# Mentioning other Dopers in a post **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874 "2011-05-31T18:46:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/1 "2011-05-31T18:46:54Z")
do you bold their username? I do, maybe because I think it sets it off from the rest of the text? If I notice I didn’t in a reply, I go back and edit, to bold the name. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/2 "2011-05-31T18:48:48Z")
It does seem to be a general convention here to make user names bold in the SDMB, so I try to follow that convention. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/3 "2011-05-31T18:54:37Z")
I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/4 "2011-05-31T18:59:52Z")
usually ---
**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:** [May 31, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/5 "2011-05-31T19:10:03Z")
I try to, if not when I first post, on edit. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/6 "2011-05-31T19:29:36Z")
I usually do so. It was definitely the convention when I joined, and the habit stuck. I sometimes do it on other boards as well, and one or two people have commented favorably on the practice, though it doesn’t seem to have caught on. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/7 "2011-05-31T19:35:17Z")
I used to not bold people I disliked as if it were a slam. Now, I don’t bold because I’m lazy. ---
**Author:** ![Tracyfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@Tracyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracyfish)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/8 "2011-05-31T19:37:36Z")
I bold names because **Least Original User Name Ever** told me that’s what we’re supposed to do. No idea where he got that information, though. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/9 "2011-05-31T19:41:28Z")
I do it out of habit, and I think it’s a nice practice. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/10 "2011-05-31T20:13:34Z")
Usually, but I don’t sweat it if I forget every so often. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/11 "2011-05-31T20:16:44Z")
I bold them because it distinguishes names from other more ordinary uses of the words. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/12 "2011-05-31T22:17:19Z")
I don’t, etv78. ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/13 "2011-05-31T22:31:53Z")
Also, it adds a certain **Stan Lee** -esque, 70’s comic book sense to things. Which is good in and of itself. – We use web handles for pretty much the same reason superheroes do. To protect our loved ones from HYDRA, and to avoid taking responsibility for vast property damage. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/14 "2011-05-31T22:38:57Z")
> [@Tracyfish](#): > > I bold names because **Least Original User Name Ever** told me that’s what we’re supposed to do. No idea where he got that information, though. Hey! I let you know board etiquette and now [I’m the bad guy](http://youtu.be/Ykw3W2ci-9A?t=26s)? NSFW audio, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/15 "2011-05-31T22:39:28Z")
> [@Ura-Maru](#): > > Also, it adds a certain **Stan Lee** -esque, 70’s comic book sense to things. Which is good in and of itself. > > – > We use web handles for pretty much the same reason superheroes do. To protect our loved ones from HYDRA, and to avoid taking responsibility for vast property damage. I object to any suggestion that I could be considered heroic. As to the OP, I generally try to bold user names, but frequently I forget. As always I blame someone who had not a damn thing to do with it. This week it’s Alison Krauss. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/16 "2011-05-31T22:43:45Z")
I don’t often type anyone’s username in my posts since I either quote the post I’m replying to or I’m responding directly to the first post of the thread. I’ve noticed that quoting posts is not very common on this board, most people respond without quoting anyone, which may be why the ‘bolding the username’ convention exists. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/17 "2011-05-31T22:45:45Z")
I always bold usernames, and for exactly the same reason I put titles (books movies etc) in italics, because I saw other people doing it and followed blindly. Yay me! I am not having a good day, does it show? ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/18 "2011-05-31T22:51:27Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I object to any suggestion that I could be considered heroic. Organizations target their rivals as well as their ideological enemies. Except for the short period of quiet between the temporary alliance and the inevitable betrayal. Besides, I know that you have standards. Latveria or LexCorp, sure, but not with the likes of HYDRA or AIM. – So, it’s kind of like dating, really. You know it’s a bad idea and that it’ll end in betrayal and bloodshed, but the tiny chance of getting Wonder Woman at last makes it worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/19 "2011-05-31T23:19:38Z")
> [@Ura-Maru](#): > > Organizations target their rivals as well as their ideological enemies. Except for the short period of quiet between the temporary alliance and the inevitable betrayal. Besides, I know that you have standards. Latveria or LexCorp, sure, but not with the likes of HYDRA or AIM. > > – > So, it’s kind of like dating, really. You know it’s a bad idea and that it’ll end in betrayal and bloodshed, but the tiny chance of getting Wonder Woman at last makes it worth it. I have too many penises (read: any at all) for Wonder Woman, methinks. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874/20 "2011-05-31T23:37:49Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I have too many penises \ I…just had a vision of **Skald** as a [Centauri,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centauri_(Babylon_5)#Reproductive_biology). That would make perfect sense… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mentioning-other-dopers-in-a-post/583874.md?page=2)