Stupid question about name change

[FusionChefGeoff]

If I change my user name now, will all my existing posts still remain under the old name? I’ve been posting for years under this name but my son is now 13 and mentioned recently he’d seen my name and I’m worried he will search my posts and I’d really rather he didn’t see 13 years of angst plus a load of very personal and honest information.

I had a very serious talk and explained it would be like reading my diary and at the moment he’s a very compliant type - but what if that changes and he looks me up?!

Yes.

You can name change, but anything written as @FusionChefGeoff will sit there as the posts written by you, it's just your new posts that will be under your old name.

You can 'deregister' and they then disappear. I did this years ago when I realised cumulatively, over the years, I'd probably included more information about me, and my dc than was wise.

This.

I also name change about every 6 weeks just in case my posts taken together become identifiable.

Deregistering doesn't delete old posts. If you want old posts gone and you have a very good reason MNHQ can take them down - send them an email. I believe they don't do it lightly though I would guess it is a lot of work.

Name changing doesn't change old posts, old posts remain in the original name they were posted by.

You might be able to get them to retrospectively change your username on old posts, though?

Deregistering doesn't delete old posts. If you want old posts gone and you have a very good reason MNHQ can take them down - send them an email. I believe they don't do it lightly though I would guess it is a lot of work.

Well, I can only go by by own experience.
All my posts (written over many years - which is why I became more concerned, once the site grew, and once they started putting stuff on to Facebook, and, I guess, when I became a bit less naive about the internet) disappeared when I asked for them to be removed.

Hi @FusionChefGeoff - not a stupid question at all!

First of all, please don't deregister! Your posts won't automatically disappear if you dereg, and it makes it much harder for us to verify who you are.

If you choose a new username, your old posts will remain under the name you posted under at the time. But we are able to retrospectively change your username on past threads if that would help. And while we really try not to carry out mass deletions, if there are any particular old threads that you're worried about, just let us know.

If you get in touch (either by reporting this thread or mailing in at [email protected]) we'll do whatever we can to help

Also bear in mind that, if any old threads pop up again at the top of your 'I'm on' - sometimes people find them and post, not noticing that the thread went silent months ago - if you reply to them/re-engage, everything new that you post will show under the username that you had when you were on that old thread and not your current one.

Mine doesn’t do that with name changes/. It automatically switches in each thread (I NC every week)

Ooh, how weird. I assumed it was to avoid sock-puppeting, so nobody could use more than one username in any one thread?!

I misunderstood you. I thought you meant any thread not just the one with an old name! I shall see myself out

Yes but that's what I mean - you have to ask for them to be removed.

Deregistering on its own doesn't do that automatically.

Oh, well it was a LONG time ago I did it, so I can't remember the details, but they did remove all posts under my old name. Initially, threads I'd posted on under the old name got revived for one reason or another, as posters do for some reason, and, whenever there should have been a post from me, it had gone.
Obviously I either had a kind admin at the time, or policy (or even the technical ability to do it?) must have changed.