IS THERE AN ADVANTAGE TO CONTINUOUSLY CHANGING YOUR USER NAME??

[nctarheel]

I have noticed that more than one person changes their USER NAME with regularity.

In fact, one user has had at least FIVE user names in the last year.

Is there an advantage to the changing of user names of which I am not aware????

Then what is the purpose?????

[KellytheBelly]

Hey, @nctarheel | @fffred  -- Remember, you had to change your username at least once upon sign-up, right?

@fffred You're off topic! ⤵️   😂

@fffred wrote ‎11-10-2023 04:34 PM:

@nctarheel    What I found even worse was a poster forcing their own thread(s) to daily be at the top of the list (indicating "exciting new posts here!") in a forum by removing their own post, the last one in that thread, and re-posting it the next day, making it look like there was action and activity in that thread. "Fool me once... "

I captured screen prints of some of these tricks but I never bothered sending them in to AARP

If you see something's gone awry in this place, you can send the Mod(s) a screencap, because they really appreciate this! A community like a well-oiled machine! I know I have seen someone post a new post, and immediately it's down the page, pushed down by the usual spammy posts. 😂

[fffred]

@KellytheBelly 

I dub thee "Ser Spamalot, Guardian of Our Kingdom".  Thank you.

[fffred]

@nctarheel    What I found even worse was a poster forcing their own thread(s) to daily be at the top of the list (indicating "exciting new posts here!") in a forum by removing their own post, the last one in that thread, and re-posting it the next day, making it look like there was action and activity in that thread. "Fool me once... "

I captured screen prints of some of these tricks but I never bothered sending them in to AARP

[fffred]

@nctarheel    are they actually changing their username for the existing profile? Or do they have to create an entirely new profile in order to log in?

I suppose I'm wondering if changing the screen name is a built-in feature of the AARP forum?

[nctarheel]

@fffred,

I believe they purposely change their name. I am not sure they create a new profile.

My question was "Is there an advantage to continuously changing your user name and, if not, why do some change their user name as many as 5 times in one year?"

I was hoping that a Moderator might answer my question. Or maybe one of the frequent user name changers could answer the question.

I have never changed my user name.... maybe I am missing out on some advantage to doing it.

[fffred]

@nctarheel   Have you never received the Gift Packet when you charged your screen name?

oh, that’s right, you’ve never changed that name so you wouldn’t have gotten the Gift Packet. They’re really nice!

[fffred]

@nctarheel   Oh,okay. I’m funnin’ with ya.

there’s really little need to change the name. Some people do this for fun, I think. Otners, I conjecture that they get caught up in a snit and change. Others, I’m pretty certain get caught up in a snit, close their account, then later…like a moth drawn to flame…come back and create a new account.

[fffred]

It has been this way since usenet news groups in the 1990’s, early days of internet. 

and probably before that, in other mediums of expression.

[fffred]

okay, it seems that changing the forum (AARP "online community") username is a feature of the software; it allows you to change the username at-will for spontaneous reasons. 

I'm not positive but I think it would have the effect of changing all posts under the particular log-in profile. So if I change my user name from "fffred" to my real true life name, "phillll" then all my previous posts update as well. Except if someone has referred to me (without the "@") in a reply or other post. I'm pretty certain I've seen this happen. But I've also seen personalities come around, disappear, and then seemingly come back under a different name, using a different log-in profile.  ...seen because the "link" to the poster's previous profile and list of posts is "dead", the software has no database record of the account.

Mysterious.

[nctarheel]

@fffred,

I believe that the individual that has changed their user name 5 times in one year has had both processes occur as you have mentioned.

At one time, after a user name change, their previous comments updated to be all listed under the new name rather than the old.

It seems that has changed because this same individual presently has comments in  threads with three distinct user names in those threads.

[Underbat]

This thread is locked.

There are no rules stopping people changing username on the community, and changing usernames does not affect the community as all posts made under the previous username are reflected to the new username.

Similarly, if you change your avatar or your signature, all previous posts reflect the change.

It is purely a personal choice.   

Many members of the community have changed usernames, avatars and signatures mutliple times.