'Cos I’m shit at it. All these names, lots of great commentary, all rolls into one in my head.
Really bad. In fact, I’m terrible. There are a few standout exceptions. But there are also a few Dopers who I regularly get confused in groups of three, that is to say, there are three that I think post similarly, or else they have similar user names. No, I’m not going to divulge my circles of confusion.
I’m finding it difficulty to remember each doper.
Generally I’m pretty good at remembering people on a forum with the help of avatars.
But seeing as there aren’t any here it become allot harder/
In general, I’m terrible at it. I agree that avatars can make a big difference, especially when scanning a thread.
There’s exceptions. I’ll often find myself in the same thread as others with an interest in classical music, pulykamell and percussion just to pick two examples. And many of the British and Irish (Dubliners among them 
) have become familiar through collective and repeated explanation of the correct uses of balls, roundabouts and the English language.
I don’t think I’ve heard of GorillaMan.
Marble Arch
Hee hee. Angel.
invokes Pitt’s Tetralogy
Swiss Cottage
Yeah, there are a number of Dopers I recognise easily, although some of them constantly surprise me.
I have a hard enough time remembering people I meet IRL, let alone on line. Of course, I’m old and tottering towards senility, so I have an excuse.
As I just did a quick mental inventory, for the most part, those for whom I can match a name and a personality tend to be those who irritate me. I expect that’s more of a defense mechanism, too: ThisUserName always has to same something about <whatever> when he posts or ThatUserName can be counted on to jump into any thread dealing with <subject> to spew her personal agenda yet again. I learned pretty fast who I don’t want to read.
On the other hand, among those whose posts I enjoy, even those I’ve met for real, I often have a tough time keeping them clear in my head. Even worse, I’ve occasionally merged two into one, forgetting which one does this thing or which one likes that thing. And yes, I do the same with some real-life contacts. I’m sure it’s some sort of disorder that diserves its own telethon and celebrity spokesperson… :rolleyes:
You’re doing yourself a disservice, m’dear.
I can remember the people I’ve met IRL, the people I interact with online but offboard (IM and email pals), plus a bunch of the people who hang out in the same threads I do (movie musicals and “Dancing with the Stars,” wordplay and puzzles, gardening) – and then of course there’s the folks who really piss me off…
Well, I remember that it was Twickster who initially recommended English Passengers. 
I remember names if there’s a running joke associated with them, like ladles, sheep, and lists. I remember posters who share similar taste in books and TV, if I see them often enough in those threads.
But most of the time I don’t even look at who wrote a post, unless it’s particularly thoughtful, funny, outrageous, insensitive, or provocative.
Well, I remember that it was Twickster who initially recommended English Passengers.
I remember names if there’s a running joke associated with them, like ladles, sheep, and lists. I remember posters who share similar taste in books and TV, if I see them often enough in those threads.
But most of the time I don’t even look at who wrote a post, unless it’s particularly thoughtful, funny, outrageous, insensitive, or provocative.
I’m too good at it. In fact, I know a couple of random things about several people who posted here so far. It evens out though, because I can’t count the number of times that someone I don’t recognize, but who clearly knows me has come up and started a conversation in real life. I might know lots of information about them, but still not recognized them by face.
I’d say I’m pretty good. I don’t necessarily remember everything about a poster, but most (not all!) people with 1000+ post counts have an impression and a fact or two next to their names in my head.
Actually I think I have a little mental card file notes on over a hundred dopers, from the meek or sheepish to the most gluttonous.
I won’t name any, as I recently learned, that I will forget to name 10 times as many as I remember to name. But, yes, I see many user names and I have some idea of who they are or some of their interests.
Jim
I’m pretty good at remembering random things about random posters. So I may remember that someone adopted a dog, remember that someone else has 2 kids, whatever. But there doesn’t appear to be any organization to it.
I tend to remember people with shared interests or people’s pets.
I am pretty good at remembering Dopers. I will also admit that if you’ve linked to a picture of yourself, and I thought you were cute, I have a better chance of remembering you.
I’m pretty awful at it. There was a thread a few months ago asking how many names doper names we could remember and I said only one, because it was so obvious and easy to remember. Then I spelled it incorrectly.
OTOH Sarahfeena has been supporting me on one thread and giving me hell on another so it’s hard not to notice.
I will always remember Phaedrus. And when I have completed my research at Johns Hopkins, I will post my findings here.
I can’t remember anyone, really.
Now that I’ve been here awhile, certain Dopers do stay with me. There are those who are annoying and I tend to avoid. There are those in the MMP who I know (but I also can get them confused at times), because I “talk” to them constantly. There are those who stand out due to their exceptional intelligence or knowledge (but then there again, it helps to have an odd user name).
I also stink at this in RL. I remember your name is Bill and you wore a red sweater. Well, the next time I see you-you’re on blue and I’m lost. It’s getting worse as I get older, too.
FCM-let’s start our own telethon!
And I see you guys playing Mornington Crescent on the sly.
Not to start an argument, but I promise, this happens to me in the real world: If I run into someone in the “wrong” venue, I’m apt to get confused. For example, if I see a coworker at a store, I might not recognize the person at first. I was at a craft show and I saw my ceramics teacher and it took a few minutes to make the connection.
Heck, at my 10th high school reunion, a girl came up and talked to me with great familiarity. After she’d moved on, I asked who it was - turns out it was a girl I’d known since 1st grade. So yeah, I have these name-face issues…