Blew my puny mind, it did

November 29, 2010 4:54 PM

How much does someone's metafilter name influence your impression of them? And have you ever realized you were wrong?

Maybe other people don't do this --- lazily half-read an unfamiliar word the first time and get it stuck in their brain wrong --- but I do it failry often. Sometimes I realize my mistake. In this instance, realizing that I had been reading their name wrong made me realize that I had formed an impression of the poster based on their name, and that impression had no basis. It made me wonder how much a handle influences me vs. post content, and whether that's a bad thing.

Um, specifcally, I just realized that nomadicink's name referred to ink with an insatiable wanderlust. And not nom a dick, as if the people who did Cute Overload wrote porn.

posted by Diablevert to MetaFilter-Related at 4:54 PM (300 comments total)

I always thought mathowie was the matriarch of the Thowie family.
posted by Kattullus at 4:57 PM on November 29, 2010 [18 favorites]

I always think of a brightly colored bird with extravagant plumage when I see Blazecock Pileon (in my mind pronounced peel-eeon). Don't know if that's the way it's supposed to be pronounced or if it's pile-on.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 5:02 PM on November 29, 2010 [16 favorites]

The long jokey ones might make me smile at first but eventually will piss me off. Basically, if it looks weird when used in a sentence addressing them directly it was a mistake (i.e., "so you see, Diablevert..." seems fine, "so you see, Last Boxcar on the Midnight Express to La-La Land..." or whatever, is a wind up). And so I view such users as persons who have chosen their nom de guerre unwisely, surely the most abject failure any person can make. Whereas, say, a Biblical name suggesting some 17th-century home-brew theologian and eschatological pamphleteer would mark one out immediately as a person of refinement and erudition.
posted by Abiezer at 5:03 PM on November 29, 2010 [8 favorites]

Usually by the time I get down to the username they've already said something that's pissed me off, made me chuckle, or totally agreed with so it doesn't matter all that much.
posted by carsonb at 5:07 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

I can't get "math owie" out of my head, no matter how hard I try.
posted by roll truck roll at 5:08 PM on November 29, 2010 [28 favorites]

For some people, it takes the realization that they may someday have to introduce themselves at a MeFi meetup to feel remorseful over having participated for years with a username like "Mister Kissy Sugar Lips Up Your Mom". For some people, it just hardens their resolve.
posted by ardgedee at 5:10 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

YES, I AM MADE OF CAKE and Todd Rundgren references.
posted by mintcake! at 5:10 PM on November 29, 2010

nom a dick

I really want to write out Do Re Mi with this as the opening line, but I can't get up the gumption to do it, so I'll just put this note here.
posted by davejay at 5:10 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

and yeah math owie
posted by davejay at 5:11 PM on November 29, 2010

I didn't realize until last week that clavdivs is CLAVDIVS, like CLAUDIUS. I was pronouncing it "klav-divs". I feel stupid. Also, elizardbits' name makes me giggle every time I read it, so I imagine she is someone that I'd get along well with.
posted by specialagentwebb at 5:11 PM on November 29, 2010 [23 favorites]

Does it count that every time two lights above the sea says anything, for a second I think it was me? And then I'm like... wait.
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 5:12 PM on November 29, 2010 [21 favorites]

ditto Math Owie.
There have been several users that I have had an assumption of their gender based on the user name, only to find out upon profile viewing that I was wrong.

Mostly, though, I find that some user names I come to recognize, and begin to judge their comments based on what I remember of them in the past. This is sometimes detrimental.
posted by Night_owl at 5:15 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

The long jokey ones might make me smile at first but eventually will piss me off.

Meh. If they're noun phrases, they can usually be boiled down to a couple of words, like St. Alia, or (speak of the devil) two or three cars, or last parade.
posted by one more dead town's last parade at 5:15 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

MaryDellamorte me too! (But I say it PIL-ee-on).
posted by dolface at 5:17 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Some Mefi names make me think of the ship names in the Society so I get to pretend I'm talking to huge spaceships which makes me happy.
posted by The Whelk at 5:22 PM on November 29, 2010 [18 favorites]

I always misread nomadicink as noma dink. But I have no feelings one way or t'other about it.
posted by deborah at 5:23 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

But you have to know a person really well before you go arbitrarily extracting from their noun phrase!
posted by Abiezer at 5:27 PM on November 29, 2010

One cold friday back in 2005:

Anonymous said:

Your blog got metafiltered and the bad boyfriends there are having their usual blazecock pileon over it. I won't comment in the metafilter thread because I refuse to pay $5 to join a blazecock pileon so I'll just say here that "You Can Be A Better Boyfriend" is funny and you have a good ear, I mean that with intense seriosity, this is near Achewood-quality diversion. And the metamorons all hate Achewood, too and don't see why it's funny. So there you go.


So yeah, it is pronounced \blä-ˈzā\ \ˈkäk\ pile on.
posted by Dr. Curare at 5:28 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I feel some affinity with the fruits, citrus in particular. Accordingly, I miss sonika's old name.
posted by tangerine at 5:29 PM on November 29, 2010 [4 favorites]

When I met Optimus Chyme at a meetup, he told me to change my username, so I guess people don't like it. But I didn't change it. And I won't. Because I don't have another $5. Now you know.
posted by oinopaponton at 5:29 PM on November 29, 2010

I know the feeling, it took me a while to trust 'Marissa Stole The Precious Thing'

And not nom a dick

Several people have made that mistake on this here website, among others. My favorite was somebody saying it made them think of a dick, washing its face in a sink. I don't talk to that person anymore.

Remember kids, you can have spaces in your name on Metafilter!
posted by nomadicink at 5:33 PM on November 29, 2010

Until I slowed down and read it carefully, I pronounced nomadicink as gnome-uh-dink.
posted by IndigoRain at 5:33 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

The less said about my name, the better.
posted by ColdChef at 5:34 PM on November 29, 2010 [8 favorites]

Oh, and my name? Has nothing to do with Purple Rain. At all. Never knew that until someone brought it to my attention.
posted by IndigoRain at 5:34 PM on November 29, 2010

At first I always thought cortex was really brainy.
posted by wilful at 5:39 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

But I didn't change it. And I won't.

Yours is one of those usernames that I recognize the letters of but have never said out loud.

"Oi! No pap on Ton!"

But I checked your profile and I see that it is Greek. And now the Googles tell me it is also Joycean. And I have learned something. I learn something here every day I swear it.

And you know, I know what clavdivs stands for but it still reads like CLAV-DIVS in my mind and I think it is a sort of CSS.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:39 PM on November 29, 2010 [18 favorites]

Wow. Funny how some usernames come back to haunt you.
posted by Night_owl at 5:39 PM on November 29, 2010

one more dead town's last parade wrote: "Meh. If they're noun phrases, they can usually be boiled down to a couple of words, like St. Alia, or (speak of the devil) two or three cars, or last parade."

OK, more last.

ColdChef wrote: "The less said about my name, the better."

What, you don't make larb and gazpacho exclusively?
posted by wierdo at 5:39 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Nomadic___________Ink. Yeah add me to the nom-a-dick bandwagon.
posted by 2bucksplus at 5:39 PM on November 29, 2010

I always see Matt's name as "math owie" too, and I imagine a little cartoon character injuring himself solving a difficult equation, with that as the caption.
posted by amyms at 5:41 PM on November 29, 2010

So yeah, it is pronounced \blä-ˈzā\ \ˈkäk\ pile on.

seriosityly?
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:43 PM on November 29, 2010

Evidently, my user name causes confusion with much more prolific user of the opposite sex. His user number is more than double mine but he has heaps more favorites than I have. Not fair.
posted by msali at 5:45 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

What, you don't make larb and gazpacho exclusively?

Lots of tartare.
posted by ColdChef at 5:46 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I always used to think it was dirty numb bagel boy.
posted by vorfeed at 5:48 PM on November 29, 2010 [29 favorites]

There are several people I confuse all the time. Famously. I've even met Navelgazer (had to check which one of them I'd met). Doesn't help.

Other instances: We used to have lots of Iron critters. I often confuse Wolfdog and WolfDaddy (more problematic on metachat).
posted by Eideteker at 5:48 PM on November 29, 2010

2bucksplus: the nom-a-dick bandwagon

Now there's a method of conveyance I do not want to hitch a ride on.
posted by Kattullus at 5:49 PM on November 29, 2010 [6 favorites]

Oh, and let's not forget the BPs: brownpau, Blazecock Pileon, BoringPostcards (and more recently, BitterOldPunk, who's a BOP, but what the hell, I'm getting senile).
posted by Eideteker at 5:50 PM on November 29, 2010

HOW TO SAY NOMADICINK: a rock opera

[A crowd assembles, stage left. nomadicink strides in, stage right. In the center, the word "NOMADICINK" lights up in a million bulbs, Vegas-style.]

