Are we able to change screen names? I read the faq and did not say anything about it, but I have seen a few posts where folks have. Also, where do I send a request for it.
Thanks
E-mail TubaDiva tubadiva@aol.com and ask her. She’s the one that deals with name changings and such. Although pick a really good name and stick with it they don’t like changing names many times, or so I’ve heard.
Well, theoretically you can change your screen name as many times you want. I can think of one Doper who went through four name changes before she settled down with the one she has now (which starts with “V”–was it four? or three?) It’s just that after a while the rest of us start to lose track of who you are, exactly, and it can get a little confusing.
Someone unfamiliar comes into a thread and responds to something you posted in such a way as to sound like she knows you.
“Um–JumboJets4ever, do I know you?”
“Well, when I first registered I was SlowBoatToChina, and then I was PlanesTrainsCars, and then when I was RollerSkates we interacted in the ‘Post Your Favorite Gummy Shape’ thread, where we disagreed strongly on the merits of Farley[sup]R[/sup] Gummy Dinosaurs, but now I’m JumboJets4ever…”
And THEN you remember the idiot who flamed you–YOU–just for saying that you thought Farley[sup]R[/sup] Gummy Dinosaurs were pretty good.
No, we don’t like to change names too often. We don’t recycle names, so each time one person takes a name and then wants a new one, the first name is out of circulation for good. I can change names as well, so email Tuba AND me, for faster service. For instance, I just got back from a week’s visit to my folks, so I did almost no SD work this week. Anyone who wrote to me for the past week or so probably didn’t get any sort of response.
Lynn
Well, that explains the 12 police cars and emergency vehicles. “Give a MOD/Admin and inch, and…” 
Ummmmm, that was because it was my daughter’s turn to drive. Yeah, that’s it, it was all HER fault! I was just taking a nice peaceful nap…
Reminds me - since I’m considering changing my username, is there any way we can check to see if a particular name is already taken?
Try doing a Search By User Name using the name in question.
Unfortunately, that only tells you if a particular user has posted. It returns the same message whether there are no messages from a particular user or if the userid doesn’t exist at all.
You can also check profiles by username. For instance, if you try http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?action=getinfo&username=Chronos , you’ll get my profile. I’m not sure if or how this’ll work for multi-word names, though.
It works for multi-word names too.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?action=getinfo&username=Duck+Duck+Goose
Ooh, cool! 
Now, lemme see, who can I look up…?
Yeah, email Tuba or me. We can check, it’s an admin function.
And I finally got around to changing the OP’s name.