appalling combinations?

Haven't you seen this?
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2660942-My-user-name?

They did try the two name combo system, and it kept throwing up the most appalling combinations, that it was decided the best thing to do was go with numbers.

I'm quite intrigued by these"appalling combinations" - could we have some examples so we can judge?

Like others I tend to believe that appalling combinations are better than userxxxxxxxxx

Yes, agree with everything posted. It makes it easier for trolls (and as Usual said, that's enough of a problem on here). It makes people think that posters are sock puppeting themselves and forgetting to namechange. It makes it difficult to have a conversation when there's 5 different 'username4567whatever's posting.

Also, ahem, I probably shouldn't say this, but a disproportionate number of them seem to start their posts with 'so sorry, I'm new here, hope I'm not getting this wrong' etc. Possibly with added 'oh I was assigned this username and numbers and don't know how to change it'. Call me suspicious, but it reminds me of when I was 12 and my friends were being bitchy. We were supposed to meet up in a friend's house, and I arrived and rang and rang and rang and rang the doorbell. Friend answers all innocent and says 'oh sorry, didn't hear you the first three times'. You know? Trying too hard to look like they don't know what they clearly do know. If that makes any sense

This is MN. Appalling combinations are sought after. You'll probably be able to auction them off KatherineMumsnet

Nothing from MNHQ on this for days! Another troll deleted on an SN thread with this type of username. Surely it's making things much harder for MNHQ too? Ridiculous situation

Fuck the user names.

I want the appalling combinations.

MNHQ WHEN are you going to sort this? It's causing arguments where a goady user12345 is being mistaken for a non goady user 12335 it's derailing several threads and causing offence to new users who ARENT goady. It's confusing and disconcerting.

I can't believe no-one nabbed this already You're right Maryz these are fantastic names.

MNHQ I agree the random name generator is the way forward.

Morning folks!

LATEST: We hear you loud and clear and we're going to get rid of them in favour of a different approach but it's going to take us time because we are going to need to rebuild some of the way we handle registration. Please bear with for a while, it's not going to be speedy but we are changing it.

Appalling combinations would at least ensure new users fit right in :o

Quite right, Bertie.

What about an innocuous second word, like Aardvark, then run through the noun dictionary for the first word, AppleAardvark - ZebraAardvark etc, then start again with a new second word, like Abacus. Yes, there might be an AppleAardvark and an AppleAbacus on the same thread but they'd still be distinguishable.

Great you are changing this, MNHQ.
I have been totally confused by all the apparently reasonable 'trolls' I have been seeing..

Great news! I'm finding it really hard to follow conversations as so many have the same user name. Putting me off using MN to be honest.

Oops morto I just started another thread on this. It is really hacking me off.

You do have to confirm your email, which is how you get given the user number name. And its not just the app either, its however you reg.
I tried to use my own name but it won't let me change it or tell me why.

Good news. It's confusing else!

Hello! I am a user (a nice one, you can check) ita not actually very easy to change your name on the phone so making it easier might help people? I'll go try again on mine now.

I'm the biggest baddest wrestler of them all, Maryz:

Thomas Cromwell, Queen Slayer!

Look, there's this for generating ALL kinds of names.