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Is there a weird thing with these User Names?

16 replies

WitcheryDivine · 02/12/2024 10:09

Loads of posters seem to have user names along the lines of Adjective/Colour/Animal eg QuietMagentaSeal

Some just adjective/animal like WarmZebra

Is this some kind of auto generated “pick a random username” thing, one poster under tonnes of name changed or loads of posters who’ve randomly had the same idea.

OP posts:
BraveBlueDuck · 02/12/2024 10:15

Probably just a coincidence.

There was a thread about this a couple of months ago but I can't find it to link it

Isthereanypointtoallthis · 02/12/2024 10:15

There was a thread about this earlier and MN give an explanation.
www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff/5205637-newbie-naming-system

ForPearlViper · 02/12/2024 10:17

Mine is just an auto generated one from when I joined the site and couldn't be bothered to come up with a user name that hadn't already been used by someone.

Greentreesandbushes · 02/12/2024 10:18

Mine is totally random

Saltedcarameltiramisucheesecake · 02/12/2024 10:20

A large supermarket is offering my username as a party dessert, I know, I could hardly believe it either. 🤢

Hoppinggreen · 02/12/2024 10:21

When I have spotted what I think are fake posters and reported to MN they do seem to follow a certain pattern for the names such as
FakePoster but often involving an animal and a colour.

WitcheryDivine · 02/12/2024 10:22

Ah thanks for the explanation. I just couldn’t work out if the posters I was replying to were likely to be genuine/the same person or what. Good to know at least some of them will be real people anyway!

OP posts:
BraveBlueDuck · 02/12/2024 10:23

Hoppinggreen · 02/12/2024 10:21

When I have spotted what I think are fake posters and reported to MN they do seem to follow a certain pattern for the names such as
FakePoster but often involving an animal and a colour.

Does that make me a fake poster?
What even is a fake poster? Do you mean a bot?

AquaFurball · 02/12/2024 10:27

Would appear the MN algorithm generates the colour/critter combination when you first join and just accept the default username.

Rebeccaatmumsnet · 02/12/2024 13:08

Hey @WitcheryDivine,

Lots of users on here have mentioned this, but when you're a new user without a username, we have a generator that will suggest new usernames that you can choose from. We hope this makes it a bit easier to come up with a username.

WitcheryDivine · 02/12/2024 13:16

Thanks so much all

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 02/12/2024 15:43

BraveBlueDuck · 02/12/2024 10:23

Does that make me a fake poster?
What even is a fake poster? Do you mean a bot?

Bot or someone with an agenda and I did say "seems".
Of course having that pattern does not mean anything in itself but coupled with a few other things it may suggest that a poster is not here just for shits and giggles.
However, its impossible to be sure and I would never troll hunt or accuse a poster of not being genuine.

Hoppinggreen · 02/12/2024 15:50

And in fact one of the ones I has suspicions about has been zapped and deleted now.

Moreovers · 02/12/2024 15:52

It’s better than the older version format which was user126798573. The new version reminds me of Reddit usernames.

Soscold · 02/12/2024 15:54

I name change every few posts and for a while I’d change to the first thing I could see and a colour eg fluffybluethrow (just made that up). I put zero thought into my user names, just anything that pops into my head or words just chucked together

DontReallyCareBear · 02/12/2024 15:55

I don't mind the auto-generated ones that go adjective-colour-animal but the ones that start with a word like By or For or My are weird. ByPurpleHare or ForTealZebra (made up examples) - they annoy me because they just don't make sense.

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