Only using one username on a thread

[9GreenBottles]

Hello Mumsnet

Having the ability to change your username is great if you don’t want to have previous threads tied to that name - until you start a thread and forget to change your username halfway through.

Could you introduce a function that locks the user to the username they start with on a thread that would save the embarrassment of the OP if they forget to swap when posting further (and would also have the benefit of preventing sock puppeting by other posters on more contentious threads)?

YY to this - I'm forever name changing to start a thread, then forgetting half way through. As you say, it would also be really helpful in terms of avoiding sock puppeting.

This is a great idea.

Here’s hoping it will be one of the many great ideas that might be actioned.

That's a great idea! Would stop sock puppets too.

Sorry, I've repeated you both there

Yes, I would support this. Now we have similar threads, old threads keep popping up in my 'I'm on' and I've accidentally used my current name at least once on those!

Afternoon, all. This sounds like an interesting idea. We'll pass on your thoughts and find out if it's something that it would be possible to do. In the meantime, do let us know here if this is something you'd like to see and if you have any more thoughts on how it would work. As with any new idea, we need to see that there would be plenty of support for it before we begin to look at it in any detail. We'll keep reading the comments here.

Good idea@9GreenBottles

It would certainly stop sock puppetry, although when they're caught out it gives MN a chance to ban them.
It's a good idea though.

That's a brilliant idea.
Hope they are able to do it. I'm another who's had name change fails on a thread that I was trying to keep separate from the rest of my posts.

I'm another who thinks this is a great idea. Not only for the reasons already mentioned, but also because it's annoying when an OP misspells their name halfway through their thread, and then their posts aren't highlighted anymore

Very much agree. There’s been a lot of sock puppeting lately and it will stop that.

Another point is that it’s easy to miss an OP’s responses when they name change because they then don’t then show up when you click on See All, and this would stop that issue arising too.

I'd like this. I've done it myself accidentally once or twice. It's embarrassing and I'd hate to think it looked like sockpuppeting.

Yes! I kept my MN username for years, then switched to changing my user name virtually every day. It really helps me separate issues, post more honestly without fear of being 'spotted' and helps me decompress from nasty threads.

But yep, I've accidentally sock puppeted as result. Great idea.

Good idea

I think it's a good idea too, it's irritating when you can't "see all".

What is sick puppeting ?

Yep

Yes please. I’ve accidentally looked like a sock puppet because I’ve done this in an attempt to keep my privacy.

I really like this idea. I post under multiple user names and try to keep info revealed to particular usernames, eg roughly where I live, ages of DC, hobbies and interests etc. Being locked to one per thread would remind me which is which.

Sock puppeting is when the same person posts on the thread using two different usernames but agreeing with the other one /egging them on.

Thanks for responding Hebe. I once had an instance of asking for a comment on a very sensitive thread to be removed/replaced with the username I’d started with when I forgot to name change. I can’t be the only one this has happened to when someone has outed themselves accidentally and it takes up time from your end to delete those comments/threads.

I was thinking about the sock puppeting thing and thought people who were doing that could potentially just log in with a different account so, in an ideal and perfect world you would be able to lock a username to an IP address on a thread too. That’s not too much to ask for, is it? 😊

That's a great idea, I've more than once gone back to a thread with a different username, entirely accidentally. And if it's a contentious thread I would hate someone to think I was doing it deliberately to drum up support for one side of a disagreement

Brilliant idea, happened to me a few times and then I feel stupid!

Good idea, I have done this on threads in Telly Addicts where threads often run for several weeks