New account, but stats, low user number, LOST

November 25, 2004 8:58 PM

With new sign-ups available again, it is tempting for people like me to create a new account with a username they actually like. The "problem," is losing post/comment stats and the ever prized lower user number. [MI]
posted by MrAnonymous to Feature Requests at 8:58 PM (76 comments total)

I'm sure this is the most out-landish request in MeTa history, but I just shelled out $5 for a new username that I'm almost reluctant to use. What's the likelyhood of ever being able to swap usernames? I'm sure MySQL can manage it, but is it a dangerous precedent? I don't like "MrAnonymous" and never use it anywhere else, but that 4000-username increase is tough to swallow.
posted by MrAnonymous at 8:58 PM on November 25, 2004

Deal with it.
posted by stanchin at 9:01 PM on November 25, 2004

Because it's really not that bad.
posted by Stan Chin at 9:01 PM on November 25, 2004

Deal with it.

That's what I keep telling myself. But now I'm not sure what to deal with: the crappy username or the loss of stats, etc.
posted by MrAnonymous at 9:23 PM on November 25, 2004

Someone explain to me the fetish with low user number.
posted by zorro astor at 9:29 PM on November 25, 2004

Loss of status?! Dude, a user ID in the 15000s is not status. Just go with the name you prefer. The quality of your posts will determine your status.
posted by LarryC at 9:30 PM on November 25, 2004

Just use your new name and put a link to your old name in the profile and say "I use to be cooler".
posted by justgary at 9:31 PM on November 25, 2004

Now, if it was in the 14000s, that would be a problem. But 15k? Forget it.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 9:32 PM on November 25, 2004

LarryC:

Loss of STATS... post count, comments, etc.
posted by maledictory at 9:40 PM on November 25, 2004

I used to have a number in the 4000's. You think YOU got problems.
posted by konolia at 9:41 PM on November 25, 2004

Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons.
posted by loquacious at 9:44 PM on November 25, 2004

It's like the crappy tattoo you got the night you got blind drunk when you were 18. There's nothing you can do about it.

Believe me. I once asked the Dear Leader about it in person.
posted by jokeefe at 9:48 PM on November 25, 2004

Wait? Why didn't you just choose a username you liked in the first place? What was the problem way-back-when? I'm sure if you email Mr. Haughey, you two could work out some sort of deal.

I'm going to buy myself ten more user names now. And start a clique. A MeFi clique.
posted by Colloquial Collision at 9:53 PM on November 25, 2004

Yes, me too. I'm going to buy 10 more "friend" accounts. So when i get shot-down in a thread, i can have my 10 "friends" vouch for my shitty opitions, and be like, "What naxosaxur said". It's like instant clout.
posted by naxosaxur at 10:00 PM on November 25, 2004

I wish that my user number was divisible by an even number, but what are ya gonna do?
posted by davidmsc at 10:07 PM on November 25, 2004

OMG u r so right, naxosaxur.
posted by Arch Stanton at 10:10 PM on November 25, 2004

YOUR SARCASM DOES NOT ESCAPE ME, MISTER!!1!
posted by naxosaxur at 10:22 PM on November 25, 2004

what Arch said about naxo.
posted by taz at 10:24 PM on November 25, 2004

what taz said about Arch.
posted by Colloquial Collision at 10:25 PM on November 25, 2004

I know a 15000 number isn't much to brag about, but the posts, comments, etc...whatever.

Why didn't you just choose a username you liked in the first place?
Apparently I liked this one way back then.
posted by MrAnonymous at 10:39 PM on November 25, 2004

The quality of your posts will determine your status.

Yeah...the posting history of MrAnonymous isn't all that spectacular. But I think I'm starting to be like my grandparents: I like to hold on to everything.
posted by BradNelson at 10:47 PM on November 25, 2004

Apparently I liked this one way back then.

Well then, maybe chaning your user name should also be a donation feature. How about a dollar PayPal donation to change a username? If you would really, sincerely want to change your username, you'd have to pay a dollar.
posted by Colloquial Collision at 10:48 PM on November 25, 2004

How about a dollar PayPal donation to change a username?

Well, I just paid $5. It would probably work.

