# Are we still bolding other members' screen names? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 15, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-still-bolding-other-members-screen-names/922974 "2020-10-15T00:13:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-still-bolding-other-members-screen-names/922974/21 "2020-10-15T23:05:15Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > ?? Discourse automatically bolds the @ notation. But it doesn’t double-secret bold it. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-still-bolding-other-members-screen-names/922974/22 "2020-10-16T00:40:48Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > ?? Discourse automatically bolds the @ notation. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Not exactly. > > How the @ notation appears depends on what theme you’re using. @A\_NonExistent\_User shows as bold in my theme. But @LSLGuy shows as sorta-bold on a medium gray background with rounded corners. Other themes are different. > > And of course the @LSLGuy format is a clickable link to their user profile page. Which in turn can lead viewers to their other recent posts, threads, PMs, etc. And so is more useful to the audience than is a mere **LSLGuy** in bold. Like I said, Discourse bolds the @ notation (in its fashion). You CAN’T unbold it or add bolding to it. So if **BigT** says he uses @ notation or bolding but not both, then he’s confused. I’m not discussing what discourse does with a non-existent user (@A\_NonExistent\_User) because it’s non-existent. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-still-bolding-other-members-screen-names/922974/23 "2020-10-16T00:57:32Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > . . . You CAN’T unbold it or add bolding to it. . . . > > So if **BigT** says he uses @ notation or bolding but not both, then he’s confused. I’m going to venture a guess here that he means that he’s never actually tried both at once. But you can add italics (and presumably other formattings too): @needscoffee versus @needscoffee ETA: I am using one of the SDMB-specific themes I think. The @ format includes a grey cartouche, just like in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Now if only it would include a “base” on the left or right end like a real cartouche! [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Cartouches_of_Ramesses_III.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Cartouches_of_Ramesses_III.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-still-bolding-other-members-screen-names/922974/24 "2020-10-16T16:16:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If I’m going to mention you, _in a thread you’re already involved in_ , that’s the time I think you want to know you’ve been mentioned so you can return to defend yourself, straighten me out where I’ve misunderstood you, or just preen in the knowledge that somebody else though enough of your post to springboard off it. Etc. Me too. I always feel like nobody reads threads, or nobody acknowledges that they are re-stating something that someone already said. So I like to take the time to @ a poster when I agree with them (or argue with them I guess) to let them know that I did read their post and I agree/disagree with what they said. I would want people to do this for me, as well. Most of the time it’s accomplished by quoting or replying, though. But sometimes that @ comes in handy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-still-bolding-other-members-screen-names/922974.md?page=1)