# Do you pay attention to the identities of other posters? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 19, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581 "2012-12-19T22:38:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/1 "2012-12-19T22:38:12Z")
When you are posting on the SDMB, do you spend a lot of effort paying attention to the identities of the other posters across multiple threads, or do you mostly just read the content of the posts and respond to whatever is written in that thread, regardless of what you may or may not remember about other stuff that person has written in the past? In a given thread, I of course keep track of what each person has said, but once a week or so has gone by, it’s all slipped away. Other than a small number people with very high post counts or who are otherwise so exceptional that you can’t help but notice, I don’t remember anything about who disagreed with me, who I agreed with, who’s an asshole and who’s not\*, etc. Most of the time when I’m reading I don’t even bother to look at who made a specific post unless there is something exceptionally good/bad about it. Obviously I recognize many poster’s **names** , but I spend very little effort trying to correlate their names with what has happened in the past. - but I repeat myself ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/2 "2012-12-19T23:03:17Z")
I try to recognize the names and associate they’re past posts with them, but a lot of them disappear into the mix. We’ve had threads on username confusion. A recent doper who got pitted surprised me, but I just had him mixed up with someone else. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/3 "2012-12-19T23:05:15Z")
There’s way too many of us to keep everybody straight _all_ the time, but I make an effort to remember who says what. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/4 "2012-12-19T23:23:48Z")
My mind is a fickle beast. I have no control over what I remember. Apparently, my mind just remembers off the wall, random shit and I have no idea why. For example: I know **Dung Beetle** has been having problems with her cat keeping her up at night. I wonder if things have gotten better since she started that thread? I know **John Mace** leans right and is fond of **Dio** I know **Alice in Wonderland** is from Canada. I also know that **Astro** , a long ass time ago, had something wrong with his hand. He posted a picture of it and wanted us to speculate as to what it was. I could go on, but I wont. The point is, even if I actively tried to remember everyone’s particulars, I couldn’t. My mind is like a wall and my fellow Dopers are like spaghetti. Some of them stick and some of them don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/5 "2012-12-19T23:33:15Z")
Apart from the dozen or so rockstar specialists I tend only to remember people who have opined on stuff that is important to me. And while it’s kinda cool to think I might matter enough to someone for them to remember something about me, I usually hope I get the same forgiving oblivion from other posters here. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/6 "2012-12-19T23:42:14Z")
I keep track pretty often. I tend to remember the very nicest and the most unpleasant people, and those I have things in common with. I do sort of have a ‘‘mental profile’’ of each Doper in mind when they post. I’m not going to remember every little thing but I try to fit the details into a cohesive story. I try not to let any previous negative interactions with Dopers affect my current ones, though. Everybody has something useful to say at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/7 "2012-12-19T23:45:29Z")
It depends on who I’ve been interacting with - or even who’s been posting in the same threads as me. And, shit, I’ve been here for like 12 years. Some people are hard to forget. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/8 "2012-12-20T00:38:49Z")
I tend to only care about the poster when a post stands out to me as being either really stupid or really funny/witty/intelligent/eloquent/etc. Despite this, I have nothing resembling a “mental profile” of anyone here. I can recognize names of course, but couldn’t tell you much of anything about them unless they started one of the Classic Threads. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/9 "2012-12-20T00:43:48Z")
I usually scroll by without paying much attention to the name of the poster. Sometimes I think “What? Who’s this idiot?” and I look up to check. Sometimes I think “Now that’s a post by someone with their head screwed on” and I look up to check. Odd random details stick with me at times. One poster for whatever reason stuck in my head as a Kindle owner. I don’t know why I retained that pointless, uninteresting piece of information. It’s pretty typical of the odd pieces of information I pick up. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/10 "2012-12-20T00:45:14Z")
It’s easier to remember posters when the boards allow avatars but even then there are only a few who register even after 11 years at another place I frequent. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/11 "2012-12-20T00:48:38Z")
I feel bad that I don’t remember more about most of the posters. I know some details about the people I interact with more often - I find that having a back-and-forth with someone in a thread helps to solidify the connection in my head. Some of the folks with more dramatic life stories are naturally more memorable, and they tend to stick in my mind too. But most of you are in that “familiar but don’t really know why” territory, like when you run into a friend’s wife at the grocery store and you know you know her but can’t quite figure out how. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/12 "2012-12-20T00:57:57Z")
I’ve got a short attention span. I tend to remember members who work in the medical field (or at least posts medical/nursing stuff). I also remember people who stand out for other reasons ie if that person is an obvious fruitcake. And I remember the name of the poster (but nothing else about him/her) who shares my birthday. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/13 "2012-12-20T01:03:45Z")
I’ll notice if it’s a Doper I really like or dislike. Otherwise, no. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/14 "2012-12-20T01:38:05Z")
Mostly I remember the ones who I think are really nuts, recently I’ve been making an effort to notice who are the good ones. ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/15 "2012-12-20T01:42:43Z")
Yeah, I also only remember posters who seem to be king-sized jerkoffs. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/16 "2012-12-20T01:48:06Z")
I pay more attention to people who have avatars. It’s just easier for my brain to connect a person with an image than with a username. ---
**Author:** ![YourAdHere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/65b543/32.png) [@YourAdHere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourAdHere)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/17 "2012-12-20T02:07:09Z")
Yes, far too much considering I mainly lurk and not post, but I read this thing religiously every day and have since around 02, so I can tell you more about some random strangers here than I probably could about my family. Well, I certainly read their writings more at least. Yes, that’s right, I’ve been silently watching and judging you all for a decade now ( although I didn’t actually join until a few years ago). I am also Santa. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/18 "2012-12-20T02:11:22Z")
I only remember a few posters who have stated that they live in northern California, where I live. Otherwise, I do not pay attention. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/19 "2012-12-20T02:49:14Z")
Yes, I pay attention. I notice the join date first though, I think. If they are new, I don’t work too hard to remember them until I know if they are going to stick around. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581/20 "2012-12-20T03:11:48Z")
> [@colander](#): > > Yeah, I also only remember posters who seem to be king-sized jerkoffs. So…we are on a first name basis then? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-attention-to-the-identities-of-other-posters/644581.md?page=2)