# User name rules? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 3, 2001, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078 "2001-10-03T00:25:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078/1 "2001-10-03T00:25:36Z")
Okay, lately I have been seeing a lot of really long, all one “word” user names. For example “my-name-is-really-long-and-i-dont-care” or some such, with the dashes included. Is there any rule on how long these names can be. I, personaly, hate it because the long names make it so certain pages won’t fit in a nice neat page because it has to refit itself to fit the name in the box, and then I have to scroll sideways, and that is really annoying (and I am really lazy :D) Does that even makes sense? I am not really sure how to describe it. Anyway, back to the orginal question, is there a limit to the madness? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078/2 "2001-10-03T01:41:22Z")
Yeah, I think there’s a 25-character limit. ---
**Author:** ![zero\_hr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@zero\_hr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zero_hr)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078/3 "2001-10-03T01:43:03Z")
It’s 25 characters. There are well over 100 names longer than 20, as I recall. And the screen-space thing has been hashed a few times on this forum. You might search if you can think what to search on. Perhaps “scrollbar”. Personally, they don’t cause me any problems. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078/4 "2001-10-03T19:48:12Z")
When you see such a name, let an administrator know, and they’ll send the person a little love note. They do try to get such names changed, to at least include a few spaces. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078/5 "2001-10-03T20:50:58Z")
I could have included my life history in a name that long. ---
**Author:** ![onesbureaucratictendency](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/898d66/32.png) [@onesbureaucratictendency](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onesbureaucratictendency)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078/6 "2001-10-03T20:59:03Z")
Excuse me? You’re saying I broke some unwritten rule? And I’m “mad”. Look around. The names are funny here. That’s one of the _fun_ parts of the board. I notice your name could use a space or two. How would you like it if someone changed _your_ name to suit me? Fair’s fair. ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078/7 "2001-10-03T23:46:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by onesbureaucratictendency \* > \*\*Excuse me? You’re saying I broke some unwritten rule? > And I’m “mad”. Look around. The names are funny here. That’s one of the _fun_ parts of the board. > I notice your name could use a space or two. How would you like it if someone changed _your_ name to suit me? Fair’s fair. \*\* Woah buddy, calm down. I was just asking a question. I wasn’t implying that anyone needed to change anything. If that were the case, I would have put it in the Pit. I, honestly, don’t really care what your name is, I was just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Joan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71e660/32.png) [@Saint\_Joan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Joan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2001, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078/8 "2001-10-04T02:31:03Z")
I changed my long user name at one point, but not to shorten it. Maybe you can tell why. It was my Indian name: **Lodgesinbasement-eatsmuchcupasoup** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2001, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078/9 "2001-10-04T08:16:54Z")
Wether it will fark the threads is also dependent on _which_ 25 letters the user chooses, for example: Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii is shorter than MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM But they both have 25 characters (unless I counted wrong) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2001, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/user-name-rules/85078/10 "2001-10-04T08:17:57Z")
wether? Gaah! (h)