# An absolutely retarded question (a nitpick) on bolding of a username **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 15, 2006, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572 "2006-07-15T03:51:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/41 "2006-07-23T12:02:24Z")
[QUOTE=Johanna] —From the unpublished manuscripts of J.K. Rowling. [/QUOTE] I _warned_ you to stay away from the slashfic, but would you listen…!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/42 "2006-07-23T15:15:51Z")
They never listen, **Polycarp**. It’s heartbreaking. Why, just the other day in Grand Central Terminal, a gal waved her wand and loudly proclaimed, Dopeius Postatum !!! and was immediately turned into a black and white three dimensional real-life turkey wearing a mortarboard. They wouldn’t let her board the 5:48 to New Rochelle… Oh, the humanity. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/43 "2006-07-23T19:11:47Z")
> [@](#): > > And while boldface and underlining doesn’t have the slant problem of italics, it seems logical to apply the same rules for consistency to all as well as superscripts, subscripts, commas and periods. So how about this sentence: Einstein’s famous equation states that E = mc[sup]2.[/sup] I like that much better with the period on the bottom, thus: Einstein’s famous equation states that E = mc[sup]2[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![MaceMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@MaceMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaceMan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/44 "2006-07-23T22:19:07Z")
When quoting a screenname, it’s important to bold only the actual name, and not any modifiers. Otherwise, if I’m reading a thread where someone was quoted, I can’t easily tell what their real poster name is. Should I do a search for “YoursandMine’s” or “YoursandMine”? Also, I would go even further, and say that capitalization should also be preserved. If the poster’s name is “eeK”, then the first letter should not be capitalized at the beginning of a sentence. (Notice how I kept that last comma outside of the quote marks, despite American convention, because I disagree that quotes should include commas (or any other punctuation) unless they were meant to be there–especially when one is trying to draw attention to a single word form.) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/45 "2006-07-23T23:04:08Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] So how about this sentence: Einstein’s famous equation states that E = mc[sup]2.[/sup] I like that much better with the period on the bottom, thus: Einstein’s famous equation states that E = mc[sup]2[/sup]. [/QUOTE] I would agree. But if the “E=mc” part of the sentence were, for some reason, italicized or bolded, I would make the “2” italicized or bolded also. Just like it appears in the quote box above. (Note that the colon is also in italics.) I wasn’t saying that punctuation following superscripts or subscripts should be superscripted or subscripted! ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/46 "2006-07-23T23:28:37Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] **Fetus,** I’m speaking from an English point of view, not as technical manual. I think the requirements of your special cases are distinctive enough to override other conventions. However, if you are writing a novel, I think my rules would be best. Now, which is the SDMB more like: a novel or a technical manual? You decide. [/QUOTE] I tend to think of usernames in much the same way that technical manual writers think of commands, as a specific string of characters that is set off in bold to denote what it is. Since usernames could contain various punctuation, capital or lowercase letters, numbers, or other characters, I use boldface to mark the exact string of characters that is the username (or sometimes an abbreviated version). I simply consider the bolded screenname to be the unit upon which anything else occurs. For example, if it ever came up that I was emphasizing the possessive of a screenname, I would bold just the screenname, but italicize the screenname and the possessive. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/47 "2006-07-24T05:07:28Z")
> [@MaceMan](#): > > Also, I would go even further, and say that capitalization should also be preserved. THANK YOU! Jeez. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/48 "2006-07-27T19:45:28Z")
OMG, did you see how\*\* TubaDiva \*\* didn’t bold “ **Tripler** ”?!? Oh, but meanwhile we plebians are expected to bow and scrape and bold user names and attribute direct quotes and not break copyright laws. Where will it end??? ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/49 "2006-07-28T00:14:49Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] OMG, did you see how\*\* TubaDiva \*\* didn’t bold “ **Tripler** ”?!? Oh, but meanwhile we plebians are expected to bow and scrape and bold user names and attribute direct quotes and not break copyright laws. Where will it end??? [/QUOTE] Well, I have to admit, I’m a “ **W** hat **Y** ou **S** ee **I** s **W** hat **Y** ou **G** et” kind of poster–meaning I basically throw out all consideration of the motivational (and sometimes chemichally enhanced/degraded) capabilities of the poster, that I take it all in context. While I myself would bold the name to highlight it, both for quotation purposes, I choose to to make it easier for the quoted to respond to my post, if he/she chooses to. I personally am a “ **WYSIWYG** ”, and I take the tone and content for what it’s worth at face value. And thus is why I asked the OP: is there a precedent we ought to read in the bolding or not of a poster? Tripler All semantics, apparently to the Teemin’ Millions. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/50 "2006-07-28T00:28:43Z")
Yes. Refusal to bold your username means the poster disrespects your family. It basically means “What’s the difference between your mother and a mallard with a cold? One’s a sick duck and I don’t remember the rest of it, but your mother is a whore.” ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/51 "2006-07-28T12:08:33Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] Yes. Refusal to bold your username means the poster disrespects your family. It basically means “What’s the difference between your mother and a mallard with a cold? One’s a sick duck and I don’t remember the rest of it, but your mother is a whore.” [/QUOTE] Fatwas have been issued and holy wars started on less provocation. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572/52 "2006-07-29T15:35:32Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] Fatwas have been issued and holy wars started on less provocation. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that’s the last thing I need on my conscience: a holy war started solely because people can’t agree on how to bold-font a username. Tripler Seriously, my karma is bad enough. I don’t need that one too. . . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-absolutely-retarded-question-a-nitpick-on-bolding-of-a-username/364572.md?page=2)