Forums / Discussion / General

For when you really want to change your avatar/username, but don't want people to get confused.

For example, I'm changing my Username today from Katamari Manatee to Intergalactic Joe.

(REMEMBER KIDS: This thread is not intended to promote name changes, merely to inform people about said name changes. You have been warned.)

This is actually a pretty good idea. It'll help with confusion.

Hm. That is a good idea.

However, I think it should be in General. The problem is that most people wouldn't go into General, so they wouldn't know of the username change. So I guess this works for now.

Perhaps it needs a sticky, as well. I don't expect many users to change their names all that often, but it'd be better than letting it lock.

This will help identify Katia, and his endless name changes.

I'd say put it in general. All the stickied informative threads are in there.

Fair warning: if you change your name, and then change it back, you'll end up with a --3 or --5 or something at the end of your URL.

I honestly don't think this is important enough to be stickied, but it is a good idea nonetheless.

The reason I'm thinking about Stickying it is to keep it from being locked. Unlike other threads, it serves a practical purpose as opposed to being a game, community activity, or discussion.

• Without a sticky, then it will likely be locked (because people don't change their usernames a ton), and it would require a moderator to unlock it. That would basically defeat the purpose of the thread, because someone would either have to reopen it or make another thread for it (even though the practical use of it would still be evident.)
• Furthermore, people won't know that there is a thread where they can tell other users that they've changed their usernames, because it's usual inactivity would bury itself. That would also defeat the practical purpose of the thread.

However, I'm not sure if Featuring it would be the correct course of action either. It's activity wouldn't be like a Featured thread. It would be more like a Stickied thread. I do see your point that username changes aren't super important (not as important as rules, advertising accounts, or textile guides), but it is useful.
 
I'll hold off on either for now, but I think Stickying it is the best option.

I can see where you're coming from, but you like you said, people don't change their names that frequently. Even when people do change their name, it's usually to add some symbol or put "[user] is X". If people really cared that much or if the user was well known, the person changing his/her could just put a description on their profile.

So should the thread, as useful as it is and as good of an idea as it is, be left to die? I think we agree that it will be autolocked without the sticky.

Which means it becomes just like another thread with little participation. So it's not a good enough idea to save it for others to use.
 
I would sooner say that it isn't a good idea than to say that it's good and useful but let it die anyway. I could agree to that. I'm OK with that.

Why hasn't this been moved to General yet? eyes on the two forum mods discussing this

The practical use of the forum.

Most users only view the Just for Fun board, so moving it to General without stickying it would really make it useless, because it would go inactive even sooner than what it would here.

However, I've taken the "not a good idea" approach and am assuming that it will die anyway. so I guess it should go where it fits then, hm? You're right, Natsuru.

No really, it's quite a good alternative to just stating who you are elsewhere, I'd prefer this thread.

Give this the stick.

Me and Brucker (But mostly Brucker) change our names a lot, don't we? Does this get on anybody's nerves?

Featuring also prevents a lock, the only difference is that it doesn't appear in the top list of threads.

Seeing how only the active forum userbase benefits from this thread, and not the site or community in general, a sticky would be major overkill. A feature is a good solution, as this benefits the users just as much as certain general or JFF threads. However, seeing how our main active forum userbase takes hold in the JFF sections, I agree with OPs original idea that it's better of there.

But I rather see how this turns out first, before we go with a stick or feature, as all the "General" threads in JFF have so far never prevented seperate ones from being created. I expect that this will maybe be used for half a week, mainly to notify of minor changes (user "Pizza" now being called "Pizza with cheese"). After that, it'll get the auto-lock, and proofs that our expectations of this thread were way too high.

After that, it’ll get the auto-lock, and proofs that our expectations of this thread were way too high.

I don't think anyone's expectations was that this would be an active thread. In fact, I think most moderators said that it actually wouldn't be active. I think what might be questioned is whether or not this is useful overall.

