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Feature to change Forum Name or Scroll Name

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I don't plan to ever change my username (as Jenn said, I've been using it on everywhere on the Internet excluding Tumblr since 2007), but I'm in support of this. Though I'd only limit it to one request every year or something (plus only accounts that are six months old can request??) so it'll be discouraging to have a username that impersonates someone, especially since I've been a forumer for a long time and forums that do have that policy rarely have an impersonation problem, if ever.

Edited by MisaTange

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As long as it's limited to a certain number of changes in a certain amount of time, I don't really see a problem with changing user names.

 

However, I wonder what would happen to the old names who are basically being "freed up" by changing your name. I feel like they shouldn't be free for registration immediately, to prevent accidental confusion or deliberate scamming.

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I have wanted to change both my forum and scroll name for years. I earned a lot of hate for my animal based names on the internet, and as such I changed them everywhere years ago. This is the only site I couldn't change my name on that I still use/care about.

 

I support this completely.

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As long as it's limited to a certain number of changes in a certain amount of time, I don't really see a problem with changing user names.

 

However, I wonder what would happen to the old names who are basically being "freed up" by changing your name. I feel like they shouldn't be free for registration immediately, to prevent accidental confusion or deliberate scamming.

They should NEVER be available to anyone else. That's just asking for trouble...

 

I change my name to Bubbles. Someone else takes over fuzz - and y'all think those nasty remarks are ME posting.... Similarly with my scroll - y'all think this new flurp person is me and a safe trader and suddenly all hell gets loose and not only are they in trouble, but it would rebound on me, from people who thought the person now trading as flurp WAS me....

 

No no no.

Edited by fuzzbucket

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While I don't want to change my name, I understand those who do, especially for those whose tastes have matured.

 

Names should never be available for re-use, and I agree with Fuzzbucket's reasons. It could be a nightmare if names are reusable.

 

I like the idea of keeping the history available, especially in trading situations, with old names listed as an AKA on their profiles. There should be no option to hide the old name(s) from public view.

 

With those two points as necessary parts of the deal, I support this idea.

Edited by dragongrrl

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Just to start, not that I don't appreciate or respect cases of stalking/harassment or child endangerment. Those are extreme examples which probably shouldn't enter into this conversation much as its not going to cover most situations. If someone has stalked/harassed you and you have shown this to mods/admins, not only is it against ToS, but this game is going to make reasonable exceptions if its really necessary. If some kid comes on and makes their username "1234Walnut" which happens to be their home street address and has an avatar of their favorite home sports team mascot or whatever, we will know exactly where that young person lives. That could be an issue. A Parent contacting Admin/Mods about that again - would be one of those rare exceptions would be handled by staff. By current rule staff/admin don't change usernames. If there was an exception that warranted such, I am pretty sure common sense would dictate they would. No matter how much our hearts had all grown to love "little walnut". And if we as a group decide a change name feature should show the prior name, obviously it would not apply in these cases.

 

Ok, so those aside extreme cases, lets talk about the _rest_ of us. And most people who fall into this category are people a bit older and deplore the named they picked when younger. We aren't talking about people who are going to want to change their name more than once (generally speaking). This generally also includes people who are ok with limits of any kind, ok with a small fee for it (the general public of DC was actually mostly ok with this option, so don't freak out about paid stuff here), and are generally also people who would _want_ you to know their prior name. Even if it wasn't a coded thing, they would put it in their sig and tell all their friends and people who knew them. It's not a hiding thing, its a ... "I need to change this awful name I now regret from when I was a lot younger and we do things when we are younger that are not really a reflection of our older selves and please free me from this name just once.."

 

I'm surprised this hasn't already been an idea on its own because it was a big one in the "do we want paid features or not" thread. So I certainly support. Admin/Staff can limit it in any way they wish... add any restrictions they wish, most people who want this feature don't care and just want to use it once and are happy. I certainly give this idea an A++ in whatever form it takes.