       G G  G B  A G  G   A
crowd: Noma-noma-noma di-sink?

            F# F# G  A  G  F#
nomadicink: No no no NO no no!

       G G  G B   A  G G   A
crowd: Noma-noma-nom acid ink?

            F# G  A  C#1 B  A
nomadicink: No no no NO no no!

       G G  G B     A
crowd: Noma noma, yeah?

            G  G
nomadicink: No no!

       G G  G B    C#1
crowd: Noma noma, yeah?

            G  G
nomadicink: No no!

       G G  G B  A G   G  A   A    A   D
crowd: Noma-noma-noma no-mah-mah dick-ink!

             D1
nomadicink: Yeah!

[Crowd cheers. Exeunt. Explosion.]

posted by Rhaomi at 5:51 PM on November 29, 2010 [14 favorites]

I also tend to confuse users who appear on my radar at the same time but have no other visible correlation. For example, nomadicink and griphus. One's a brother, the other's from Russia. No idea why.
posted by Eideteker at 5:51 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I presume this is why Bud Cort never returns my calls.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:52 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Oh, and in this thread alone, Katullus and katillathehun. And I've met Katullus. =(

I am really bad at this. I have prosopagnosia of the username. (Though I remembered how to spell prosopagnosia on the first try.)
posted by Eideteker at 5:53 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

iamkimiam kept throwing, i would see it as 'iamkimian' and think "ok, what language is that?"

anyone with moon in there name makes me think of mooning. Yes, I am 14 year old boy.

Kept wanting to send 'bearwife' a note saying "you know bears eat people right? That's not a good sign for your relationship."

Sidhedevi kept coming across as Sidney for some rason

Blazecock Pileon makes me think of a guy running and jumping into a pile of cocks.

Forktine conjures up an image of elegant fork.

homunculus was a pile of mucus, still in the closet. ok, 12 year old boy
posted by nomadicink at 5:53 PM on November 29, 2010

I miss sonika's old name.

I miss seeing that name as well. Funny how that works, isn't it? I struggle to associate people with their previous id.

But if I ever have a sockpuppet, I'm definitely calling it pathowie.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:57 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

*rubs hands, laughs ghoulishly*
posted by 1f2frfbf at 5:58 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

PeterMcDermott, how is yours pronounced?
posted by infinitywaltz at 6:04 PM on November 29, 2010

I've never loaded up Fiasco de Gama's profile to dig through their history and sample their writing. I'm not even sure what gender Fiasco is, but I adore the screen name and base my assumption of that MeFite's cleverness upon it entirely.
posted by EatTheWeek at 6:04 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Lessee, who else...
Madamina and Melismata (and again, I've MET Melismata. Like half a dozen times).
dubold and duclod
y2karl and y6y6y6
grouse and grumblebee (and I think I've met both of them!)
Artw and Mister_A (which one of them is British again? They both like comics!)
Jacqueline and jacquelynne (sp?), but that's a gimme
ObscureReference and ObscureReferenceMan NEVER cross in my mind, though. For some reason, I can keep them apart (and could even before I met OR). I think because ORM answered one of my few actually resolved AskMe questions.

So when do we get "notes" we can make in other people's profiles? Visible only to us, but helpful things like "DO NOT MENTION DECLAWING" &c.?
posted by Eideteker at 6:05 PM on November 29, 2010 [5 favorites]

For some reason I combine people until I notice that's what I'm doing and make a concerted effort to separate them out--for example, for the longest time I thought koeselitz and Astro Zombie were interchangeable. I do this elsewhere on the 'net too, get two or three people all mixed up as one entity. I'm not sure it's always based on names though, though other spots I know it's been because of similarities in avatars.

I just assume Benjamin Nushmutt is like the coolest guy on this site because of the handle he chose. I'm probably right.
posted by ifjuly at 6:07 PM on November 29, 2010

Also, I like The Whelk's name because it fits neatly into the Stig introduction format:

"And for that, we need our tamed comics writer. Some say that his breath smells of Altoids first thing in the morning and that he's been banned from Baltimore since Clinton's second term. All we know is, he's called The Whelk"
posted by EatTheWeek at 6:11 PM on November 29, 2010 [15 favorites]

Add me to people misinterpreting clavdivs (for *years* now). I think I just figured it out maybe a month ago, and had the hand-to-forehead moment.
posted by pjern at 6:15 PM on November 29, 2010

Eideteker: Oh, and in this thread alone, Katullus and katillathehun. And I've met Katullus. =(

Don't worry, I confuse Kattullus with katillathehun on MetaFilter sometimes. And I am Kattullus.

"Wait a minute... I've commented already?!"
posted by Kattullus at 6:15 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

So when do we get "notes" we can make in other people's profiles? Visible only to us, but helpful things like "DO NOT MENTION DECLAWING" &c.?

IIRC there's a greasemonkey script that does that.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:16 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Mexican? Isn't.

And yeah, Nomadicink? First time I've noticed that. I've always had issues like that, though. I wish the bagel boy would come back, I'm kind of hungry.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:16 PM on November 29, 2010

I read XQUZYPHYR as "excusey-fur," as if Kissyfur had a cousin who constantly bumped into things.
posted by Metroid Baby at 6:18 PM on November 29, 2010 [7 favorites]

Oh, and my name? Has nothing to do with Purple Rain. At all. Never knew that until someone brought it to my attention.
posted by IndigoRain

Oh. And here I was, thinking I was clever when it suddenly clicked reading the Quonsar stuff a couple of days ago.

"Oh, NOW I get it, she's a Prince fan!". Oh dear.

This is why Metafilter is too smart for me.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 6:26 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

He shaved the beard off.
posted by nomadicink at 6:27 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

As far as reading things into people's usernames, I see so many usernames on a daily basis that they really kind of have to be attached to some external issue or situation or behavior that is itself of note before I'm really going to make any kind of connection. I try to be careful not to get similar-named users confused because that's just a recipe for badness if there's some sort of mod issue we need to grapple with and we get the wrong person on the wire and confuse the hell out of them.

The only usernames I tend to make snap judgements about are brand new accounts that look like trouble of some sort: business names, SEO keyword stuff, domain names or emails as usernames, etc. There's such a low correlation between a weird name like that and someone actually turning out to be an actual contributing member of the community that it's not too much of an issue.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:28 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Wait, that's not how it's pronounced?
posted by jtron at 6:31 PM on November 29, 2010

I'm sorry 1f2frfbf but your name is immediately recognizable to me. In my head I call you "one fish".

Also I say mathowie in a similar way to Mathias. Not Math/Owie, but ma/thowie.
posted by 2bucksplus at 6:31 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Now that I think about out there are some nom de net tropes that prejudice me toward the users with those handles. Having "meta," "net," "web," or a reference to bunnies in one's username definitely qualifies.

No, not particularly rational; nor is the exemption granted to bitter-girl.com.
posted by jtron at 6:36 PM on November 29, 2010

I keep reading "uncleozzy" as an adjective ("un-clee-OH-zee") long after realizing he is, in fact, an uncle named ozzy.

Rhomboid is a little too close to my own name for comfort. Speaking of which, I guess "Rhaomi" is close enough to "Naomi" that a lot of people think I'm a woman. It's a corrupted spelling of "Rome" from a decade-old Civ 2 game, people! I mean, DUH.

I can't really complain, though, because I've made the same mistake a couple of times before. I still think that Kattullus is female at first glance despite the "-us" ending, since the beginning is reminiscent of Kate/Katherine.

As for long-name-ers, I think there was something done with Infodump data awhile back that showed a statistical correlation between lengthy handles and a higher number of average favorites per comment. Whether that's because people who decide on long names are inherently wittier or because longer names are simply more attention-grabbing, I don't know, but there you go. I wonder if it's worth the extra hassle to log in (especially if your username has nonstandard characters).

roll truck roll: "I can't get "math owie" out of my head, no matter how hard I try."

