# Changing nick - why possible? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 20, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369 "2010-09-20T03:59:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/21 "2010-09-20T23:30:52Z")
> [@Scuba\_Ben](#): > > > [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > > > Battlefield Earth was relevant in 2000? 😉 > > Yes - mainly as a warning, such as “You idiot! You could have spent the last two hours watching _Manos: The Hands of Fate_ and you would have enjoyed THAT far more than this waste of movie film![” They made a movie out of that crappy book! :eek: ::d&r:: ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/22 "2010-09-20T23:38:35Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Changing the first K to a T is hardly the most amazing disguise though. How’d you know my real name was Liktle Nemo? ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/23 "2010-09-21T00:12:51Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > > In my case I originally posted under my real name. I later decided that was a little too public. > > What he said. What they said. Nobody in their right mind would expect to be anonymous under all possible circumstances in a board like this, but there is a grey area between being easily identified and being completely unidentifiable. My id was originally my first initial and last name; I decided one day that I would prefer to be in that grey area of “semi-anonymity” rather than be quite so obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/24 "2010-09-21T01:29:11Z")
And don’t forget that we do have the rare case of “cyber-stalking”. Someone might change their nick just to get away from someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/25 "2010-09-21T03:06:48Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Because if I made a username in 2000 that referenced _Battlefield Earth_ only to discover that now, in 2010 it’s much less popular than it was a decade ago and the username is now irrelevant, I might want to change it. BattlefieldMelon? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/26 "2010-09-21T03:11:11Z")
Wait. You’re not supposed to use your real name as your user id? Oops. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/27 "2010-09-21T14:46:25Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > > > Because if I made a username in 2000 that referenced _Battlefield Earth_ only to discover that now, in 2010 it’s much less popular than it was a decade ago and the username is now irrelevant, I might want to change it. > > BattlefieldMelon? AClockworkXenu ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/28 "2010-09-21T16:21:06Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > And don’t forget that we do have the rare case of “cyber-stalking”. Someone might change their nick just to get away from someone else. Speaking of which, you really ought to think about getting a new shower curtain. The one you have is moldy at the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/29 "2010-09-22T16:13:13Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > > [@Clothahump](#): > > > > And don’t forget that we do have the rare case of “cyber-stalking”. Someone might change their nick just to get away from someone else. > > Speaking of which, you really ought to think about getting a new shower curtain. The one you have is moldy at the bottom. Not anymore, I just licked it clean. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/30 "2010-09-22T21:39:19Z")
When I first registered here, the username I used pretty much everywhere else was already taken, so I went with my default fallback, which is annoying to parse and spell for pretty much everybody. When I started posting here regularly, I decided to pick something more fun. > [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Not anymore, I just licked it clean. That’s terrible. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/31 "2010-09-22T23:36:05Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > > [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > > > Not anymore, I just licked it clean. > > That’s terrible. You _don’t_ want to know what he washed it down with. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/32 "2010-09-23T01:14:35Z")
It’s also helpful to be able to change username if a poster changes their gender. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/33 "2010-09-23T04:29:29Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > > [@Giraffe](#): > > > > Speaking of which, you really ought to think about getting a new shower curtain. The one you have is moldy at the bottom. > > Not anymore, I just licked it clean. I know. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/34 "2010-09-23T14:57:11Z")
> [@umop\_ap\_sdn](#): > > It’s also helpful to be able to change username if a poster changes their gender. I wonder if that’s ever happened here. We’ve got some folks with gendered given names as part of their username, but a lot of us are pretty gender-neutral. (Or even have names that unintentionally suggest we’re another gender.) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/35 "2010-09-23T15:53:26Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > I wonder if that’s ever happened here. We’ve got some folks with gendered given names as part of their username, but a lot of us are pretty gender-neutral. (Or even have names that unintentionally suggest we’re another gender.) I realized immediately that you were female, as your handle was an obvious anagram for “Ms. Four Thongs.” ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/36 "2010-09-23T16:42:16Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I realized immediately that you were female, as your handle was an obvious anagram for “Ms. Four Thongs.” Speaking of which, I really wish you’d keep your creepy fetishes to yourself, Lit Nun Privy. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/37 "2010-09-23T16:49:41Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > > [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > > > Not anymore, I just licked it clean. > > I know. I got it on tape. Who wants a copy? ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/38 "2010-09-24T10:27:58Z")
Licked exactly what clean? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/39 "2010-09-24T12:36:36Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Wait. You’re not supposed to use your real name as your user id? Only if you’re Lynne Bodini. Or TubaDiva, I get those two confused. Both of them. Airman Doors isn’t even a real airman. He’s secretly a marine. Named Gates. And a commissioned officer. And “Ed Zotti” is really Cecil, while “Cecil Adams” is really Sherlock Hemlock from Sesame Street. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369/40 "2010-09-26T20:55:24Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > > [@umop\_ap\_sdn](#): > > > > It’s also helpful to be able to change username if a poster changes their gender. > > I wonder if that’s ever happened here. We’ve got some folks with gendered given names as part of their username, but a lot of us are pretty gender-neutral. (Or even have names that unintentionally suggest we’re another gender.) At least 3 times that I can remember (counting myself). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-nick-why-possible/554369.md?page=3)