Suggestion: A Break From Alt-Names

[Ite]

I changed my name back to Mr. Ite because honestly I have no idea who I'm talking to anymore and want to stem that tide.

So many active people right now are people that hid in the wings before the people who left (whom I love but they could be loud and overbearing) left.

Now that we're what's left, I find myself scanning through everyone's AKA fields all the time trying to find a name I recognize. I have a pretty shitty memory as it is, and don't immediately recognize everyone. Also, there are only one or two people left from every "theme" game that we used to play, so it looks messy imo.

The flavour of TLS has changed a lot in the last couple of weeks. It might be nice to re-establish who we are before we start wearing masks again.

So that's my suggestion. Obviously, it can't/shouldn't be enforced, but I think it might be a courtesy to take it easy on the themes for a while. What do you think?

 

[Cthulhu]

I've no idea who most of you are anyway (partly thanks to name changes), so . I agree though.

 

[Ite]

Like holy shit I've been carrying on a conversation with hito for two days and I had no idea it was him.

 

[Shademp]

I too think that browsing the forum would be easier, for forum veterans and newcomers alike, if there were less name changes. That's about all I have to say on the issue.

I have never changed my name here and I never will, so that's the style I will be sticking to.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

While I don't want to cramp people's style or deprive them of their fun, nevertheless I agree. I've always found the constant name changes really confusing. I totally identify people with their names and icons: picturing Yop tapping away at his computer with two tentacles, the other tentacles waving like somebody's expressive hands.

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

I've never had an issue with name changes. Scanning the aka field to figure out who is who is just something I do. Its what said field is there for, innit? I was considering going back to DEATH earlier today, even. But I suppose if people want to slow down on name changes for a bit I can wait a while.

 

[Cthulhu]

While I don't want to cramp people's style or deprive them of their fun, nevertheless I agree. I've always found the constant name changes really confusing. I totally identify people with their names and icons: picturing Yop tapping away at his computer with two tentacles, the other tentacles waving like somebody's expressive hands.

You don't want to know what the other tentacles are doing, .

And @GLD, I wouldn't actually mind you changing to DEATH, seeing that I know it's you, etc. May not be as easy for others though.

One thing I have considered is to do some tweaks and introduce a new profile field, 'display name'. The original username would be underneath the displayed username as a 'primary AKA' field, of the sort. See attachment for some Chrome devtools hackery as an example.

 

[AvecAloes]

One thing I have considered is to do some tweaks and introduce a new profile field, 'display name'. The original username would be underneath the displayed username as a 'primary AKA' field, of the sort. See attachment for some Chrome devtools hackery as an example.

I think it's brilliant. Original or most used/well known, though? I know that say, Fangu was first Arfurido (sp), but she soon changed it to Fangu, which is what we all know her by now. Also, for those who have never changed their name (or for those whose name is currently their most well known), would that show up? Would that be something that users can edit, or would a mod have to do it?

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

You don't want to know what the other tentacles are doing, .

This is the internetz, someone does

And @GLD, I wouldn't actually mind you changing to DEATH, seeing that I know it's you, etc. May not be as easy for others though.

To be fair, I'm recognizable. When I do name change, I tend to keep the name for a good long while. Plus, eye-burning red font (at least for folks who don't turn off post formatting)

One thing I have considered is to do some tweaks and introduce a new profile field, 'display name'. The original username would be underneath the displayed username as a 'primary AKA' field, of the sort. See attachment for some Chrome devtools hackery as an example.

I like this idea. Of course, people will still have to look very slightly to the side of the post to see it, so not that different from the current aka field really.

 

[CK]

I had to log in to let you know that my signature sums up this thread.

Peace out.

 

[Ite]

thx bro

Main username thing sounds fine with me, although it does make the wall-of-text sidebar even bigger.

Now that I think about it, I don't know why we don't just use the Custom Title field to play theme games. Since our name in the [ Quote = ] fields stays long after we've changed back or to something new. And I remember hating typing "Midvalley the Horn Freak" into the login bar over and over.

 

[Cthulhu]

That would work. Also, I don't mind reducing the size of the poastbar by 50000% by removing or at least hiding non-immediately-important details like join dates.