I plugged "mathowie" into that Translation Party site when it turned up on the blue. Result: MATHEMATICS INJURY!
posted by Rhaomi at 6:39 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

hot doughnut snow
posted by iconomy at 6:41 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

I misread "nomadicink" as "no mah dick" as in "no, my dick" but in a lolcat-ish way.
posted by anniecat at 6:44 PM on November 29, 2010

Rhaomi: a statistical correlation between lengthy handles and a higher number of average favorites per comment

Huh... so size does matter after all.
posted by Kattullus at 6:44 PM on November 29, 2010

I turn Sidhedevi into "Sid the devil" to me and I do a similar thing with Blazecock Pileon where I make it into "Blazecock Pigeon."
posted by anniecat at 6:46 PM on November 29, 2010 [5 favorites]

Thundersweater all the way! o wait, wrong thread
posted by not_on_display at 6:48 PM on November 29, 2010

Rhoami: It's not that your name is close to Naomi, I just picture you as Mira Sorvino's character from Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion.
posted by 2bucksplus at 6:51 PM on November 29, 2010

I have always assumed that Ghidorah and Gamera were good dudes, because good dudes like daikaiju. I was predisposed to liking bugbread because come on, bread and bugs? The Whelk re-introduced me to a funny Monty Python bit. I have always assumed Miko was Japanese. Mathowie and cortex look precisely like they I expected; jessamyn does not (but in a good way, for all three!). When I hear Plutor, I think of the '70s breakfast cereal animated villains "Bigheads of Pluternus." I always assumed klangklangston was blond (I know, right?).
posted by Mister_A at 6:52 PM on November 29, 2010

Oh pjern is here! I say that one like "fjord." More precisely like Pinky says "fjord." PJERN! NARF! Hahaha! To me pjern looks a bit like The Brain. I assume he is dour.
posted by Mister_A at 6:54 PM on November 29, 2010

Apparently a lot of people think I'm a woman.
posted by shakespeherian at 6:55 PM on November 29, 2010

that's just your feminine wiles.
posted by The Whelk at 7:03 PM on November 29, 2010

Whenever I see joost de vries' name, I think of this guy and then I feel bad every single time.

The other day I saw a tabloid cover with Joran on it and I thought, "there's that Joost guy." Again, apologies.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 7:04 PM on November 29, 2010

By the time I realized mathowie was supposed to be pronounced Matt Haughey it was far too late. His spurious voiceless non-sibilant dental fricative is now a permanent feature of my Metafilter experience.
posted by flabdablet at 7:06 PM on November 29, 2010

shakespeherian: "Apparently a lot of people think I'm a woman."

Or maybe just a boy disguised as a woman.
posted by Rhaomi at 7:06 PM on November 29, 2010

I am another person who "gets" that clavdivs = claudius, but I still say clav-divs. I'm sure I always will. I like the way it sounds. CLAV divs!

Actually, pretty much every time I see his username, I think "Move over, clavdivs!" I know there are a handful of other people who cause a catchphrase to enter my head when I see their username, but I can't think of them offhand.
posted by Gator at 7:08 PM on November 29, 2010

I always read "scody" as "scrody" which is unfortunate.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 7:12 PM on November 29, 2010

I felt a bit foolish introducing myself at a meetup
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:13 PM on November 29, 2010 [19 favorites]

Apparently a lot of people think I'm a woman.

People here tend to think I'm a guy because my username ends in "o."
posted by amro at 7:17 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

You should say your user name in a flat, low accent while never breaking eye contact.

"I am ...5....13...23...42...69...6...6...6"

This is what you do now.
posted by The Whelk at 7:17 PM on November 29, 2010 [7 favorites]

How long do I have to do that for?
posted by flabdablet at 7:21 PM on November 29, 2010

Or maybe just a boy disguised as a woman.

Also a lot of people seem to think my name is a reference to William Shakespeare.
posted by shakespeherian at 7:25 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Does it count that every time two lights above the sea says anything, for a second I think it was me? And then I'm like... wait.
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 5:12 PM on November 29

I saw a post from two lights and I thought about you...
posted by Balonious Assault at 7:26 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

You should say your user name in a flat, low accent while never breaking eye contact.

I wish I'd thought of that - as it was, I just sort of mumbled "um, I'm the one who's a bunch of numbers and underscores" then everyone looked puzzled.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:31 PM on November 29, 2010

shakespeherian: "Apparently a lot of people think I'm a woman."

I did, because I parsed your name as Shakespeare Hen. I still kind of think of you as Shakespeare Hen because honestly Shakespeare Hen is a brilliant name. I'm only now getting nomadicink - I thought it was no-ma-dis-ink and assumed it was some kind of esoteric reference to something I've never heard of. I kind of assume that about a lot of usernames, actually. It's even more or less the way I thought of uncleozzy (un-klee-oh-zee) until somebody said something in a thread once and the little bell and lightbulb combo went off above my head.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:37 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

not that the flat, low accented delivery wouldn't result in more puzzled looks, but at least then I can say "The Whelk told me to do that"
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:39 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

but at least then I can say "The Whelk told me to do that"

Trust me that can get you into just as much trouble as out.
posted by shakespeherian at 7:42 PM on November 29, 2010 [4 favorites]

Oh, and in this thread alone, Katullus and katillathehun. And I've met Katullus. =(

I do that too, and I am Katullus.

Wait.
posted by katillathehun at 7:42 PM on November 29, 2010 [14 favorites]

Wait a second, don't go confusing me here--it's Sidhedevil. With an L! In fact, her profile even notes that "Sidhedevil rhymes with "she-devil.""

bad enough that it took someone pointing out clavdivs=claudius for me to figure it out...less confusion is good, people
posted by librarylis at 7:46 PM on November 29, 2010

I'm neither a sailor or a mom.
posted by Sailormom at 7:51 PM on November 29, 2010

Huh, I always assumed it was a play on "city devil."
posted by Eideteker at 7:52 PM on November 29, 2010

"You should say your user name in a flat, low accent while never breaking eye contact.

'I am ...5....13...23...42...69...6...6...6'"

I hear it in a low, breathy voice instead. Therefore, I shall forever think of you as "The Fibonaughty Sequence." You triple-sixed vixen, you.
posted by Eideteker at 7:58 PM on November 29, 2010 [7 favorites]

The first time I saw mathowie's name, I thought he was some kind of weird Chronicles of Prydain superfan, because a couple of kings in those books are named Math and Mathonwy.
posted by A dead Quaker at 7:59 PM on November 29, 2010 [4 favorites]

I find myself always correcting the pronunciation of certain usernames in my head. Like, I'll think "Shakespherian" and then be like "Wait, no, shake-spuh-herian." Ditto Sidhedevil, Blazecock Pileon, and a whole bunch of other ones.

You guys with your complicated usernames waste a lot of my brain time. *glares*
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:59 PM on November 29, 2010

Eideteker makes me think of Eidolon and Espers so I imagine who are here on the down-time from your amazing fantasy adventure.
posted by The Whelk at 8:01 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

P.S the skinny dude with the funny hair wins
posted by The Whelk at 8:01 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

*you are here.

How are you getting internet access in Narshe?
posted by The Whelk at 8:06 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

'Marisa Stole the Precious Thing.'

best. screen. name. ever.

Sang-Friod with warmly verve.
posted by clavdivs at 8:09 PM on November 29, 2010

I like ThePinkSuperhero's username. :)

My username is simple and kinda boring... but every once in a blue moon someone will either call me Zerg or Zarg, which is a little weird.
posted by zarq at 8:09 PM on November 29, 2010

vorfeed: "I always used to think it was dirty numb bagel boy."

Me too. It took me forever to figure out who "dnab" was.

And I always have this weird dyslexia with Blazecock Pileon. In my head it's Peacock Blazeon.

hal_c_on: "...But often, I get the impression that people believe their own personality is dependent upon another person. Thats kinda weird. Like when people put "dad", "hubby", "wife", "mom" or something in their name."

Yeah, this was supposed to be my sock and I ended up keeping this account and dumping my original account. In retrospect, I wish I'd spent more time choosing a user name. But, since none of my IRL friends know about this place, I can happily mock them for referring to themselves as "Megan's Mommy" despite my user name here.
posted by dogmom at 8:11 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Peacock Blazeon
posted by The Whelk at 8:14 PM on November 29, 2010

Every so often people will call me Roy and associate Roy = male.

I think royalsong sounds pretty damn girly to me. But I might be biased.
posted by royalsong at 8:15 PM on November 29, 2010

I started using this name years before I came to MeFi, because elsewhere online vanishingly few people would know what it meant -- and if someone did, it was usually a clue to me that they were quirkily intellectual in other ways and I'd probably enjoy talking to them.

Then I got here and after about a month I was embarrassed to realise that you ALL knew that basically I was bragging about my ass.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:25 PM on November 29, 2010 [7 favorites]

I'm always amused whenever someone responds to my comments thinking I'm a dude. I've always assumed the only way I could make my username look more girly is if I were to dot the i with a little heart.

PhoBWanKenobi is in my top five favorite mefi names.
posted by phunniemee at 8:30 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

When I sat down to create an account, I decided to go with something short and pronounceable. Now that I think about it, perhaps I should have registered as somethingshortandpronounceable.
posted by vidur at 8:32 PM on November 29, 2010

I remember explaining my name at my first -- and only so far (it was fun!) Meetup this way -- "I never had done internet forumy type stuff before, and I knew people could be horribly mean on the interwebs, so I just tried to pick the most innocuous comment I could think of and hope people would associate me with it. 'Aw, what a sweet lil' kid.' "
posted by sweetkid at 8:33 PM on November 29, 2010

I'm not even sure what gender Fiasco is

Text field, baby. If you know what I mean.