 

And again, if you have a harassment/stalking or child endangerment or other potentially quasi legal or legal issue, you should probably contact staff/admin. Those are different and aren't a part of this feature and would be on a case by case basis. Obviously Little Walnut is not going to be asked to fork over $$ by their parents for such a perk and lectured on how they better not be using this to "fool" people on the trading forums... So these examples don't belong when discussing this perk/feature for the general public.

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I - for one - wasn't remotely talking child endangerment; I can't even see how it's remotely relevant to this suggestion. But there are grown-up scammers who would take advantage - and it only takes one or two to spoil things for everyone - and by the time it has happened it's too late. It was a grown-up who scammed on the other forum I was on, and it was big strong adults who were cheated out of their money. Pixels aren't money - but the principle is the same. NO-ONE can be allowed to take a name someone else has used, and all previous names must be accessible to view - as on e-bay (or it was the last time I needed to look.)

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Support Support!

 

Would LOVE to be able to change my scroll name.

 

Maybe if we could only change it ONCE EVER. (That would be enough or me, lol...I think.. tongue.gif)

Or once a year. Definitely not a as-much-as-you-want thing. Would have to show the previous name for a bit at least too though.

 

I don't think this will happen on the forum though, as the forum software won't support it.

But if does so happens that we do then maybe once a year, and previous names show.

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So much support - I hate my forum name and would love to make it the same as my scroll name which is the name I use all around the internet. I know I could just create a new forum account, but I don't want to lose my registration date and all my posts. Also full support for changing scroll names, because creating a new scroll for the purpose of renaming is so much more painful than creating a new forum account.

 

A forum I'm on has had a renaming feature for ages and it's restricted in the following way: Users can only rename themselves once a year and their old username(s) are displayed below their current one so that you still know who is who. Since the DC forum is much larger than that one, maybe you could also implement that old usernames cannot be reused for a year or so and redirect to the new name when searched. That would give everyone the opportunity to get used to a member's new name. I'd rather not have them blocked forever, it's kind of unfair to "reserve" multiple names "for yourself" when you do not even really want them anymore. Of course, people could "steal" your identity by taking your old name and avatar, but who would after a whole year of waiting? Also, by then nobody should be tricked by that anymore, especially not if they have regular contact with you.

Edited by The_Imago

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My forum name is basically a typo, so yes, I definitely support this. xd.png

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My forum name is basically a typo, so yes, I definitely support this. XD

Dude, I had no idea until you pointed it out. I didn't even notice XD

 

I wouldn't use this(I love my name), but I'd still support it for others as long as the feature was handled and implemented wisely. Limits, previous known names shown, etc

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Dude, I had no idea until you pointed it out. I didn't even notice xd.png

 

I wouldn't use this(I love my name), but I'd still support it for others as long as the feature was handled and implemented wisely. Limits, previous known names shown, etc

Yah, it took me a while to notice too. tongue.gif

 

Forgot to mention before, I agree that there should probably be some limitation here so people would not change their forum/scroll names on a daily basis.

Edited by stagazer_7

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I think I'd be okay with rare name changes, like maybe 2 overall or 1 a year. However, as a measure to prevent impersonation, I'd like to have this feature only with mod-approval. So, if I wanted to change my name to Olympe, I'd need mod approval (and would probably get it). However, if I wanted to change my name to TJ09 with a blank space behind, I'd probably not get said mod approval and thus would be unable to change my name as desired - and with good reason.

Personally I don't think mod impersonation is going to be much of an issue. Someone who was going to do that to make mischief could already do so with sockpuppet account(s). Anyone who really did that could face banning or other punishment so I am not really sure this is a big issue.

 

As for mod approval, I am a little iffy on that. Do the mods really need any more work? I would rather this not turn out to be like descriptions where someone wanting a change has to wait weeks or months for a mod to get to it.

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While I won't change my name because I actually like it, I do support people that do want to change their username.

 

Just have to limit it or something like that so no one would abuse it. happy.gif

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As long as there's a significant cooldown between uses (say a year, or five if keeping track of who is who all the time is really, really that important), as well as a username history that stays for at least as long as the rename cooldown, this should be fine. Hell, I am going to make use of it. My current username is already phased out at pretty much everywhere that I can.

