# Guests can post now?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-can-post-now/213436>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [November 15, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-can-post-now/213436 "2003-11-15T16:25:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-can-post-now/213436/1 "2003-11-15T16:25:08Z")

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It happened in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22949&perpage=50&highlight=guests&pagenumber=1) and I don’t recall ever seeing it before.

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-can-post-now/213436/2 "2003-11-15T16:28:51Z")

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The date on that post is April 2000… we had different set-up then.

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-can-post-now/213436/3 "2003-11-15T16:40:28Z")

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I suspect the vB code defaults to “Guest” when the data doesn’t conform to the norm – a user name no longer found in the master list, for example. Not very informative, but better than the program blowing up, isn’t it?

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-can-post-now/213436/4 "2003-11-15T16:43:25Z")

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**dropzone,** scroll down in that thread, and you’ll find this:

> [@](#):
>
> _originally posted by Duck Duck Goose_  
> (And, FYI, I used to be Notthemama, and there’s a fairly lengthy explanation for why I didn’t just do a name change which I won’t go into here. But that’s why the OP says “Guest” and “Not Registered” and why people are addressing someone named “Notthemama” who doesn’t seem to have posted. So don’t worry about it.)

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-can-post-now/213436/5 "2003-11-15T16:48:33Z")

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Tanx!

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**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-can-post-now/213436/6 "2003-11-15T17:13:22Z")

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Yes, they were a member before they became a Guest.

your humble TubaDiva  
Administrator