# Something wrong with this thread - user ID's not appearing **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 15, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408 "2011-09-15T17:04:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408/1 "2011-09-15T17:04:40Z")
In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=8112) thread, none of the user ID’s are showing for the first 20 posts. Even on the Forum page, the user ID of the OP is not showing. After post 21 all the user ID’s are showing. Just wondering what’s up with that? Roddy ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408/2 "2011-09-15T17:13:27Z")
It’s a zombie thread from 1999. I think those posts predate the Internet. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408/3 "2011-09-15T17:14:30Z")
Age of the thread? (04-07-1999) ---
**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:** [September 15, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408/4 "2011-09-15T17:26:09Z")
They didn’t pay their buck eighty-three, so their names were removed from the database. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408/5 "2011-09-15T17:26:17Z")
i think it was an anonymous board back then. you never knew who you were taking to and had to conclude an identity from content and style. it became too confusing so then i think they paid for the board option to include IDs. a wise move in my opinion. or it could be that extreme zombies ate the IDs. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408/6 "2011-09-15T17:26:30Z")
That also predates vBulletin. The thread originated in the bulletin board software we used before going to vB – UBB? Something like that. Back then the board was totally free, so it’s not a matter of paying or not paying. The threads didn’t convert totally when we changed software. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408/7 "2011-09-15T18:57:22Z")
Yep. UBB. What TubaDiva said. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408/8 "2011-09-15T19:10:36Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > That also predates vBulletin. The thread originated in the bulletin board software we used before going to vB – UBB? Something like that. > > Back then the board was totally free, so it’s not a matter of paying or not paying. > > The threads didn’t convert totally when we changed software. I was making a small joke referring to the zombie thread. Looks like I screwed it up. I meant a buck three-eighty. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408/9 "2011-09-15T19:42:14Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I was making a small joke referring to the zombie thread. Looks like I screwed it up. I meant a buck three-eighty. Y’know, a buck three-eighty won’t buy you much lately on the street these days. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-wrong-with-this-thread-user-ids-not-appearing/596408/10 "2011-09-16T04:50:07Z")
Yeah, there was another one [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14258291). Had me spun for a bit.