And if I were to register a sockpuppet I'd be hard pressed to find a better encapsulation of my genuine, real-world personality than this comment.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 8:36 PM on November 29, 2010

Never apologize for your god-given ass.
posted by Mister_A at 8:38 PM on November 29, 2010

There's someone whose username I keep reading as anoia although I *know* that's not right, it's all I can see.

I pronounce nomadicink, in the privacy of my own skull, as "nomadink." And it usually gives me a couple of happy moments of Spaceballean "Dink dink, dink dink dink dink dink dink!"

Shakespherean. Round. No, not like that. Assume a spherical Shakespeare.
posted by galadriel at 8:39 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

I once referred to fellow Philadelphian desuetude as "suede dude." It was all in good fun.
posted by Mister_A at 8:42 PM on November 29, 2010

I'm pretty sure there have been two or three separate instances where a right passel of straight dudes were heartbroken to learn that Marisa Stole The Precious Thing is totally a dude.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:51 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Therefore, I shall forever think of you as "The Fibonaughty Sequence." You triple-sixed vixen, you.

I just favourited that so hard. Feel free to imagine me saying that in a low breathy voice.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:57 PM on November 29, 2010

Wait, she's actually a he? I suck at this game. I should just always assume that people are whatever gender I don't think they are. I'd probably get more right.
posted by Night_owl at 8:57 PM on November 29, 2010

Great thread. I like names which teach me something when I Google them!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 9:06 PM on November 29, 2010

Did not get "uncle ozzy" until this thread. I am an idiot.

I am not, however, a dude, despite the occasional assumption to the contrary.
posted by naoko at 9:11 PM on November 29, 2010

My encounter with UrineSoakedRube was nonmoist.
posted by thejoshu at 9:15 PM on November 29, 2010

Rhaomi: a statistical correlation between lengthy handles and a higher number of average favorites per comment
Huh... so size does matter after all.
*cries*
posted by dg at 9:19 PM on November 29, 2010 [8 favorites]

I always assume people with "mom" or "wife" in their usernames are dudes.
posted by pinky at 9:22 PM on November 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

Blazecock Pileon makes me think of a guy running and jumping into a pile of cocks.

hawt
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:25 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I get joechip and Joe Chip confused. Joechip is my brother-in-law and sometimes I'll read something by Joe Chip and get confused because it doesn't sound like him at all.
posted by Thin Lizzy at 9:25 PM on November 29, 2010

I've never been one for anonymity, and my own name is super easy to remember.
posted by AlisonM at 9:31 PM on November 29, 2010

I was skimming once and read clavdivs as clivedavis and now can't unread it. In my head he types using trombone hands like Edward Scissorhands.
posted by FunkyHelix at 9:33 PM on November 29, 2010 [4 favorites]

Since we are talking about names with weird associations, perhaps now is a good time to mention the fact that I consider clavdivs to be the Weaver of MetaFilter. Every time I see one of his comments, I wonder where my scissors are.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:42 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Even though I recently realized clavdivs is claudius I still think of it as "klav-divs" in my head. Similarly, nomadicink is still "no-madi-sink" in my head even though I know it's nomadic ink.

I also sometimes get a bit weirded out when I see a post or comment by knz. A few days ago we had posts pretty close together on the blue and every time I scanned it was "wait, no, that's not my post."
posted by kmz at 9:43 PM on November 29, 2010

I'm pretty sure there have been two or three separate instances where a right passel of straight dudes were heartbroken to learn that Marisa Stole The Precious Thing is totally a dude.

Ouch.
posted by washburn at 9:49 PM on November 29, 2010

Oh, I also used to think shakespeherian was some kind of feminist version of Shakespearean along the lines of herstory, etc.
posted by kmz at 9:57 PM on November 29, 2010

Let me be the first (and only) to say that my name is not Bob, I don't live near the Huron River, and I'm not a guy.

Nobody knows you're a dog on the internet...


just sayin'

i'm also not up at 1 am on a Monday when I have an 8 am meeting... shit!
posted by HuronBob at 10:01 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

I always like seeing similarly sciency names.
posted by biochemist at 10:06 PM on November 29, 2010

Mister_A: "Oh pjern is here! I say that one like "fjord." More precisely like Pinky says "fjord." PJERN! NARF! Hahaha! To me pjern looks a bit like The Brain. I assume he is dour."

I started calling him Jerny, cuz yelling out Jerny across a parking lot sounds way cooler than yelling out Pee-jern. So now everytime I see his name, I think of the band Journey.

Shakespeherian - it's because you have "her" in your name, at least for me.

Sailormom - I always, *always* read your name as Sailormoon.

I met so many people at the Chicago meetup that between here and Twitter, I can't keep the people straight with the usernames, with a few exceptions.

As far as ColdChef, his name comes from the fact that you should never ever ask him about hot foods, like pizza, because if you do you'll never want to eat them again. *hurk*
posted by IndigoRain at 10:16 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

For me the lolz only happen when a mefite's username bears a vague resemblance to another username I've seen somewhere else. For instance nomadicink - there's a nomadichick on another forum I participate in, and she's cool, so by association nomadicink is cool too (mainly because I thought they were possible the same person for at least a month).

Oinopapanton gives me the warm fuzzies because it superficially resembles a name I've used elsewhere online. Especially when I can't figure out how to spell it - I stopped using Ye Olde Usre Nayme because nobody could ever spell it and put too many O's and P's in the wrong places.

I will also say that my very boring and nondescript Sara C. seems really sad next to the likes of two or three cars under the stars and Fiasco da Gama. If I were slightly less secure with myself, I'd probably pay the $5 to change into something a little more flamboyant.
posted by Sara C. at 10:22 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Once on fark, I read the following comment:

"I have trouble taking someone named "Jabba the Butt" seriously"
posted by hellojed at 10:27 PM on November 29, 2010 [5 favorites]

I was a huge Dillinger Four fan back in the day, so I even get the reference, but sometimes I see doublewhiskeycokenoice and in my head it comes out in some kind of vaguely Australian "Double whiskey coke? noice!"
posted by cobra_high_tigers at 10:38 PM on November 29, 2010 [12 favorites]

Blazecock Pileon makes me think of a guy running and jumping into a pile of cocks

Wait until you meet him in person.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:50 PM on November 29, 2010 [4 favorites]

I get a small thrill when I'm referred to as CPB. It's like I'm special or something.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:55 PM on November 29, 2010

HOLY SHIT. I thought clavdivs was some kind of html joke or something.
posted by azarbayejani at 11:09 PM on November 29, 2010 [4 favorites]

For the most part, I don't really notice user names until I've met that person, or met someone who has.
posted by StickyCarpet at 11:09 PM on November 29, 2010

Whenever I see my name, I freak out. That guy has the same name I use on Twitter!

Then I realize I'm looking at a thread from last week and forgot I wrote that comment.
posted by secret about box at 11:14 PM on November 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

I will also say that my very boring and nondescript Sara C. seems really sad next to the likes of two or three cars under the stars and Fiasco da Gama. If I were slightly less secure with myself, I'd probably pay the $5 to change into something a little more flamboyant.

Change it to:

Don't Ask What Happened to Sara A and B

i will buy this for you if you promise to use it as an sockpuppet and argue with yourself in threads, and never reveal the secret outside of this thread
posted by secret about box at 11:18 PM on November 29, 2010 [15 favorites]

I worry that people might think that jacquilynne and I are the same person, and sometimes wish I'd chosen a more creative user name when I signed up since she had our name first.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:23 PM on November 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Sometimes I have this problem when reading a book also, I'll get to the end and realize I've been pronouncing the characters name wrong in my head the whole time.
posted by addelburgh at 11:45 PM on November 29, 2010

I always think Eideteker is the name of a Playstation game that was named after the main character's sword, for some reason. A game I have never played, and that I'm not quite sure exists.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 11:53 PM on November 29, 2010 [5 favorites]

Whenever I encounter one of the long usernames that's some sort of phrase, I try to look for a unique or unusual word that I then use mentally as the short version of that name. So 1994 East Regional Kabaddi Champion etc. is always just "Kabaddi", and so on.
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 11:55 PM on November 29, 2010

Oh, I had mixed Einhänder and Ehrgeiz in my mind. Both are Square games, and Ehrgeiz's box art features a character with a huge sword.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 11:58 PM on November 29, 2010

My mind autocorrects MaryDellamorte as "mortadella." I normally find myself wandering off towards sandwiches soon after.