 

I doubt it's doable on the forum with all these conditions though. This is some seriously old software we're using and if past forum feature suggestions are any indication, it isn't expansion-friendly.

 

[Note: I shortened this post down to the absolute shortest necessary for my reply. This isn't the full list.]

 

1: Mod approval

Pros:

Is run by humans instead of machines

 

2: Annual limit

Cons:

Is run by machines

 

3: Overall limit

Cons:

Run by machine

 

Automation is not a downside. The more automation we can get away with, the less of a PITA it will be for everyone involved if it does get implemented.

Edited by CNR4806

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To anyone who's using the kind of 'we'll loose track of who is who' etc. if the forum name could be changed.

You don't have a point.

 

I changed my forum name. By making a new forum account. Ofc it's not okay - but possible. Your contrargument is unvalid^^ That can be done anyway, even if it's officially wrong.

I typed on my old account where to find me(so I could have some proof I'm not an imposter) and created a new forum account with the correct username. I got discovered very quickly(I guess due to the scroll name:)) and got a 2-week warn on the new account, replied that I'm abandoning the old one and want to stay on the new one, got the old one suspended/banned for a few dozens of years and that's it. Forum name is changed, I ended up with the desided result. It was too important to me to change the name so I did it. Also, I PMed everyone whom I helped with spriting informing who I was and who I am now and asked to update the credits. Done. At least if any of these is released, my final artist name will be credited, not some stupid old rubbish I abandoned everywhere as I'm no longer a fan of the band it reffered to, moveover, I'm even ashamed of their current stuff.

I was too desperate to change my username from that.

But as you can see, if sb is desperate to change their forum username you can't stop them. And if they want you not to associate them with their old account, they will achieve that. Same the other way around.

 

Ofc it's impossible to do in the case of scrolls...

So I'm looking forward till it's possible and to update my scroll's name&login too, this time 'legally'^^. Sadly, being ashamed of my late fav band's label is not valid enough to ask TJ and get it exeptionally changed... Idk what is, exept for perhaps invalid characters available at the time but unavailable now, or idk, discovering it's a vulgar of particularly offensive word in some other language.

 

I can see no reason why username change should be totally impossible.

I do agree there ought to be some restrictions to that.

Definitely at least some cooldown. On Deviantart its 6 months. And all usernames will lead back to the account they were once assigned to, the latest would be displayed for some time next to the new one but later it would stop showing, unless you access the profile using the old username. That coudl be a good idea.

I think it shouldn't be possible to reuse the username that belonged to sb else(so noone could imposter anyone in the game itself) unless the other person chooses some option to make their old username/s available. Average players shouldn't have the impersonating issue, just some more well-known like e.g. spriters.

I'd also much prefer for the old name not to be visible, at least without some special effort. If you're changing your username because you're ashamed of your old one, you wouldn't like it to be still visible, right?

 

I think that sth like 5 changes could be the max. It's still a lot while it leaves some room for future changes.

I personally would need just 1 change ever. I'm not ashamed of my current username, it also doesn't refer to anything particular, just an animal and a fantasy creature, so even if I ever decided to change my artistic name, the ingame name could be VixenDra anyway. But I seriously want to get rid of the one I'm having there now:/

 

 

full support and a 'Implement it immediately!' attitude;)

Edited by VixenDra

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I love, love, love this suggestion! I agree that it should be limited to either once a year or only a few total. However, there are a lot of good reasons to have it:

 

1. Being viewbombed? You can remove your link from your signature, etc, but if your scrollname and forum name are the same (as they are for me), you can't escape it. Most people who join have no idea that viewbombing is even a thing until after they have made both a scroll and forum account so can't possibly decide whether ease of finding them is a good or a bad thing until it is too late.

 

2. Online stalkers.

 

3. Hate the name you chose or just want to fix a mistake.

 

4. You want to make your forum name the same as your scroll name to make it easier for people to find you.

 

Due to the first two, I actually do NOT support keeping the old username (unless it was an optional thing). It's fine if you are just changing your name because you made a mistake or just wnt your scroll name and forum name to be the same, but if you are being harassed and are trying to escape your harasser, keeping the old name completely removes this possibility.

