PLEASE can we have a "date joined" next to people's usernames

[ShatnersWig]

Many of us have repeatedly made this suggestion over many years. If alongside our names it said the month and year we joined MN, it would help people realise this was a long standing poster who may have name changed and people might invest far less in what turn out to be troll postings, previously banned posters stirring up shit, DM journos etc.

I belong to many other similar forums and they all do this (some also have the number of postings they have made).

There's a thread now about the recent deletions and how to spot a possible troll and several have made the above suggestion (including me).

I really don't see the objection and every time it is suggested it gets a lot of support. It won't necessarily stop trolls but it might prevent some people investing too much in suspicious new poster threads or make long time users who need to name change not need to assure us they've been here for years (stating Pom Bears, penis beakers etc)

i concur - most other forums have that!

Yes and for anyone who joined pre (say) 2012 it could just say that to avoid any concerns over outing someone

Well I have been a member since 2010 but I keep getting annoyed and leaving. Then I need to rejoin! So it wouldn’t mean anything really

Or even just the year joined if nothing else?

This is a great idea.

Hi ShatnersWig,

We can't make any promises but we'll pass this suggestion upwards - and let you know when we hear back.

I agree this is a great idea.
It would be easier to pick trolls if they are new / banned and potentially registering with a different address!

I don’t think it would prove anything though - I have been here since 2005, but with so many usernames and email address I couldn’t even tell you them all. I certainly don’t still have the same email address as 13 years ago - I don’t even have the same husband!

Hi Sophie. Thanks. I know it's been discussed before but it never seems to get any further. I appreciate you will get some like Layer but most people seem to stick around and if most other forums do it it can't be too difficult to do.

I’m not sure I’d like it to be quite so specific as a date or even year, but perhaps a ‘newbie’ indicator for the first month or two. Similar to not being able to post photos for the first while.

Yes please!

It would be meaningless for people like me who have completely de-registered and re-registered for various reasons (Jeffrey, forgetting log in details, hacked email accounts...) but have been here for some time

And it would be another way to match up name changes: for example, if next to my name it says "Joined May 2017" and then I change my name to MaryPoppins, next to my new user name it will also say "Joined May 2017". Obviously there will be loads of users with the same date, but this bit of definitive info could be the piece that confirms the link between the two user names

Lots of older posters have de-reg and re-registered so it won't actually always help tbh. I've been on MN since 2002/3 but under this account less than a year, for example.

What NotTaken said. I'd be concerned the date joined could be used to identify a poster who may have name changed for good reason.

Agree with OP, except about the exact month/year. Too precise for anonymity when name-changing.

Other forums have stuff like 3 star gold user, 2 star, newbie etc.

I've asked for similar before, although to get round some of the issues Olennas raises I thought maybe something like eBay's coloured stars instead of a date. So maybe it would go on a combination of length of time posting and number of contributions, perhaps culminating in a lovely gold star for X number of posts or X number of years posting.

Might have to be a Mumsnet mug of tea though, rather than a star :)

X-post "Terftastic*

Rat I know a lot of us have asked over the years. Maybe it's not an actual month and year but something to indicate a bit of longevity. It mattered less years ago but with so many threads getting deleted because they are PBP or DM journos creating threads for copy or bored teenagers in school holidays, I do think it would help to have something.

I agree Shatners, I think it would help all round and perhaps reduce the dreaded troll-hunting and avoidable animosity that sometimes ensues too.

I agree with this. Even just year joined would be helpful tbh.

Looking at the public profile edit page, I actually have the option of showing either the year or month and year that I joined MN, so it can't take much to make it compulsory to share that info and to pull it through into the forum, surely?

I agree, or if it's simpler even the number of posts would help!

I think it's finally got to the point where the positives (less likely to get sucked in to troll threads or journos) outweigh the downsides (risk of newbies not being taken seriously). Even with the downside, in other forums I've been part of, this steers the newbies into starting more gently, joining in conversations, versus jumping straight in with the equivalent of a controversial AIBU. Which I think would be good for both the forum and the new joiners.

rat's point is the one that occurred to me, I know there's a convention on here to go here for penis beaker Korean women etc, but the thing is every one says that now, and trolls know. So surely having just a year, would cut the hummm interesting first post comments cos it would back up that claim.

I appricate many deregietered after Jefferey, and indeed some trolls play a very long game but I can see it would stop Holey threads where posts have been deleted for troll hunting

Regardless of name changing it should say e.g. +10 yrs, +5yrs, >3 mths and also 1st post, >50 posts, +500 posts etc. I'd support something like that.