Jessamyn has become "Jess Admin" in my brain more than once.

I sometime imagine mathowie sneezing.
posted by MuffinMan at 12:10 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

I worry that people might think that jacquilynne and I are the same person, and sometimes wish I'd chosen a more creative user name when I signed up since she had our name first.
posted by Jacqueline i

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that always sees a little i next to your name, with a note attached reading "vasaline..."
posted by danny the boy at 12:56 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

I read XQUZYPHYR as "excusey-fur,"

My brain just says, "Fuck it. 'Mxyzptlk' " and just moves on with its life.
posted by Cyrano at 1:21 AM on November 30, 2010 [3 favorites]

Just for the record, there can be no doubt about the fact that it is clav-divs, nomadi cink, and Pileon is just a name like Gideon.
To answer part of the question, yes, I feel oddly inclined to worry less about what people with a witty username say, even if I disagree. It's the way of things. Someone like Klangklang-whatwasit can't be wrong, can they now?
posted by Namlit at 1:27 AM on November 30, 2010

Wait until you meet him in person.

Hey, we don't do prison rape stuff here.

Oh wait, you said person? OK.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:43 AM on November 30, 2010

Rhaomi: "I keep reading "uncleozzy" as an adjective ("un-clee-OH-zee") long after realizing he is, in fact, an uncle named ozzy."

Ditto. I think it took him pointing it out in a MeTa thread for me to realise it, and I can't unsee it.

Also, put it this way, with this username it's tough to express the mildest snark or upset without someone saying something along the lines of 'Not so Happy, eh Dave?'. Which I always imagine being said in the voice of the 'Case of the Mondays' lady from Office Space.
posted by Happy Dave at 2:03 AM on November 30, 2010

some kind of vaguely Australian "Double whiskey coke? noice!"

The Australian is "dahblescortchencoaknaaiessthenks". Choice, aaay. But it costs about $8.50, and then you get ejected because you're breaching Newcastle City Council's Precinct Liquor Accord.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 2:41 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Jessamyn has become "Jess Admin" in my brain more than once.

Great, now this is stuck in my brain.
posted by nomadicink at 4:03 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

This thread is starting to have the unfortunate effect of putting various username mispronunciations in my head that I didn't have before:

de-sweat-dude
cheese-litz
eat-a-dicker

Sorry, guys.
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:13 AM on November 30, 2010

I think Mefi was the first place I ever registered a user name (after a long lurkage), and I hadn't thought it out before I signed up, so I just used my initials. I knew that it sort of suggested a certain mad carnivorous marsupial — but really, I don't think I was even expecting to become brave enough to actually comment here, so didn't pay that much attention. Now even people in real life call me Taz, so it's become a true identity. Accidentally.

I prefer to relate my handle to the Temporary Autonomous Zone rather than the Looney Toones character, though. Because it makes me seem smarter, and significantly less hairy.
posted by taz at 4:21 AM on November 30, 2010

Whenever I see joost de vries' name, I think of this guy and then I feel bad every single time.

I always think of this guy, and get a little bit scared.
posted by SyntacticSugar at 4:23 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

For some reason I always assume that people with three-syllable Latin words for names are utter wankers.
posted by Decani at 4:32 AM on November 30, 2010

I used to read mygothlaundry as "myth go laundry" for some reason.
And I also confuse many ofthe "D" names - desjardins, desuetude, dersins, etc. I have no idea why.
posted by pointystick at 4:33 AM on November 30, 2010

I'm not bi.
posted by bystander at 4:35 AM on November 30, 2010

nomadicink and griphus: One's a brother, the other's from Russia. Together they fight motherfuckin' crime, comrade!
posted by Mister_A at 5:38 AM on November 30, 2010 [5 favorites]

The only user name that confounds me is ND¢, because it forces me to Google "cent symbol" every time I address him by username, and I am not bookmarking the "Cent (currency)" Wiki article.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 5:49 AM on November 30, 2010

I'm not bi either. Nor am I Bil.

And I'm a woman.
posted by bilabial at 5:53 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

If you're on a Mac, click "option-4" and it will give you the cent symbol.

Or you could use the "quote" greasemonkey script....
posted by zarq at 6:01 AM on November 30, 2010

Whenever I want to type ND¢, I just mouse over his name & CNTRL C the ¢ symbol & paste so I can type ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ with impunity
posted by pointystick at 6:07 AM on November 30, 2010

zarq: "If you're on a Mac, click "option-4" and it will give you the cent symbol.

Or you could use the "quote" greasemonkey script..."

Not using a Mac, but that quote script works beautifully!
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:11 AM on November 30, 2010

I'm not bi either. Nor am I Bil.

But do you like tulips?
posted by aught at 6:18 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

My favorite username of today is Fiasco da Gama.
posted by theredpen at 6:19 AM on November 30, 2010

Or oinopaponton. Can't decide.
posted by theredpen at 6:21 AM on November 30, 2010

Even though I noticed I was conflating them pretty quickly, I still can't untangle the difference between anniecat and angrycat.
posted by SpiffyRob at 6:22 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Hey, I do that too.
posted by shakespeherian at 6:25 AM on November 30, 2010

I'm waiting for a question about tulips so I can have that eponysterical answer under my belt.

And, yes. I do like them.
posted by bilabial at 6:25 AM on November 30, 2010

Pssssh. What's wrong with the name your parents gave ya, you ungrateful schmucks.
posted by chrisamiller at 6:30 AM on November 30, 2010

doublehappy: "I've never met cortex, but I've always imagined he looks like this"

I always picture him this way.
posted by octothorpe at 6:35 AM on November 30, 2010

Marisa - you know you can just select the "¢" with "copy" and then paste it into your comment, yes? I just copied this "¢" from your comment. No html required.

Back to topic - usernames don't influence my impression of who that person is much--as others have pointed out, I tend to make associations only after I've read comments by that user. Even then, I'm prone to forget all but the most egregiously nasty things people have said anyway, since ideas aren't people, and so it all evens out into a warm-n-fuzzy feeling about pretty much everyone here, most days.

It is true that usernames I find hilarious or delightful can help soften a comment they make that I might disagree with, or else give me total cognitive dissonance if they say something vile (a hate-filled diatribe filled with venom and rage and ad hominem attacks on previous commenters posted by a user named Wheee! Everybody gets ice cream!, for example, would make my brain stumble for a moment), so there's that to be said about usernames, anyway.
posted by tzikeh at 6:39 AM on November 30, 2010

I feel some affinity with the fruits, citrus in particular. Accordingly, I miss sonika's old name.

I still feel a fondness for the citrus based usernames and remark on how really, there are an awful lot of them even though I myself am now post-citrus. I suppose I'm still acidic and tasty at heart.

I kinda wish I had chosen a more clever name for BrandNewDay! but at the same time, I also regretted choosing Tom Waits lyrics last time around, so at least this time I went with something that's at least marginally related to my actual name and thus less likely to totally cheese me off at the thought of it five years from now. Because let's face it, I'll probably still be on MetaFilter five years from now, which I was totally not anticipating the first time I chose a username.

Blazecock Pileon where I make it into "Blazecock Pigeon."

Oh good, it's not just me.

. I should just always assume that people are whatever gender I don't think they are. I'd probably get more right.

I'm not bad at MeFi gender guessing (though I usually don't guess gender and kinda think of everyone as wearing Ken-doll permaunderpants rendering the gender issue pretty moot), but man am I terrible at fetal gender prediction. If I have a guess for the gender of your unborn child, it is wrong. Invariably. Wrong. Always. It's to the point of being a special talent.
posted by sonika at 6:40 AM on November 30, 2010

tzikeh: "Marisa - you know you can just select the "¢" with "copy" and then paste it into your comment, yes? I just copied this "¢" from your comment. No html required."

I love this script.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:46 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

But often, I get the impression that people believe their own personality is dependent upon another person. Thats kinda weird. Like when people put "dad", "hubby", "wife", "mom" or something in their name.

My username is based on my cat. What does that say about me?
posted by rainygrl716 at 6:50 AM on November 30, 2010

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing: "Not using a Mac, but that quote script works beautifully!"

I love that script. That and the deleted posts script. :)
posted by zarq at 7:01 AM on November 30, 2010

> I read XQUZYPHYR as "excusey-fur," as if Kissyfur had a cousin who constantly bumped into things

Wait, how do you pronounce it then? I thought it was like "excuse-uh-fur" and always dug it...
posted by ifjuly at 7:11 AM on November 30, 2010

I kept confusing Blazecock Pileon with Brandon Blatcher until the latter left the site. I have no idea why, the only similarity is that both start with B.
posted by Memo at 7:18 AM on November 30, 2010

it is pronounced \blä-ˈzā\ \ˈkäk\ pile on.

