# Variations in appearance of user names in posts

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variations-in-appearance-of-user-names-in-posts/997701>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [February 17, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variations-in-appearance-of-user-names-in-posts/997701 "2024-02-17T16:41:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**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:** [February 17, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variations-in-appearance-of-user-names-in-posts/997701/1 "2024-02-17T16:41:18Z")

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A new poster has established a user name that appears in posts in medium gray type instead of black. I haven’t noticed this happen before, and it really popped out at me as if the user’s account had something wrong with it or something. I’m just wondering, in idle curiosity, if there is any official reaction to this ability being exercised.

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variations-in-appearance-of-user-names-in-posts/997701/2 "2024-02-17T18:24:34Z")

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Very new users are always like that. I turns to black after some activity level is reached.

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**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:** [February 17, 2024, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variations-in-appearance-of-user-names-in-posts/997701/3 "2024-02-17T21:45:08Z")

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Ah, a visual cue I suppose. I am apparently not an observant person, to not have noticed this before.

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variations-in-appearance-of-user-names-in-posts/997701/4 "2024-02-17T22:32:53Z")

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You may just not have seen many brand new users before they converted over from gray.

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**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/variations-in-appearance-of-user-names-in-posts/997701/5 "2024-02-17T22:44:04Z")

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> [@Roderick\_Femm](#):
>
> I am apparently not an observant person, to not have noticed this before.

New users start at trust level 0. I forget exactly what criteria we have set for each trust level, but it’s reasonably close to the default for Discourse for at least the first couple of trust levels. New users advance fairly quickly through trust level 1 and up to trust level 2, which is where we cap user trust levels for normal members. Moderators and admins (and Cecil) have higher trust levels.

On light themes, the user’s name gets darker as they advance to higher trust levels (gray to black). On dark themes, they get lighter (gray to white).

Since newbies advance pretty quickly through the trust levels, it’s easy to miss the shading change.