Multiple Name Changes

[Chippednailvarnishing]

I've been on a thread tonight where someone has posted a goady OP and has then been unkind to another poster. It then becomes apparent that they are posting under multiple names on different threads, apparently because they are also posting on a local area thread.

Isn't it time to show how many name changes a poster has visible by their name? If you are posting nasty GF ops and you have 155 different names, it's clear to everyone what sort of thread they are on?

Not allowing name changing on a single thread would make sense but I do like having the facility to change it.

I have 3 current names I'm posting under. This one is used for frivolous stuff, the other 2 are for more serious threads in which I give quite a lot of details about what's going on in my life.

There's no need to, but there's no harm either. I have never posted anything goady or had a post checked or deleted by MNHQ.

The anonymity is nice but I agree it is far too easy to be an arse and get away with it.

I don't really see a huge benefit in having the number of name changes in brackets by the name. It can only refer to names that have been active in the last month or so. Unless the number was ridiculously high, I don't see what benefit there is in knowing. It would be easy to be a GF with a very small number of name changes.
And MN can see the name changes so if someone is being a GF, report the post and they can check.

I would be RustyBear (66)

Bear in mind that MNHQ have actively encouraged namechanging for competitions - this is my 11th year on MN and there have been regular Christmas, Easter and Halloween namechange competitions, plus several others for special occasions, such as the Doctor Who themed one for the 50th anniversary. Then one Christmas I decided to do a 12 days of Christmas namechange. Others have been just for fun on a theme on various threads, such as the Terry Prattchett tributes or a thread where we were all translating our names into various languages.

Another time I changed because I wanted advice on the best design for the school website I was creating which obviously would have revealed where I worked. Then some people at work found out my name, so I use a different one for anything personal, but I want to keep RustyBear for most posts

As far as I am aware, I've never been accused of goading, and have never been deleted.

I do agree with Worra that a non-name changing topic would be a good idea.

Even though I'm not what you'd call a 'name changer', I'd still be WorraLiberty(6)

Copied and pasted from my list (I've changed a few numbers around in the secret santas)

WorraLiberty
WorraLorraTurkey
WorraLorraYonis
WorraLiberty
Xmas2013SantaA1109
Xmas2014MN2212

The point is Rusty if you're not being a GF having lots of names won't mean anything. I also change for competitions and work related stuff.

There are people who NC and just to start goady threads, there is quite an obvious pattern to it. I really think it will flag them up if it's their first post under a new name and they also have hundreds of other names. At the very least it gives you a chance to avoid posters who look dodgy.

I'd recognise you anywhere Worra!

Yes, but in that case, ChippedNail, if I had something personal I wanted advice on and name changed for it I would come up as CrappySituation (67) and everyone would think 'first post under that name, lots of other names, must be dodgy'

I have only name changed once, and that was after the site was hacked and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get my old account up and running.

So I had to create a new account which shows I have only been a member for a short time (whenever the hack was) rather than years.

Made me sad as I liked my old username but someone had joined after me and created a very similar username and made posts I didn't always like, so I suppose in the end it was timely!

I have loads of usernames because I post really sensitive identifiable information a lot of the time

I have to change my NN regularly due to my DPs stalking ex

I namechange regularly. There's nothing wrong with that and if I couldn;t....or if people here judged me as a troll because I had a large number by my name, then I wouldn't come here.

Other forums do allow namechanges...also, people are forgetting that it's very simple to grab a throwaway email address and just register again under a fresh name.

SOmeone could do that daily if they wanted to. So all this outcry is silly and misdirected really.

Name changes could be approved by MN HQ. Nobody needs to name change that urgently that they can't wait a few hours for an approval.

I moderated on a site where you could change your name but only every seven days I think it was. You will never stop trolling altogether but limiting name changes would reduce trolling significantly. Also, they could prevent posters from using more than one name on the same thread.

Years ago there was a poster called globetrotterInVietnam who had her ability to name change removed because of the number of sockpuppets she used. I don't imagine she's the only one but she's the one I remember.

I nc a lot (or I used to before the system stopped letting me) mainly because I think I am on the edge of being outed

Wannabe yes they do. Sometimes people need to name change quickly to get advice quickly. AND as I said, it's easy enough to register again under a different email address. You can get throwaway temporary email addresses now.

So this wouldn't fix the trolls at all.

LittleBear and Chipped I'm so glad that your lives are lovely and simple that you cannot imagine why people would need hundreds of namechanged.
Nancy, Lola, and violet have all given examples of why it becomes necessary. Many people have complicated lives, not necessarily in the public eye, but they are watched by others (ok, sounds paranoid, but really not).
Name-changing every few weeks keeps people safe. But the time they've been here even only five years, that's hundreds of usernames.
Lots of us have been here far longer than that!

Don't be so patronising Machi
I doubt anyone needs hundreds of names, especially just to start one off goady threads, which is completely different to name changing every few weeks.
And as other people have posted, if you could relinquish previous names or just have the names you have used in the last few months, there wouldn't be a situation that long term posters who change every few weeks would end up with hundreds of names in the first place.

I think they did try a name change relinquish years ago and it was very difficult to do. Maybe if there was an automatic rollover (use it or lose it) type thing it could work though?

" if you could relinquish previous names or just have the names you have used in the last few months"

so what would happen to the 'relinquished names? would they go back in the pot? so others can use them? don't think that would really work...? (so what would be the point of relinquishing them??)

Why do people get so hett up, as others have said, you can easily sign up for a spare gmail address, and get another user account if you want to be GF - stopping name changes will NOT stop trolls / GF / and sock puppetry

What we need is to continue to report those people, not give more than we can afford to, and stop trying to control the masses due to the actions of a few wankers

I've accidentally sockpuppeted before quite badly actually. I'd changed my NN to a previous one in the posting box (a name that I don't mind personal info on), come back to reply and forgot to do that and accidentally posted under the current NN, then replied again a few days later having had a recent name change. Luckily it wasn't while having a row with anyone but looking at usernames alone, my POV was a bit over represented!

So out of interest who on this thread thinks that name changing is too easy?

I do!

I don't!

I do!