O.K. I’ve tried to PM a mod but I “do not have access to this feature”.
I’m ready to pay for membership but hated the name I chose for my guest membership approx. two years ago - consequently the above. :points at name:
a. Am I in trouble if I out myself?
I’m sure they’ll work it out with you. I have hit the notify button and someone will come along and help you soon.
I’m not a mod but I suspect you need to send the administration an e-mail. This has happened before and they know what to do.
Also, the board does not have the PM function enabled.
O.K. Thank you - I feel a bit better now.
Apparently we can’t say this enough.
If you have an old screen name – even if it’s a name you don’t like – that’ sthe name you need to stick with for at least a little while.
You can send an email to any administrator – including me at TubaDiva@aol.com – and we can change your old name to something you like better. And you can subscribe and life can be a dream, shboom.
So send me an email. Give me a list of a couple or three names you like ranked in the order you like them. (We have a lot of user names and once used they are not recycled; your first choice may be taken already.) I’ll run down the list and change your user name. And you’ll go subscribe.
To be honest this had me putting my credit card back in my wallet.
I suspect you will probably continue having to say it.
As a lurker I have never found ATMB very exciting thus have generally avoided it - as I suspect alot of lurkers may do. As a lurker I could not search and so did what I could do as soon as could do it regarding my stuff up of board etiquette. I have not, as a lurker, kept details of your email address prior to this and why on earth would I.
As someone about to pay for membership I came into this forum because I had goofed up and wanted to know how to fix it. I obviously had not opened a dual guest account in the intention of having another month for free and you can cancel it, as of right now if you wish.
Possibly you should have waited to close the sale before playing sneer at the noob.
Please don’t judge all the mods and admins by this one and how she’s treated you. Other than a handful of asshats and snarkaholics, most folks here are delighted to welcome new members and don’t engage in newbie putdowns.
I for one believe we can always use more white and nerdy members. 
Hi, I am also new!!!
That was appallingly rude, TubaDiva, and how are we ever going to attract new people with that kind of attitude?
Apologies, White and Nerdy.
What? Not meant to be rude.
We can’t say that enough – because obviously people don’t know.
I told him – nicely and politely too – and I didn’t yell at him for having two screen names which people are often banned for.
I told him how to solve his problem.
White and Nerdy, if you choose to be all insulted and stomp off, that is your business. But I have to admit I’m quite frustrated about this now. How the heck did you expect us to fix your problem, come out to your house in person?
And for those who choose to ascribe negative intent and motive where none was intended there’s not much I can say to you; there’s really nothing I can say if that’s how you view my most innocuous statements. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had actually said something with any sting to it, Hell wouldn’t hold it.
I’m with TD here. I didn’t read that as meaning to be rude at all.
Though throughout this board there does seem to be a collective sense of sarcasm. All meant in the name of harmless humor and fun. But sometimes I do see how that leads to people misinterpreting the tone that people write with and sometimes this does lead to people blow up over small remarks.
But please White and Nerdy, continue to consider joining up. We still do have a lot of fun here. I hope to see you around.
Oh, and hi **Mama_Hound ** too!
Good lord, TD – do you have any idea at all how you come across? I’ve never myself had any problems with you, and you must know I’m not given to admin-bashing, so take this as an honest perception, not a snarky attack: both of your posts in this thread have bristled with dismissive impatience at yet another clueless bonehead pestering you for some stupid thing. There’s more than a whiff of “Oh, fer chrissakes, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Neither did I. Had there been a rolleyes or something, it might have been different, but I read it as simply meaning "clearly this bears repeating’ in a purely incidental manner.
I honestly did not perceive any sneering at all.
Count another TD supporter. She wasn’t snarky in any manner - just statin’ the facts, ma’am.
Believe me - if you want to see snarky TD - you’ll have to do a little search, but it’s there and in all her glory. We’re all really good snarks when need be.
Tuba - they’re being too sensitive, not a strong trait for a beginner here! Don’t trip! And it’s not said enough, newbies or people interested in signing up NEED to read ATMB to avoid situations just like this.
Jesus. This:
“Apparently we can’t say this enough.”
could easily be perceived as off-putting and rude. Why can’t we say it enough? Apparently because of some deficiency on the part of the noob. Otherwise why mention it at all?
I don’t think Tuba meant it to sound rude, and clearly it doesn’t ring as rude to a number of other posters, but I can certainly see how it’s perceived as such.
But, of course, following it up with:
"White and Nerdy, if you choose to be all insulted and stomp off, that is your business. But I have to admit I’m quite frustrated about this now. How the heck did you expect us to fix your problem, come out to your house in person? "
was completely uncalled-for. White and Nerdy asked for help fixing a problem, and received (to him at least) a rude reply. He sure as fuck wasn’t asking anyone to come out to his house and fix anything, he was objecting to being condescended to.
Would it really kill you, Tuba, just to say, “Whoops, I didn’t intend any rudeness. Sorry.” and leave it at that?
Boy isn’t everyone sensitive today.
Or, at least, sensitive to Tuba’s tones.
Lighten up.
May I remind you of the sequence in The Hobbit where Gandalf comments on all the different meanings that can be attributed to a simple “Good morning!” from a friendly welcome to a curt dismissal? The problem with internet communication (whether email or message board) is that one cannot read tone or body language, see a smile or a frown. There are lots of ways of interpreting almost anything online, depending on the tone one reads into it… which is not always the tone that was intended.
TubaDiva did not mean anything insulting in a remark that lets folks know that we’ve said this before, and will doubtless say it again. It’s in the FAQ - Rules for Posting, see Post #15 in that thread. It’s in the Registration Agreement :
She’s handled dozens of such situations, where people have got double names for innocent reasons. She’d be happy to handle this one to a happy resolution for all concerned.
We don’t penalize people where the error was inadvertent and well-intended. But, at the same time, we deal with a few people who deliberately and maliciously do violate this rule.
So, White and Nerdy, please re-read TubaDiva’s post, ascribing a friendly and helpful tone? I assure you, no insult was intended, and she’s quite dismayed over the completely unexpected turn this has taken. (She’s headed out of town for the weekend and was unable to post herself.)
If you’re going to be this sensitive, don’t register and go away.
You won’t have any fun.
You must always assume the best about other posters, not the worst. If you assume everyone is trying to abuse you, you’ll have a lot less fun.
Except me. Assume the worst, and you’ll probably still be underestimating my intent.