# The poster formerly known as . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 3, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613 "2012-02-03T02:34:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613/41 "2012-07-14T02:00:25Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I used to be known as Doghouse Reilly. Don’t worry, you didn’t notice me then either. I remembered that name. You posted a retort to one of my posts that was one of the funniest things I’ve ever read on this board. And back then, I had a different name, too: Mjollnir. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613/42 "2012-07-14T04:29:23Z")
This is a an Internet community. I think the OP has shown admirable restraint in dealing with those who have used this to showcase their undoubted admirable qualities. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613/43 "2012-07-14T04:43:04Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I’m the other way around. I used to be **tbg**. Does that meant I got capitated? it would seem you got caffeinated and perked up a bit. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613/44 "2012-07-14T19:42:51Z")
Oh, I’ve always been caffeinated. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613/45 "2012-07-15T06:13:06Z")
My Real World name became known to some folks here because of an unusual confluence of posts about a RW contest, and the public exposure I gained in the RW when I won the contest. Since then I’ve found I have some RW enemies, whose identities I don’t even know, but I know they know mine, both in that world and this. Because of that there are things I will no longer discuss here. It may sound paranoid, but I have already suffered serious RW consequences from communications I’ve exchanged over the internet – though not from anybody at the SDMB. I have been thinking about changing my user name, and keeping the change confidential. This would mean (I think) creating a new account and abandoning the old one. I too think the idea of having some kind of registry to link users to old names is a terrible idea. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613/46 "2012-07-15T06:14:47Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I have been thinking about changing my user name, and keeping the change confidential. This would mean (I think) creating a new account and abandoning the old one. No, it would mean your username is changed and that new name is attached to all your posts, old and new. Abandoning an account and starting a new one is socking and it’s not allowed. And I’m sorry for your trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613/47 "2012-07-15T06:29:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > No, it would mean your username is changed and that new name is attached to all your posts, old and new. Abandoning an account and starting a new one is socking and it’s not allowed. And I’m sorry for your trouble. I understand that, and I wouldn’t go through with a change like I imagine without getting permission in advance. But I think that a simple username change on the same account would be an inadequate ‘fix’, as it would be too easy to search for my posts by, say, a contest name and find out what my new user name was. I don’t want to go into details, but someone in my town (among a list of people I sent an email to) seriously fucked me over, and all the people on that list know I post here regularly. And I’ve written a lot of things here that, taken out of the context of my smartass rather juvenile persona, could look bad for me, if for instance an employer found out about it. Come to think of it, to get _really_ paranoid, I would want to change my user name and then abandon the account and create a new one with a new name. This would be the closest I could come to ‘disappearing’ my old persona and posts. Eh, it’s too late and I am feeling overly paranoid… time to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613/48 "2012-07-15T08:39:27Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I too think the idea of having some kind of registry to link users to old names is a terrible idea. Except as I noted in my OP that I thought it should be optional - share your name changes, but only if you want. It wouldn’t cover everybodys noms de Dope, but would still help. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613/49 "2012-07-15T18:12:09Z")
I would think requesting people put old names in their profiles, and maybe starting a thread in ATMB _requesting_ folks post their old usernames there, would satisfy the intent while leaving it optional. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-poster-formerly-known-as/611613.md?page=2)