Well son-of-a-gun. My mind made this a motorcycle thing (being a rider myself), I pronounced the last word like pillion, assuming that pileon was an alternate spelling or complete misspell.
posted by I am the Walrus at 7:24 AM on November 30, 2010

it is pronounced \blä-ˈzā\ \ˈkäk\ pile on.

Wait - not BLAZE cock PILE on? How can there be such as a thing as a blasé cock?
posted by tzikeh at 7:27 AM on November 30, 2010

I kept confusing Blazecock Pileon with Brandon Blatcher until the latter left the site. I have no idea why, the only similarity is that both start with B.

then don't look at nomadic ink's email address.
posted by I am the Walrus at 7:38 AM on November 30, 2010

"I just favourited that so hard. Feel free to imagine me saying that in a low breathy voice."

Right, I'll be in my bunk.
posted by Eideteker at 7:41 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

How can there be such as a thing as a blasé cock?

I've always read it in my head as "Brazen Cock Pile On."
posted by zarq at 7:44 AM on November 30, 2010

I am the Walrus: "I kept confusing Blazecock Pileon with Brandon Blatcher until the latter left the site. I have no idea why, the only similarity is that both start with B.

then don't look at nomadic ink's email address"

My braaa-aai-inn. *melts*
posted by Memo at 7:48 AM on November 30, 2010

How can there be such as a thing as a blasé cock?

How can there not be such a thing?
posted by blucevalo at 7:53 AM on November 30, 2010

My name is best pronounced in a hoarse, breathless whisper.

Mainly because its terribly funny to me to imagine someone referencing me and dropping to a Batman voice whenever they need to say "quin".
posted by quin at 7:56 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

This thread reminds me: yhbc, aka The Commish, hasn't been around recently. It took me a long time to realize why he was called the Commish, when all I had to do was check his profile.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 8:00 AM on November 30, 2010

Also: jonmc. Is it pronounced "Jon Mick" or "Jon M.C.?"
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 8:02 AM on November 30, 2010

My favorite username is ND¢'s. After seeing it several times, I figured it out without looking at the profile.

The biggest confusion I have regards my absolute favorite Metafilter commenter, sonascope. Since he refers to himself as Joe-B, I sometimes mistake Joe Beese for sonascope.
posted by I am the Walrus at 8:04 AM on November 30, 2010

It's "Jon M.C" as in "Jon M. C. in the house!"
posted by Mister_A at 8:07 AM on November 30, 2010

Does anyone else still say "in the house?"
posted by Mister_A at 8:07 AM on November 30, 2010

Funny story. This weekend I met a kitten named Woolie Pazing. Great name, I exclaimed, and it was thereby explained that his name came from the UB40 version of Red Red Wine. So, curiosity piqued indeed, I had to determine where exactly a 'woolie pazing' is referenced in Red Red Wine. It turns out the Jamaican fellow is talking about a 'whole heap of zing'.

Still, great name for a kitty.
posted by kingbenny at 8:10 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

I'll go ahead and say that the name greekphilosophy kind of made we want to stalk him, I'm vaguely sad that I don't see The Whelk and The World Famous interacting much, and I have a special place in my heart for you're a kitty!

Also, people have told me via MeFiMail that my username really turned them off because it reminded them of their crazy old aunt who won't stop sending them stupid email forwards, when really it's my half-formed opinions that should be doing that.
posted by kittyprecious at 8:12 AM on November 30, 2010

greekphilosophy is gone gone gonesky.

Which is a shame, I still send him postcards.
posted by The Whelk at 8:14 AM on November 30, 2010

I can't remember the last time I was even a little bit cleozzy.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:16 AM on November 30, 2010 [4 favorites]

I have a dumb user name that I regret on a fairly regular basis.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 8:23 AM on November 30, 2010 [3 favorites]

He's around alright, just not with that username.

Yet another who is still around.

There should be a wiki page which contains this information.
posted by amro at 8:24 AM on November 30, 2010 [4 favorites]

I am not, in fact, a tenor. Nor am I particularly madcap. And apparently a lot of people parse my name as "Mad Capten Or", whatever that means.
posted by madcaptenor at 8:26 AM on November 30, 2010

As someone who works with gov't policy myself I actually love the name l33tpolicywonk. It makes me grin.
posted by pointystick at 8:26 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

Some Mefi names make me think of the ship names in the Society

The...Society?
posted by adamdschneider at 8:28 AM on November 30, 2010

And now pointystick is my second favorite MeFite, after the one I'm dating.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 8:29 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

greekphilosophy is gone gone gonesky.

i mean he's gone, split, outta here. afterlife kid. deceased-ahhhh.

sorry. couldn't help it. carry on -
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 8:31 AM on November 30, 2010

I think my name caused me some problems when I was trying to help my friends earlier this year.
posted by fake at 8:32 AM on November 30, 2010

Hahah, oh, please, don't make that mistake. We have, umm, different approaches to MeFi.
posted by fake at 8:36 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

I once accidentally tried logging in as "Marisa Stole the Previous Thing" and thought, damn, I should totally pounce on that account. But then immediately afterwards I realized my online presence here is probably safe from hijacking.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 8:43 AM on November 30, 2010

amro: "There should be a wiki page which contains this information."

There is a page on the Wiki for "Members Who Have Left." I've been toying with the idea of updating it. The problem is, so many of our members have returned after taking the "Brand New Day" option. Some people's BND's are common knowledge to those of us who read MeTa. Longtime users often know who has returned under a new name and who has left in a huff.

But it feels against the principle of BND to out folks on the Wiki unless they explicitly say it's okay.

'Team Mod' typically, graciously give everyone a lot of chances before they are banned. Unless they're SEO spammers or threaten other users. But even when regular members are banned, those bans can be temporary. Quonsar was probably the most obvious example of this.

So yeah... it's a great idea, but implementing it would require a bit of thought and consideration.
posted by zarq at 8:46 AM on November 30, 2010

The...Society?

Oh sorry I'm from Universe 4590-A, you must be in 369-B. It's called that here.
posted by The Whelk at 8:50 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

But it feels against the principle of BND to out folks on the Wiki unless they explicitly say it's okay.

Yeah this is one of those fussy "We'd prefer you didn't" things. Even people who have said in MeTa that they have a new username still may not be "out" with it to the rest of the site and having this information on their profile page doesn't link the names in Google the way putting that information in MeTa or on the wiki would. I realize there's an arbitrariness to all of it, but that's sort of where we come down on linking old and current usernames.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:50 AM on November 30, 2010

5_13_23_42_69_666,

Can we call you "5" for short? Or "666"?
posted by lukemeister at 8:54 AM on November 30, 2010

It really irks me when people insert an extraneous letter into my username, or fuck with the capitalization and spacing.

Know what I mean, John Mc?
posted by Sys Rq at 8:57 AM on November 30, 2010

I sometimes think that must be a pretty big staircase if you can park two or three whole cars under there.
posted by Zozo at 9:03 AM on November 30, 2010 [6 favorites]

fake--

I came in slightly late to that whole thread, and had assumed that ones of the mods had changed your name once the story blew up big to simply "fake." Why they didn't use anonymous, I wasn't sure. It took me a very long time to realize that was actually your handle.
posted by Ideal Impulse at 9:04 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

It really, really annoys me when people use different names for their mefi and Twitter accounts. People @ me on Twitter who know me from mefi and I have no context for it at all.
posted by desjardins at 9:05 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yeah this is one of those fussy "We'd prefer you didn't" things.

Yes, it would be very nice if people didn't do that.
posted by nomadicink at 9:08 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

jessamyn: "Yeah this is one of those fussy "We'd prefer you didn't" things.

OK. Makes sense. Would rather stick to adding content that's less likely to cause angst, anyway.

Besides, I've been having fun (very slowly) formatting and adding to the EatMe and ShouldIEatThis pages. :)
posted by zarq at 9:09 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

It really, really annoys me when people use different names for their mefi and Twitter accounts. People @ me on Twitter who know me from mefi and I have no context for it at all.

I am one of those people and I apologize. I am myself on Twitter but haven't yet decided to add my real name here -- sorry about that. It bugs me too.
posted by theredpen at 9:14 AM on November 30, 2010

It really, really annoys me when people use different names for their mefi and Twitter accounts

I do that, but only because "quin" was long gone by the time I embraced Twitter, and I've got enough of a posting history that I don't want to switch over to iconomicon as a username here.
posted by quin at 9:20 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yeah, this is pretty much the only place I'm Gator. I tend to use my initials or some variation thereof everyplace else. I don't think anybody actually cares, though.
posted by Gator at 9:24 AM on November 30, 2010

I don't think people should be beholden to one standardized handle throughout the internets.