Edited by harlequinraven

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To anyone who's using the kind of 'we'll loose track of who is who' etc. if the forum name could be changed.

You don't have a point.

 

I changed my forum name. By making a new forum account. Ofc it's not okay - but possible. Your contrargument is unvalid^^ That can be done anyway, even if it's officially wrong.

I typed on my old account where to find me(so I could have some proof I'm not an imposter) and created a new forum account with the correct username. I got discovered very quickly(I guess due to the scroll name:)) and got a 2-week warn on the new account, replied that I'm abandoning the old one and want to stay on the new one, got the old one suspended/banned for a few dozens of years and that's it. Forum name is changed, I ended up with the desided result. It was too important to me to change the name so I did it. Also, I PMed everyone whom I helped with spriting informing who I was and who I am now and asked to update the credits. Done. At least if any of these is released, my final artist name will be credited, not some stupid old rubbish I abandoned everywhere as I'm no longer a fan of the band it reffered to, moveover, I'm even ashamed of their current stuff.

I was too desperate to change my username from that.

But as you can see, if sb is desperate to change their forum username you can't stop them. And if they want you not to associate them with their old account, they will achieve that. Same the other way around.

 

Ofc it's impossible to do in the case of scrolls...

So I'm looking forward till it's possible and to update my scroll's name&login too, this time 'legally'^^. Sadly, being ashamed of my late fav band's label is not valid enough to ask TJ and get it exeptionally changed... Idk what is, exept for perhaps invalid characters available at the time but unavailable now, or idk, discovering it's a vulgar of particularly offensive word in some other language.

 

I can see no reason why username change should be totally impossible.

I do agree there ought to be some restrictions to that.

Definitely at least some cooldown. On Deviantart its 6 months. And all usernames will lead back to the account they were once assigned to, the latest would be displayed for some time next to the new one but later it would stop showing, unless you access the profile using the old username. That coudl be a good idea.

I think it shouldn't be possible to reuse the username that belonged to sb else(so noone could imposter anyone in the game itself) unless the other person chooses some option to make their old username/s available. Average players shouldn't have the impersonating issue, just some more well-known like e.g. spriters.

I'd also much prefer for the old name not to be visible, at least without some special effort. If you're changing your username because you're ashamed of your old one, you wouldn't like it to be still visible, right?

 

I think that sth like 5 changes could be the max. It's still a lot while it leaves some room for future changes.

I personally would need just 1 change ever. I'm not ashamed of my current username, it also doesn't refer to anything particular, just an animal and a fantasy creature, so even if I ever decided to change my artistic name, the ingame name could be VixenDra anyway. But I seriously want to get rid of the one I'm having there now:/

 

 

full support and a 'Implement it immediately!' attitude;)

So you - while deviously - found a way to get around the rules and made sure people knew about it. Fine. (well, not the rule breaking, but still.) You were not someone trying to cheat others.

 

But you ARE missing the very valid point that a scammer will do this and NOT make themselves trackable. If you had been one of those on the other forum I am on who lost money through name changes to conceal scamming history - you might be less cavalier about this. It IS an argument. The day this happens and someone stiffs you on a trade you may see things differently.

 

I have escaped being done over on ebay more than once by checking seller (and in one case, BUYER)ID history. We MUST be able to do that.

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So you - while deviously - found a way to get around the rules and made sure people knew about it. Fine. (well, not the rule breaking, but still.) You were not someone trying to cheat others.

 

But you ARE missing the very valid point that a scammer will do this and NOT make themselves trackable. If you had been one of those on the other forum I am on who lost money through name changes to conceal scamming history - you might be less cavalier about this. It IS an argument. The day this happens and someone stiffs you on a trade you may see things differently.

 

I have escaped being done over on ebay more than once by checking seller (and in one case, BUYER)ID history. We MUST be able to do that.

What I'm saying is that if sb wants to scam by changing forum username, they can do it now anyway. and do it even more effectively by making a separate account that is not anyhow connected and impossible to associate with the previous one.

 

BTW our forum profiles have their links not based on usernames, the link wouldn't change if the username changes I bet. We are NUMBERS here, not usernames... This way it would still possible to track down this is the same account just under a different name. It's much more difficult to abuse a name change than an account change which is wrong but possible now.