 

[Flintlock]

I think the Join Date is more useful than the Epic Member (etc) line, so I'd get rid of that first. And if you brought in the ability to have separate display names and usernames, the custom text that goes directly above the avatar could go too. So then it would just be, for example, DEATH - Gym Leader Devil - Donator.

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

I like my custom text. And my status as an Elite Member.

 

[Lex]

If anything should go it's probably Join Date IMO, the custom user title is something people really like/ use a lot.

But yes @thread in general, it would be cool for people to have their original/most used names for a while (I've been singing that tune since the beginning, even though I know who everyone is now) but an even better idea is to include that new field for names, thats awesome!

@GLD If you're going to change to anything you need to change back to Everybody's Grudge because that was the coolest username ever and I miss looking at a Tonberry avatar/ that little sprite one you had in your sig.

 

[Alex Strife]

I don't feel at ease, critisizing people for changing their names. But there's so many people here that it's hard enough to remember who is who to begin with. Then, if they all change their names rather often, then ugh; it becomes two times as hard, for me at least. That said, I don't want to tell people not to do it, so... whatever!

Still, adding a field to display the most used screen name sounds good

Besides, with all the signatures and stuff, even if there's another line to the "wall o' text" on the left, it would not increase post size, right? It's just a line of text anyway.

Addendum: I've only changed my screen name once. And kept my original in "AKA", so it's fairly easy to see who I am. Also that and my Location.

 

[Dana Scully]

If people wanna go back to their roots then that's cool and all but I honestly don't understand how having your original username as your actual username is any different from having it in your AKA field? Especially now that the AKA field is enforced.

I mean it doesn't really matter, if people really feel there's a need for a second username field then okay. It just seems kinda redundant to me.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

The aka list is very useful but there are some people whoi don't have the name by which they're commonly referred to anywhere in their aka list. Two I can think of off the top of my head are Rishi and Tony. I finally worked out who they are (still not sure about Tony) but for a long time when other posts referred to these people I had no idea who they were meant.

 

[Carlie]

Basically what Kat said.

If it helps for anyone who is not sure of who I am: Most people call me Carlie, my most recognizable username is Sue Sylvester and you'll usually see me with usernames of characters portrayed by Claudia Black. Also atm I'm the only Puerto Rican active in this forum.

 

[Kuroto]

The aka list is very useful but there are some people whoi don't have the name by which they're commonly referred to anywhere in their aka list. Two I can think of off the top of my head are Rishi and Tony. I finally worked out who they are (still not sure about Tony) but for a long time when other posts referred to these people I had no idea who they were meant.

This and that some people have about 20 names in their AKA field, and you just don't always necessarily want to go through them every time they have a new theme. And if we had this "most used screen name" field, then maybe we wouldn't even need the AKA field at all.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Basically what Kat said.

If it helps for anyone who is not sure of who I am: Most people call me Carlie, my most recognizable username is Sue Sylvester and you'll usually see me with usernames of characters portrayed by Claudia Black. Also atm I'm the only Puerto Rican active in this forum.

A case in point. Who is Kat?

 

[ForceStealer]

You know, Yop, the 'display name' thing probably would have been a good thing to implement the first time all this AKA-business blew up you cba-bastard

 

[Dana Scully]

The aka list is very useful but there are some people whoi don't have the name by which they're commonly referred to anywhere in their aka list. Two I can think of off the top of my head are Rishi and Tony. I finally worked out who they are (still not sure about Tony) but for a long time when other posts referred to these people I had no idea who they were meant.

In those cases though it's an issue of people being referred to by their real names, which has nothing to do with their usernames (though I see where you're coming from, I still get confused occasionally when some people use IRL names).

Personally I've just gotten into the habit of looking at the first name in people's AKA fields and using that to identify them, as that's almost always their most common/original username. But like I said, if people feel a need for/want a 'most common username' field then that's cool too.

Edit:

A case in point. Who is Kat?

Me

 

[Russell]

Concur with this thread. I feel like I know alot of people on here but I'm not sure who anyone is anymore.


Of course you all could just choose a name/avatar and stick with it forever & ever & ever.

 

[looneymoon]

why would I want to be anyone else

there's no one in this world cooler than looneymoon