ONE HANDLE TO RULE THEM ALL AND IN THE INTERWEBS BIND THEM!

Not that I comply to this perfectly myself.
posted by sonika at 9:30 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

I am not a dinosaur. I have, however, been mispronouncing a whole lot of usernames.
posted by torisaur at 9:32 AM on November 30, 2010

It took me a very long time to realize that was actually your handle.

:) that's great ... I could totally see it that way.
posted by fake at 9:34 AM on November 30, 2010

"It really, really annoys me when people use different names for their mefi and Twitter accounts."

If you can hack "Eideteker" on twitter so I can have it back, I'd be very happy to stop annoying you.
posted by Eideteker at 9:34 AM on November 30, 2010

I worry that people might think that jacquilynne and I are the same person, and sometimes wish I'd chosen a more creative user name when I signed up since she had our name first.

Since I met you, I now do a double-double take on Jacqueline comments to be sure which J is talking.
posted by fake at 9:36 AM on November 30, 2010

*sighs*

Not my thread at all.

*perks up*

Hey mods! Change my name to "Skrotch"! I'll be instantly more interesting!
posted by Skot at 9:41 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

There have been at least three other users with other norm-versions of names, which has been confusing to others at times. Also, Me, Clavdivs.
posted by norm at 9:51 AM on November 30, 2010

I felt a bit foolish introducing myself at a meetup

Uh, yeah.
posted by *s at 10:09 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

But often, I get the impression that people believe their own personality is dependent upon another person. Thats kinda weird. Like when people put "dad", "hubby", "wife", "mom" or something in their name.

Wow, I didn't see this thread and start reading until it had 231 comments, and yet this comment continues to piss me off, 226 comments later. Why? Because we had this discussion, hal_c_on, and you know damn well that I don't believe my personality is dependent on my husband.

But hey, any opportunity to unfairly slam me again right? Because it's MetaTalk, after all.

Yeah, I am tired of this little dig.
posted by bearwife at 10:11 AM on November 30, 2010

A pony I would have wanted back when I selected my name (and which future MeFites may find useful) is some indication of the size of the name space I'd be in. A search for me also finds 2 other users (with whom I'm often confused and whose idea I had inadvertently copied). I could have, of course, done the search separately, but as a noob, I didn't know from such things.
posted by Obscure Reference at 10:15 AM on November 30, 2010

My impression of Dong Resin was pretty much, um...er.... solidified (?) when I read that name for the first time.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 10:23 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

I vacillate between feeling fond of my username and outright hatred of it. I don't even know what the hell I was thinking. Couldn't I have done better? Baby Balrog? Seriously? What the hell is that it's not even funny dude and it's like a Tolkien reference which is just so incredibly dorky. Also, completely unnecessary underscore. Should have gone with something awesome. Like.... uh... Nursling_Nihilanth.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 10:45 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

That reminds me, I used to mix up Baby_Balrog and Brandon Blatcher all the time.
posted by Gator at 10:47 AM on November 30, 2010

Also, Blue Beetle and Big_B.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 10:52 AM on November 30, 2010

Count me in the "no-ma-dinck" camp, Frankly, I'm shocked there isn't a user named MetaThesis. dibs!

greekphilosophy is gone gone gonesky.

I'm still linked to a disabled account? OH GOD GET IT OFF. GET IT OFF ME.

so...dirty...
posted by kittyprecious at 10:53 AM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

I used to think amberglow was a girl named Amber. I though joelf should be parsed jo elf and belonged to a short woman named jo instead of to a guy with the first name and last initial of Joel F. I do sometimes mix up Jacquilynne and Jacqueline, though I know the former in real life.

I don't usually make assumptions about user names, though. They are mostly just whimsical and, if they bear any relation to the user, it's usually not an obvious one. We used to have a user named Witty and of course it was common for people to point out in an argument that he wasn't witty. Well, in fact he was, just not in the sense that they had assumed, because Witty was his surname.
posted by orange swan at 10:53 AM on November 30, 2010

> It really, really annoys me when people use different names for their mefi and Twitter accounts. People @ me on Twitter who know me from mefi and I have no context for it at all.

Wow, I am so new to mefi I had my twitter handle first!

Corrected many in-my-head pronounciations thank to this thread.
posted by ellieBOA at 11:05 AM on November 30, 2010

Oh sorry I'm from Universe 4590-A, you must be in 369-B. It's called that here.

Oh, no, I'm 368-BUD (I can see you would be confused). Here we call it "The Brociety".
posted by adamdschneider at 11:16 AM on November 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

When I see kbanas I pronounce it in my head like my own name, and then become momentarily incensed that someone has hijacked my account.
posted by Kabanos at 11:55 AM on November 30, 2010

I am in U 1210-Beta 6. We call it "The Claque." And our ships are sailing ships!
posted by Mister_A at 11:57 AM on November 30, 2010

"Oi! No pap on Ton!"

Every time someone misspells oinopaponton (which doesn't bother me in itself; there's no reason anyone should recognize the phrase), they without fail have that awful PAP in the middle. Put me down as another user who should have realized that you can have spaces in your name.
posted by oinopaponton at 12:02 PM on November 30, 2010

oinopaponton looks like a failed palindrome.
posted by roll truck roll at 12:29 PM on November 30, 2010 [4 favorites]

How has nobody mentioned croutonsupafreak?!?
posted by iamkimiam at 12:32 PM on November 30, 2010

What's to discuss? It's "croutons, up a freak" right?
posted by norm at 12:45 PM on November 30, 2010 [3 favorites]

crouton super freak
posted by nomadicink at 12:47 PM on November 30, 2010

oinopaponton looks like a failed palindrome.

Or an onomatopoeia?
posted by Kabanos at 12:48 PM on November 30, 2010

And what is norm, anyway? Surely an anagram? morn?
posted by Mister_A at 1:16 PM on November 30, 2010

I also used to confuse tzikeh and tkchrist.
posted by dogmom at 1:29 PM on November 30, 2010

And what is norm, anyway? Surely an anagram? morn

You got me. It's for "Mr. No", as I hadn't gotten my doctorate when I signed up. And they didn't tell me that JDs do not count until AFTER I had incurred all that debt. Goddammit.

It's insults like this that just drive one to super-villainy, I tell you what.
posted by norm at 1:44 PM on November 30, 2010

A couple of names not mentioned that have jumped out at me.

Christ, what an asshole?" Isn't!

Throw away your common sense and get an afro! makes me indignant. I always want to shout, "What's wrong with an afro, jerk?"
posted by mreleganza at 1:46 PM on November 30, 2010

Now even people in real life call me Taz, so it's become a true identity. Accidentally.
The same has happened to me but, for some reason, only at work. That could be because we had several Davids working here at one point and things got confusing until various unique permutations were worked out to distinguish them. I'm the only one left, but the nickname persists.
posted by dg at 1:54 PM on November 30, 2010

No-mad-i-chink. I guess that's just me, though.
posted by nat at 2:35 PM on November 30, 2010

And my only user-name-confusion is because there is another user in my area whose actual name is Nat- so at meetups it's a bit odd. I feel like I don't have a real right to the name.
posted by nat at 2:37 PM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Count me in the "no-ma-dinck" camp

Try this, then: nomadicink Humperdinck.

(Humperdinck Humperdinck Humperdinck!)
posted by Eideteker at 3:12 PM on November 30, 2010 [3 favorites]

I always read user names wrong the first time and assign a name in my mind (like characters in a Russian novel).

nomadicink became notmydick... just can't get it out of my mind!

.
posted by ScotsLament at 3:15 PM on November 30, 2010

One username to bring them all together and in the grey, wonder "What the fuck?"
posted by nomadicink at 3:24 PM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Late to the party, as usual. Putting on the monster suit takes a good forty-five minutes, and reading through the thread takes a long time because I never quite get the goddam eyeholes aligned right so I have to peer out of one eye, then the other. Then of course there's typing with the big rubber monster claws. I'm always losing my place because I have a hell of a time scrolling and I'm alway accidentally closing tabs or windows.

So aaanyways...

I always misread Eideteker as Eindecker. And I always figured that Dirty Numb Bagel-Boy dropped one of his piping-hot bagels in a snowdrift, thus Hot Donut Snow was born.
posted by gamera at 3:24 PM on November 30, 2010

I always misread Eideteker as Eindecker.

I now see that it isn't Heidegger
posted by Namlit at 3:49 PM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

How can there be such as a thing as a blasé cock?
That's the sort of thing you discover about the world moments before coming to the realization that maybe you aren't as sexy as you think you are.


Can we call you "5" for short? Or "666"?
I've seen it shortened to 5_13, which seems to work
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:01 PM on November 30, 2010

I've said it before, but: iamkimiam and Kimberly confuse me, as I'm a Kimberley.