(E.g. in IOUs you'd simply note the number next to/nstead of the username and that's it, noone can escape you by changing the username.)

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I very much support this! I think many people would use it, and even I would probably use it. Though I don't think this feature would be used for scammers, I still think that it should show "name history" like on Steam, where it shows all the names the account had been called for a set period of time.

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BTW our forum profiles have their links not based on usernames, the link wouldn't change if the username changes I bet. We are NUMBERS here, not usernames... This way it would still possible to track down this is the same account just under a different name. It's much more difficult to abuse a name change than an account change which is wrong but possible now.

(E.g. in IOUs you'd simply note the number next to/nstead of the username and that's it, noone can escape you by changing the username.)

This is correct. Click somebody's profile and check out the URL:

https://forums.dragcave.net/index.php?showuser=216820

 

216820. That's you. Your username is tied to that number.

 

For whatever it's worth, scammers presumably could make a new forum account, and TJ presumably could catch that via IP or other means. Changing usernames will make it easier for someone to vanish into the night, but let's face it, there are already plenty of IOUs that go unpaid. Off the top of my head I can think of a couple of well-known players who have reneged on major IOUs. No forum name change required.

 

I actually suspect, if there was a forum namechange done, it would be relatively low-impact. The new username would presumably automatically be shown in your friendlist and any PMs in your inbox/outbox. Any bookmarks you have to user profiles will remain valid.

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Yes please.... Just look at my name and everything should be clear... Everyone does stupid things while young and sadly everyone on the internet knew me by this username, in games/on sites....

I really don't want to be known as this monstrosity anymore ~ now that I'm almost finishing first stage(bachelor) and writing a diploma...

 

Restrictions are needed, I really like xeyla's idea for it to show past username of a person ~ so we could still find them under members and when clicked it would say "x" changed their username to "y" or "x" is now known as "y" ~ something like that. And mod approval of course.

 

I also think past usernames should still count as USERNAME TAKEN so there will be no problems with fake profiles ~~

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To anyone who's using the kind of 'we'll loose track of who is who' etc. if the forum name could be changed.

You don't have a point.

 

I changed my forum name. By making a new forum account. Ofc it's not okay - but possible. Your contrargument is unvalid^^ That can be done anyway, even if it's officially wrong.

Yeah... We really prefer you talk to us first. =|

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Honestly, since IOUs are not an official part of DC, I think that avoiding harassment is more important than the potentiality that a scammer might try to change their name to avoid being caught. Yes, you can still track a person via ID either way, but I would rather deal with a potential scammer than someone who is harassing me. That crap can be scary as hell.

 

In all honesty, all I would likely do is change my name to "Harle Raven" (still very easily found, and everyone would know it is still me), but I have been in a situation where online harassment was an issue. My only options were to leave the site or start a totally new account (against the rules). I chose leaving the site, which is probably for the best anyway, but it would have been really nice to have more options to try first. Someone who was not too serious a threat might be thrown off the track with a name change, but if the history is kept, there would be no chance at all. I am less concerned about annoying harassment as I am about truly scary harassment. If someone has the same username they used elsewhere, and someone from another site is tracking them by that username, being able to change it would be immensely helpful. I know (now) that moderators can do that, but I did not even think about that until I saw this discussion. I bet a lot of people would not think about it, either. A determined stalker following someone by username could just keep registering new accounts everytime one got banned. IP bans are not that difficult to get around, if you are determined enough, have enough friends, etc.

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Definitely support! I've long bemoaned my forum name since it was made back when I was very young and its a bit disorienting to have to deal with it now.

 

Perhaps you can have the feature on their profile, sidebar to their comments, or even signature, where it says what their forum name USED to be? That could cut down the abuse quite nicely, and yet show what your proper forum name is now. smile.gif I got the idea from deviantART that allowed you to change your account name, but only every so often, and would send out alerts to everyone subscribed to you that you changed your account name. I don't think alerts would be good here, so that's why I suggested the addition to the sidebar, profile, and/or signature. smile.gif

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