# Name flair and badges **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 2, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922 "2019-11-02T17:34:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr.Colossus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.colossus/32/9423_2.png) [@Dr.Colossus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Colossus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/1 "2019-11-02T17:34:26Z")
What’s the deal with flair by your name and badges? Some say guest, some member, some charter member, and some say random shit. How is that determined and who applies it? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/2 "2019-11-02T17:58:19Z")
Guest=free membership account Member=paid membership account Charter Member= half price paid account. Offered at end of original pay-to-post era as long as the membership is not allowed to lapse. Random shit=custom titles available for purchase. Look under “Paid Subscriptions” in the User CP. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/3 "2019-11-02T18:20:37Z")
Us Charter Members have been here for ages. I’m too lazy to look it up, but we went to a “pay or get ads” model around ten years ago, maybe even longer than that. As a token of management’s appreciation, we pay half-price (eight bucks a year?) in perpetuity. They also enabled an option for custom tags for another few bucks a year. To give you an idea of how long I’ve been here, my user ID number is 41, which pretty much means I helped them carry the servers upstairs and plug them in. dontbesojumpy’s ID is 86528, which means nearly 86,500 people have wandered in here since I joined. Yikes, that makes me feel old! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Colossus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.colossus/32/9423_2.png) [@Dr.Colossus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Colossus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/4 "2019-11-02T18:56:00Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Us Charter Members have been here for ages. I’m too lazy to look it up, but we went to a “pay or get ads” model around ten years ago, maybe even longer than that. As a token of management’s appreciation, we pay half-price (eight bucks a year?) in perpetuity. They also enabled an option for custom tags for another few bucks a year. > > To give you an idea of how long I’ve been here, my user ID number is 41, which pretty much means I helped them carry the servers upstairs and plug them in. dontbesojumpy’s ID is 86528, which means nearly 86,500 people have wandered in here since I joined. Yikes, that makes me feel old! And I’ve been a member for 10 full years as of October 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/5 "2019-11-02T19:03:54Z")
I’ve been around for ten years, and am still occasionally reminded that I’m one of the new kids. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/6 "2019-11-03T02:32:13Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I’ve been around for ten years, and am still occasionally reminded that I’m one of the new kids. Get off my lawn! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/7 "2019-11-03T03:31:23Z")
I only have the bare minimum amount of flair. I also don’t put cover sheets on my TPS reports. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/8 "2019-11-03T11:11:03Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > To give you an idea of how long I’ve been here, my user ID number is 41, which pretty much means I helped them carry the servers upstairs and plug them in. We have a seniority number? First I’ve heard of it. How do I find it? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/9 "2019-11-03T11:44:04Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > We have a seniority number? First I’ve heard of it. How do I find it? Mouseover your username and look at the status bar. Or the address bar if you’re looking at your profile. The number is at the far right. You’re 42478. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/10 "2019-11-03T12:23:54Z")
Hunh, cool. Learned something new, thanks! Been on the board since 2007, #67424 (I really should cough up for a membership, shouldn’t I?) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/11 "2019-11-03T12:26:39Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Us Charter Members have been here for ages. I’m too lazy to look it up, but we went to a “pay or get ads” model around ten years ago, maybe even longer than that. At _least_ 15 years ago. It was definitely sometime between 2002 and 2004. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/12 "2019-11-03T13:22:19Z")
I allowed my Charter Membership to lapse a couple-few years back and became a Guest, but they can’t take my 99er status away. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/13 "2019-11-03T13:29:20Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > At _least_ 15 years ago. It was definitely sometime between 2002 and 2004. It was still pay to post in 2006, when I joined. I could post free as a guest for one month, then had to buy a subscription after that. It went free to post shortly afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/14 "2019-11-03T14:03:34Z")
Huh, I’m poster ID#13192 Interesting, never knew that. On the older side, but not a '99er. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/15 "2019-11-03T16:42:12Z")
When was the Great Migration from AOL? I dabbled on the board then but didn’t get serious until it was independent. For some reason I don’t recall, the join date got jiggered to October, 2002. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/16 "2019-11-03T21:03:52Z")
A slight hijack… I’m an approved continuing education instructor for a state license here. My instructor number is 4. The first three are all dead. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/17 "2019-11-03T21:29:04Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > A slight hijack… > > I’m an approved continuing education instructor for a state license here. My instructor number is 4. > > The first three are all dead. If this was 007 world you’d move up to 1. Hey, I have 211 as a prime factor. Cooool. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-flair-and-badges/842922/18 "2019-11-03T22:16:14Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > A slight hijack… > > I’m an approved continuing education instructor for a state license here. My instructor number is 4. > > The first three are all dead. Klingon promotion?