The reason why I asked if it would set a bad precedent is because of people who might piss all over the threads could just change it to avoid building a reputation.
posted by BradNelson at 10:54 PM on November 25, 2004

I'm not entirely sure this thread isn't the going-out bang of a single oldtime user who's having much too much fun playing with multiple usernames...
posted by five fresh fish at 11:00 PM on November 25, 2004

I think I want to change my username to 'going-out bang'.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:02 PM on November 25, 2004

fff: MrAnonymous is retired.
posted by BradNelson at 11:13 PM on November 25, 2004

You are, who you are.

Changing your name accomplishes nothing.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 12:19 AM on November 26, 2004

Yeah, this anonymous guy over on Ask MeFi sure has some serious issues...

FWIW, I used to have a MeFi account (somewhere around the 10000s) but forgot my username/password.
Get over it. There must be hundreds of us.
posted by sour cream at 2:00 AM on November 26, 2004

BradNelson THAT's the name you went with?!? What a crappy nickname. Where did that one come from? You'll always be MrAnonymous to me. You've got to get over this fear of being perceived as a newbie. If that's the worst thing that happens to you you lead a charmed life.
posted by HifiToaster at 5:10 AM on November 26, 2004

it's not like you get to choose your name. so at least you're advertising your own bad taste, rather than your parent's (i was christened ThorSoggyPants, only switching to this pseudonym after a rather distressing incident during my adolescence).
posted by andrew cooke at 5:18 AM on November 26, 2004

the ever prized lower user number.

*cries*
posted by matteo at 6:24 AM on November 26, 2004

seriously though, are there technical reasons stopping name changes? every pageview is regenerated dynamically every time no? i would prolly pay $5 just to have my username dropped to all lowercase (which.
posted by danOstuporStar at 7:22 AM on November 26, 2004

...which, umm, it is lowercase on preview but not on post.)
posted by danOstuporStar at 7:23 AM on November 26, 2004

I'd llike for my username to be all lower case, as it is elsewhere. But I don't think I could sign up as "timefactor" because database access is probably case-insensitive. I'm afraid that it'd corrupt the database, causing the server to burst into flames which would spread to the entire hosting facility and all the other sites would crash which would screw up DNS so badly that the entire Internet would cease to exist. Just because I don't like the the case of my username. Cool! I'll be right back...
posted by TimeFactor at 7:34 AM on November 26, 2004

its like big booming and crashing. then the fires. oh the fires.
posted by bargle at 7:37 AM on November 26, 2004

My God! He morphed right in front of my eyes!

I think MeFi was the first "place" on the internet where I had a "user name" and I really did not understand what it "meant" (sorry, don't know what came over me) to pick one. If I had to choose one again, I would use my own name. It's almost as anonymous as MrAnonymous.

Cordially,

Richard Anderson
posted by Dick Paris at 7:43 AM on November 26, 2004

Oh, and taking on mulitple accounts like that? Not nice. (Bunnyfire being the exception that proves the rule.)
posted by Dick Paris at 7:46 AM on November 26, 2004

Don't sweat the 4000 difference. When MF hits 500,000 users (like that site which shall not be named) no one will care about the difference.
posted by Mitheral at 8:44 AM on November 26, 2004

Wow, what a great idea. I want my new username to be 'mathowie'. Or maybe I'll pay $5 for malhowie and hope people get confused.
posted by terrapin at 9:18 AM on November 26, 2004

like that site which shall not be named

pauses. checks you-know-where. feels smug at having a four digit number there, too.
nyaa nyaa.
posted by andrew cooke at 9:30 AM on November 26, 2004

The worst part about this is that I can't even do a FPP with this new account yet. Grr.
posted by BradNelson at 9:50 AM on November 26, 2004

CunningLinguist is dead. The wake will be held at the next NYC meetup.
posted by helcat at 9:51 AM on November 26, 2004

THAT's the name you went with?!?

I've given up on the whole "nickname" thing. I'm a member of the school of thought that you can't give yourself your own "real life" nickname, so I'm applying that to these Intarwebs too. I have bradnelson.com, so I'm just BradNelson from here on out. As lame as it may be.
posted by BradNelson at 9:53 AM on November 26, 2004

The reason why I asked if it would set a bad precedent is because of people who might piss all over the threads could just change it to avoid building a reputation.