I feel like Featuring it is not quite appropriate as Stickying, because Featured threads are featured because they generally have a lot of activity or interest. Stickied threads aren't actually active, but they are useful so they are "perpetually bumped" so people don't have to dig to find them regardless of activity. So between the two options, I think Stickying it is the better and appropriate option.

The question is "Is it useful enough to be Stickied?"

• Will one space be so bad to take up given its use?
• Or is it really not worth it, because it's only useful when a user drastically changes their username?

At this point, I'm not really sure anymore from what's been said here, but I still say if it gets any mark, it should be a flag over a star. It wouldn't fit in with the nature of Featured threads.

Or is it really not worth it, because it’s only useful when a user drastically changes their username?

I'm going with that. If users suddenly feel like giving their username a major twist, just let the about sections on your wall start with "Previously X", so that those curious in who you are can easily be notified.

It wouldn’t fit in with the nature of Featured threads.

As it also wouldn't fit with the nature of Stickied threads. Stickied threads are generally userful threads which the entire site can make use of. This thread is only useful to JFF users with massive egos who feel like any change in their presence is of full-site scale importancy.

Overall, a change in username is of even less importance than leaving the site or returning (and we're already hitting the down low with that). We lock those threads, so why does this need priveleges?

This needs to be used moar.

Going from Twins the Convalescent Caiman to Twins the Speustic Stellion.

I have no idea who you are right now, that is if you didn't notify me of it just a moment ago, but as you did we're cool now. The importance of this thread has just been shown to me and I apologise for any snarky comment I made towards the userbase.

Overall, a change in username is of even less importance than leaving the site or returning (and we’re already hitting the down low with that). We lock those threads, so why does this need priveleges?

It prevents confusion. Simple as.

Again, I've already said that I'm not sure if it needs a mark anymore. But anyone who changes their username (in comments, editors of entries, uploaders of images, and in the forums) would be able to use it. So it has a purpose to the entire site (Sticky.)

It's just questioned as to whether or not it's useful enough, and I don't feel strongly enough right now to Sticky it or Feature it.

If it doesn't get a mark of some sort, then no one would be able to see it anyway, because it will be autolocked at some point.
 
 
If it means anything, there has been enough opposition to the idea for me to not mark it myself, and unless there's more support for the idea, I wouldn't Feature it or Sticky it.

I've changed from Megalolzors to Karkat

I think that this thread could prevent confusion, but I'm not sure if it's important enough to merit a feature or sticky status. My suggestion is to see if it doesn't die in a short period of time (my post is helping it not to), and if it does (which, to be honest, I think it might), that will be the end of that.

Even if it doesn't, I'd still recommend just leaving it alone. If users change their names often enough for this thread to be useful, then we wouldn't need to sticky or feature it because it would get enough posts to support itself and remain active, no?

Also, that is a good point about users just writing "Formerly X" on their walls when changing their names. Those curious enough to look into it will just go to their walls for a hint, see that, and the confusion is gone.

EDIT: Dafuq, this got moved to General while I was typing my post. Who moved it, out of curiosity?

>tfw nobody uses the actual thread but we all debate on it being stickied/being moved to general.

I can help with that! I was Ki..D the [several various things] until a short while ago.

I was just about to say…

Page 2 will be the REAL starting point.

(Just a note that's also on-topic, I change my username either randomly or at the start of every month.)

I can help with that! I was Ki..D the [several various things] until a short while ago.

Thank you, I actually didn't know who you were. Whilst staggering upon that revelation, I realised what your profile pic and name is referencing.

I liked that game, I'll admit.

By the way, in case any of you hadn't figured out (in which case you are very silly geese indeed) this is Luis.

I was Free Cake. I do not desire to change constantly, or in a scheduled fashion, but ever now and then I might change, on a whim, when the mood strikes me. God I love run-on sentences.

Oh shit nigger where'd you come from?