# How about 'retiring' my username?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-retiring-my-username/240380>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [April 16, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-retiring-my-username/240380 "2004-04-16T16:24:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-retiring-my-username/240380/1 "2004-04-16T16:24:26Z")

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I don’t plan on registering for the ‘pay to play’ SDMB. I wish you guys luck, but I can finally get away from posting (I have an excuse now! 😃 )

What I’d like to know is whether or not my username will be up for grabs after the 21st. I don’t know if anyone would want it or not, but just curious.

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-retiring-my-username/240380/2 "2004-04-16T16:41:22Z")

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The head honchos here have said many times that they don’t recycle usernames. Even though you won’t be able to post, you’ll still be registered here, and your username will be yours and yours alone. You could conceivably give your account away, but I don’t know how that might be looked upon. I suspect they might take a dim view of that.

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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:** [April 17, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-retiring-my-username/240380/3 "2004-04-17T01:31:21Z")

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You might change your mind after a few weeks or months away from us.

But generally, no, usernames once assigned are permanent (well, mostly) and non-transferrable. No one can recycle a name.

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**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-retiring-my-username/240380/4 "2004-04-20T02:03:37Z")

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You will still be a registered user here. People will still be able to look at your profile, etc… same as with, for example, banned posters. You just won’t have posting access (or the other perks of paid subscriptions). Your registration doesn’t get deleted…

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**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-retiring-my-username/240380/5 "2004-04-20T02:13:01Z")

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[indent]😕 [sup] **Who do you think you are “Michael Jordan”, “Babe Ruth” or “Jesus Christ”?** [/sup][/indent]

Only two out of three of those guys had their numbers retired. 😛