IMO, the bigger "dangerous precedent" is the notion that there's anything wrong with being (or being considered) a newer member. This ain't a Counter Strike forum; there's no need to ph33r teh n00bs. It looks like most of us have done a decent job so far.

(Not trying to pile on. I just want people to judge my first FPP on its content rather than on my user number.)
posted by kryptondog at 10:28 AM on November 26, 2004

Is that Richard Dean Anderson?
posted by PurplePorpoise at 10:35 AM on November 26, 2004

posted by johnny novak at 10:49 AM on November 26, 2004

Someone explain to me the fetish with low user number.

Well in a community that is qutie elitist...
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 10:55 AM on November 26, 2004

Someone explain to me the fetish with low user number.

When mathowie set this up, he made user info accessible by user number (rather than user name) and gave himself user number "1".
posted by timeistight at 11:27 AM on November 26, 2004

Well in a community that is qutie elitist...

or a bunch o commies...
posted by andrew cooke at 11:29 AM on November 26, 2004

It would be nice to be able to change usernames, but as for the obsession with user #s, give me a figgin' break. You are not your user number. 15-thousand-and-something is nothing to nut over in any case.

Some online communities, like Epinions, do forbid multiple accounts per user, because it does discourage accountability and encourage fraud. There's not much to defraud on MetaFilter, but if we ever do implement features like voting or post rating, then having more than one account definitely skews the picture. Two accounts also gives you an easy way to post to the homepage twice a day.

There are significant drawbacks to balance against the cosmetic benefit of being able to change your mind about your handle.
posted by scarabic at 11:55 AM on November 26, 2004

every pageview is regenerated dynamically every time no?

No. I don't think it is. But that's not so much the issue with changing usernames, anyway.

In an ideal system the user ID is the database key that matters, and the user name should be just as changeable as the blurb on your member profile page. Just a bit of text attached to your user ID. I'm not sure if Matt made sure to build every component of the site this way. Maybe the user-linking feature keys off of name. Maybe comments on MeTa key off name while comments on MeFi key off of ID. If any of them does key off of name, it would have to be re-written, and bug-checked against everything else in a full regression test. There would be a lot of stuff to check, and potentially a lot of stuff to change. It shouldn't be impossible, or terribly complex. Just a pain in the ass for a very froofy, non-essential feature that only encourages members to play fast-and-loose with their identities.

How much mathowie development time is it worth for Mr. Anonymous to keep his nice low user number? I'd say "zero."
posted by scarabic at 12:07 PM on November 26, 2004

Why is the zero in quotes?
posted by vacapinta at 12:31 PM on November 26, 2004

What's the matter with fetishizing low user numbers?
posted by jonmc at 12:55 PM on November 26, 2004

What's the matter with fetishizing low user numbers?

Well if your talking about a high-heel type of fetish or whips & chains then I think a line has been crossed.

*adjusts silver nipple rings, admires #58*
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 1:06 PM on November 26, 2004

ew
posted by timeistight at 1:07 PM on November 26, 2004

And those thinking they could get a clean slate by changing their user name or getting a new user name to clear their cred obviously haven't considered the ever vigilant MeFi Junior Detective Squad.

No one expects the MeFi Junior Detective Squad.
posted by DBAPaul at 1:09 PM on November 26, 2004

*runs from the MeFi Junior Detective Squad with a new user name*
posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 1:13 PM on November 26, 2004

The thing about MeFi usernames is, it's not anonymity, it's persistent pseudonymity. Which is a whole other ball-o-wax. In my opinion, being tied to a particular identity encourages people to treat the site like a community, rather than an anonymous shitfest. (C'mon, this is MetaTalk, we can't have a serious discussion of etiquette without at least one gratuitous fecal metaphor.) Of course, given that joining the HomestarmyMetafiltarmy is now a matter of $5 worth of PayPalling rather than years worth of staring at the new user link and dreaming, anyone who wants a fake clean slate or a new account just to troll with can have one anyway, but at least the precedent of having your actions remembered is there.
posted by arto at 1:32 PM on November 26, 2004

Why is the zero in quotes?