I have real difficulty remembering the personality, likes, dislikes of mefites, other than five or so "big names" and people from MeFightclub. Result: you can't get confused about specific names if you're just confused generally!
posted by flibbertigibbet at 5:56 PM on November 30, 2010

"I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that always sees a little i next to your name, with a note attached reading "vasaline...""

Now I'm tempted to register "Jacqueline is Coated in Vaseline!" as my new more noticeable and memorable user name.
posted by Jacqueline at 6:12 PM on November 30, 2010 [3 favorites]

I've said it before, but: iamkimiam and Kimberly confuse me, as I'm a Kimberley.

As am I.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:24 PM on November 30, 2010

5_13_23_42_69_666 wrote: "I've seen it shortened to 5_13, which seems to work"

But that doesn't get the nice Peruvian lady telling me that I've dialed a number that doesn't work!
posted by wierdo at 7:29 PM on November 30, 2010

I KNEW IT.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:29 PM on November 30, 2010

it's like a Tolkien reference which is just so incredibly dorky.

On sites where I do manage to get "galadriel" as a username (it's almost always gone--WTF, Metafilter?), I suspect people assume I'm a huge Tolkien fan. Which is okay. It's not accurate, but it's okay.
posted by galadriel at 8:43 PM on November 30, 2010

I should also mention my name is a Monty Python AND ff3/6 reference so I think that cancels out Tolkien for Dense Nerdry.
posted by The Whelk at 8:54 PM on November 30, 2010

Hrm, I don't remember any whelks in FF3/6.
posted by adamdschneider at 9:01 PM on November 30, 2010

The Whelk is the first boss you fight in FF6. It spams lightning at you if you hit it while it's hiding in its shell.
posted by vorfeed at 9:07 PM on November 30, 2010

GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
posted by The Whelk at 9:08 PM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

I don't comment much around here, so he may not know that I exist, but I definitely feel a kinship with Halloween Jack.
posted by rebel_rebel at 9:28 PM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

I can feel a kinship with candlejac
posted by The Whelk at 9:34 PM on November 30, 2010 [3 favorites]

..............
posted by The Owls at 9:35 PM on November 30, 2010

Oh yea well I guess you fuckers have a lot to say about me. Gah.
posted by The Bizzaro Whelk at 9:36 PM on November 30, 2010

... .
posted by The Owls at 9:37 PM on November 30, 2010

When I see The corpse in the library I read it as "The copse in the library," which sounds lovely. Then I correct myself and get a little grossed out thinking about a corpse in a library. Gets me every time.
posted by hydrophonic at 10:09 PM on November 30, 2010

I was stunned to learn kittyprecious is a guy.

I confused zarq with mrzarquon.

And adamdschneider with AdamCSnider even though I've met the former in person. Well, more like I feel the 2nd Adam stole the first Adam's name.

*s: "I felt a bit foolish introducing myself at a meetup

Uh, yeah."

At my first Chicago meetup, I was the first one there. I saw Juliet Banana coming up the sidewalk (I'd seen pictures) and I yelled out her real first name. She didn't hear me but Betty Botter did and turned her around. I held out my hand and said "IndigoRain," and she was all like, "you're being so formal!" So now I just call her Cupcake.

We need a cupcake emoticon. (Ξ
posted by IndigoRain at 10:54 PM on November 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Not nude!
posted by a humble nudibranch at 12:17 AM on December 1, 2010

We need a cupcake emoticon. (Ξ

I totally agree! ~CI
posted by Hey, Cupcake! at 6:16 AM on December 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

*cries*
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:56 AM on December 1, 2010

I always assumed Nomadicink is a lady called Noma witha a vaguely Italian surname. And I still can't stop pronouncing it that way!
posted by Omnomnom at 7:59 AM on December 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

At first I always thought cortex was really brainy.
Hey!
posted by Brainy at 8:23 AM on December 1, 2010 [5 favorites]

Cortex always reminds me of this Cortex.
posted by Splunge at 10:51 AM on December 1, 2010

I always read Blazecock Pileon as Blazecock Pileup, and I flash on some sort of massive apocalyptic freeway accident, with helicopters on fire. It's a very specific image.

I always read clavdivs as Claudius, until people began commenting that they'd just realized it was Claudius, and now I can only see it as clav-divs. Thanks, y'all.

As for me, pronounce my C as in Claudius, and we're cool.
posted by cereselle at 11:50 AM on December 1, 2010

If you, for some reason, were to pronounce my username aloud, it's SO-ni-ka. Long o.

(Yes hi, everyone who tries to say either this or my actual name. It's a long O. The O is right there. Being an O. It is not, under any circumstances, an AH sound. Stop it. Thanks.)
posted by sonika at 12:00 PM on December 1, 2010

*cries*

Hey, I get called hydroponic all the time, and I have no idea where to get any weed.
posted by hydrophonic at 12:04 PM on December 1, 2010

hydrophonic: "*cries*

Hey, I get called hydroponic all the time, and I have no idea where to get any weed"

Either do I.

Call me.
posted by Splunge at 12:08 PM on December 1, 2010

Hey are you "splunge" in the Monty Python sense or 'splunge in the "bus plunges over precipice" sense? Because I don't think anyone but me uses 'splunge in the second sense.
posted by Mister_A at 12:11 PM on December 1, 2010

Oh, and I tend to confuse Rhaomi and Rhomboid.
posted by Eideteker at 12:52 PM on December 1, 2010

Oh yes and I suddenly remember she-devil (as opposed to him-devil). How could I forget.
posted by Namlit at 1:41 PM on December 1, 2010

Ooh, I just remembered one I got wrong for a long time. Pyramid Termite; for whatever reason, early on I parsed this as Pyrite Thermite (don't ask me why, I have no idea either) and that's just what I saw the name as from then on.

I didn't realize I had it wrong till my wife made a comment about something he'd said while we were driving, and I realized we were talking about the same user, but with two different reads on the name, her's being the correct one.

That said, I still think Pyrite Thermite could make an awesome nic.
posted by quin at 2:06 PM on December 1, 2010

Some people's BND's are common knowledge to those of us who read MeTa. Longtime users often know who has returned under a new name and who has left in a huff.

Not this longtime user. I am often blissfully unaware, thanks to my crappy memory.
posted by amro at 5:39 PM on December 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

Ooh, I forgot about this one. When I was new here I used to read cortex as Cortez. You know, the stout guy, silent upon a Peke...
posted by tangerine at 10:10 AM on December 2, 2010

cereselle: "pronounce my C as in Claudius, and we're cool."

I've been puzzling over this since you posted it. I was just glancing through my favorites, and realized. It's like "carousel"! I'm an idiot.
posted by Night_owl at 6:21 PM on December 2, 2010

sonika: I'd been pronouncing your username wrong in my head! (I'd been pronouncing your real name correctly, though. I blame the word "sonic".)
posted by madcaptenor at 7:55 PM on December 2, 2010

madcaptenor: Yeah, if you just remember my username is a derivation of my *real* name it's easier to parse. I get Sonic-a a lot and it makes me twitch a little, but not too much. Just a little.
posted by sonika at 5:39 AM on December 3, 2010

Oh Barbara.
posted by nomadicink at 5:40 AM on December 3, 2010

(You can also think of it as a variation of "Sony" as in "Sony Playstation" which I got called in middle school, and for reasons I can't comprehend, I was really insulted. Ah, middle school.)
posted by sonika at 5:40 AM on December 3, 2010

M.C. Lo-Carb! vs MCMikeNamara
posted by desjardins at 7:53 AM on December 3, 2010

Is it a dance- off?
posted by The Whelk at 8:24 AM on December 3, 2010

Just keep it cool, boys. Real cool.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:37 AM on December 3, 2010

When yer a Mefite your a wonk all the way.
posted by The Whelk at 8:45 AM on December 3, 2010

bearwife: Wow, I didn't see this thread and start reading until it had 231 comments, and yet this comment continues to piss me off, 226 comments later. Why? Because we had this discussion, hal_c_on, and you know damn well that I don't believe my personality is dependent on my husband.

...I always figured 'bearwife' was a reference to The Simpsons "got mahself lost, married a she bear"

"AH TOLE YOU AH AIN'T A BEAR!"

"rar rar rar no-one understands you shebear"

Possibly because it's become such a frequently quoted line that it's been shortened to 'isn't that right bearwife' in our household.
posted by geek anachronism at 6:44 PM on December 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

My favorite username is Stonestock Relentless. I don't imagine it as a name so much as a head-shakingly admiring description, and it always puts me in mind of an utterly implacable dwarf bounty hunter.
posted by adamdschneider at 11:58 PM on December 3, 2010 [2 favorites]