# 'Registered user' vs 'Member' **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 9, 2004, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251 "2004-02-09T08:41:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/1 "2004-02-09T08:41:41Z")
In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=238730) I just happened to notice that some users are listed as “member” under their names, whereas others are listed as “registered user.” Anyone know what the difference (if any) is? Maybe some artifact of the switch to the new software? ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/2 "2004-02-09T08:48:45Z")
In re-examining that thread, I see that “others” is a slight overstatement. It appears to just be **Eleusis** who is displayed as a “Registered user.” I’m still curious as to why, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/3 "2004-02-09T10:59:29Z")
I can’t see anyone there who hasn’t got “Member” under their names. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/4 "2004-02-09T11:36:05Z")
> [@Ice Wolf](#): > > I can’t see anyone there who hasn’t got “Member” under their names. I guess you didn’t see me, and I posted there. But **Eleusis** does have the status listed as “member”. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/5 "2004-02-09T11:44:32Z")
Yes, sorry, **Lynn** – I was concentrating in my reply on “Member” vs. “Registered Member”. You turned up as “Administrator” several times, of course. :o ---
**Author:** ![TheMadHun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@TheMadHun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMadHun)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/6 "2004-02-09T17:04:57Z")
I saw Registered User the first viewing also. I didn’t comment because i had no answer. But now it’s not there. Maybe it was a style selection quirk? Or did Lynn correct it? ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/7 "2004-02-09T18:03:53Z")
Huh. It just says “Member” now. Someone fixed it. If it were Lynn, I assume she would have mentioned it. Unless, of course, it’s a giant SDMB cover up due to some sinister “user registration” scheme I stumbled across. I do notice that my name in this thread now has a broken image link next to it with the ALT text that says “ntucker is invisible”, which makes me think they’re fixin’ to make me “disappear.” That’s what happens to whistleblowers. 😉 (yes, I imagine that the “ntucker is invisible” graphic was probably always there, and it’s something I just never noticed until I happened to view a thread during a heavy load and some of the graphics didn’t load) ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/8 "2004-02-10T08:57:39Z")
No, I didn’t fix it. It’s not something that I would fix, anyway. My WAG is it’s yet another bug that someone swatted between the time of the OP and now. However, that is strictly a WAG, I have nothing to base it on. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/9 "2004-02-10T12:56:00Z")
Just to corroborate … I saw **Eleusis** metamorphose from “Registered User” to “Member”, too. Are my days here numbered? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/10 "2004-02-10T20:48:11Z")
i had noticed **hegel** with a “Registered User” too in this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=4467413), but i see him listed as “Member” now. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/11 "2004-02-11T17:48:17Z")
> [@Shrinking Violet](#): > > Just to corroborate … I saw **Eleusis** metamorphose from “Registered User” to “Member”, too. > > Are my days here numbered? 🙂 If you disappear we’ll know that there’s a huge SDMB conspiracy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registered-user-vs-member/228251/12 "2004-02-13T05:21:52Z")
The default VBB software comes with a scad of options for member/users with varying rights – all our moderators are really “super moderators” under the default VBB scheme, based on what they’re able to do. “Registered User” is one such default category – which shows up here as “Member.” Odds are the software hiccupped somewhere between **Eleusis** being logged in for the first time as a board member and its assigning the proper permissions. (Some boards, trying to stay family-friendly and yet cater to the need for adult-topic discussions, have “Mature Members” who can see and access forums not visible to “Members.” In the interests of courtesy, I’ll refrain from making the obvious bad joke.)