How do I find a lurker?

March 23, 2007 6:05 PM

In the absence of a known user ID, how can I locate the profile of a particular lurker? This person has absolutely no posting/commenting history that I know of, and I've tried all of the search mechanisms for their username. Apologies in advance if I'm missing something obvious!
posted by JohnFredra to MetaFilter-related at 6:05 PM (25 comments total)

So you know the username itself? If so, go here:

http://www.metafilter.com/username.mefi/theusername
posted by cortex at 6:16 PM on March 23, 2007 [3 favorites]

for example
posted by cortex at 6:28 PM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]

Now is as good a time as any to ask if http://www.metafilter.com/username.mefi/theusername will ever replace http://www.metafilter.com/user/usernumber as the username link. It's worked for a long time only on preview on metatalk but nowhere else.
posted by puke & cry at 6:36 PM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]

thanks cortex!
posted by JohnFredra at 6:44 PM on March 23, 2007

"for example
posted by cortex at 7:28 PM on March 23 [+] [!]"

Self-linker.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:50 PM on March 23, 2007

"for example
posted by cortex at 7:28 PM on March 23 [+] [!]"

Self-linker.

Self-linker-caller-out!
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:14 PM on March 23, 2007

No way, puke & cry. Those of us with lower user numbers need a way to lord it over you n00bs.

/me waits to be lorded over.
posted by DaShiv at 7:24 PM on March 23, 2007

You can drop the .mefi.

http://www.metafilter.com/username/carsonb
posted by carsonb at 7:34 PM on March 23, 2007

               ↓↓     Self-linker.
posted by carsonb at 7:40 PM on March 23, 2007

self-Klinker
posted by cortex at 7:42 PM on March 23, 2007

T'riffically n00bish question to follow up here: How do you use the nifty username search when the username contains spaces or ampersands or whatever else? Is it escaped characters? What? How? Please hope.
posted by cgc373 at 7:44 PM on March 23, 2007

cgc373: http://www.metafilter.com/username/Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America
posted by carsonb at 7:47 PM on March 23, 2007

http://www.metafilter.com/username/PUKE & cry

As usual, case don't matter.

puke & cry: It's worked for a long time only on preview on metatalk but nowhere else.

I did not know that! Very useful, thanks!
posted by carsonb at 7:51 PM on March 23, 2007

I added this to the FAQ.
posted by jessamyn at 8:04 PM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]

Woah. Cool!
posted by carsonb at 8:16 PM on March 23, 2007

We already had this long drawn out discussion many months ago when matt first implemented this. It went essentially: "shouldn't the user links switch to being by name? No, we want to be able to see someone's usernumber by hovering. But isn't that elitist? No, it's not. But what about usernames that contain special characters, like those with asian characters?" and on and on..
posted by Rhomboid at 8:36 PM on March 23, 2007

We already had this long drawn out discussion many months ago when matt first implemented this.

How many months ago did matt first implement this, Rhombold?
posted by timeistight at 9:02 PM on March 23, 2007

many months ago when matt first implemented this.

typing /username.mefi/username has worked for years.
posted by quonsar at 9:05 PM on March 23, 2007

beaten to the punch by timeistight.
posted by quonsar at 9:06 PM on March 23, 2007

/username.mefi/* has worked for at least 4 or 5 years. It's still the default for all the bylines when you use preview, even though the /username/* URL has worked for at least 2 years.
posted by blasdelf at 10:20 PM on March 23, 2007

Okay, cool. Thanks, carsonb, jessamyn, et al. Is good.
posted by cgc373 at 10:57 PM on March 23, 2007

You can drop the .mefi.

I wish. Unfortunately, I always relapse.
posted by srboisvert at 2:46 AM on March 24, 2007

That's not self-linking, it's eponysterical.
i am in lurve with that word

ooops...
















.mefi
dropped it
posted by wendell at 3:38 AM on March 24, 2007

beaten to the punch by timeistight.

You have to be quick when timeistight, sir.
posted by cortex at 5:49 AM on March 24, 2007 [1 favorite]

"In the absence of a known user ID, how can I locate the profile of a particular lurker?"

Does the word "stalker" ring a bell?
posted by davy at 9:54 AM on March 26, 2007