I don't know why I try anymore.
posted by scarabic at 2:20 PM on November 26, 2004

guys, I have a confession. Uh, you know how there've been some subpar threads, lately? Yeah, well I kind of... uh, forgot my password, and now I can't get into the SQL box. I guess I got drunk the other night and I was really paranoid, and I kept thinking somebody was trying to log into my email, so I went and changed all my passwords to something really obscure... and... shit, I think there was like an 'L' and then '2,eqF' but... shit.


Anyone seen my car keys?


m. haughey
posted by cmyr at 2:36 PM on November 26, 2004

c..ooOOooll||ll user name ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo... Can we call you .oOo. for short?
posted by Dick Paris at 3:05 PM on November 26, 2004

I don't know how it's pronounced, but when I see "..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.." I read it as "Bubbles".
posted by mr_crash_davis at 3:12 PM on November 26, 2004

I read it as "Bubbles".

I would like to see a MetaFilter where other users could pick your name.
posted by BradNelson at 3:37 PM on November 26, 2004

How did you get that low number Jon? I remember when you started posting, and noticed your account had been dormant for a very long time before you actually pictched in. You have obviously been very active since then. I always figured there was a story in there somewhere.
posted by thirteen at 4:26 PM on November 26, 2004

Dick: .ooO is the familiar. Cheers.
posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 7:52 PM on November 26, 2004

I would like to see a MetaFilter where other users could pick your name.

Now that would be fun, wouldn't it? :D
posted by Orb at 8:42 PM on November 26, 2004

How did you get that low number Jon? I remember when you started posting, and noticed your account had been dormant for a very long time before you actually pictched in.

Nothing mysterious, thirteen. I was living in Miami back in '99, and out of work at the time, I discovered MeFi back then, posted a thread, got no response, figured I did something wrong. I laid low surfing the links until post-9/11 when I started shooting my mouth off, for better or worse. Shows you what revering those low numbers can getcha, huh?
posted by jonmc at 9:58 PM on November 26, 2004

Shows you what revering those low numbers can getcha, huh?

We'll still hover our cursors over your name and drool at the status bar, no matter what you say jonmc!

I'm just glad I got a login. Been lurking too long- I even lurked myself out of a login in April. /smacks forehead.
posted by id at 1:32 AM on November 27, 2004

I'm just glad I got a login. Been lurking too long- I even lurked myself out of a login in April. /smacks forehead.

Me, too, id.

But my member number is lower than yours.
posted by frecklefaerie at 9:05 AM on November 27, 2004

the ever prized lower user number.

with this arms-race over lower numbers, I am surprised that there isn't a secondary market for unused two- or three-digit userIDs.

We know we want to support the costs of running MetaFilter - so how about enabling the reverse takeover of these ancient and unused MeFi shell accounts?

One way of doing this could be by auctioning off these unused IDs to those who absolutely need that lower number

But I suspect that, despite the playful granstanding I see above, there may be few takers.
posted by seawallrunner at 9:55 AM on November 27, 2004

the ever prized lower user number.

eh, when you shiny new 19k'ers have been around as long as us 17k'ers, you'll realize that no matter what you do, there's a fine line between cool and uncool.

That line is 18,000
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 11:25 AM on November 27, 2004

when I see "..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.." I read it as "Bubbles".

I read it as "The Ghost of Jrun"
posted by scarabic at 12:23 AM on November 28, 2004

Another site I post to had a one-time month-long name change "amnesty", where users could change their username to something else. Anyone who changed names got an auto sigfile that said "this is the user formerly known as Doohickie" (or whatever) for 30 days. The new username did not make the user anonymous, he got to keep his post count, etc., but was able to change his name.
posted by Doohickie at 8:01 AM on November 30, 2004

Oh yeah... dumb newbie question:

How does one determine one's "user number"? I'm sure mine is nineteen thousand something, but I'd still like to know.
posted by Doohickie at 8:03 AM on November 30, 2004

Hover over your name in a comment or above the posting box. The number string at the end is your user number 19794.
posted by Mitheral at 9:14 AM on November 30, 2004

Thanks.

Like I said, nuthin' to be proud of, but it's nice to know.

If MeFi gets up to 50,000 users, then I guess 19794 will be worth something....
posted by Doohickie at 9:39 AM on November 30, 2004