What's In A Name?

[+Simply Paul]

There are several reasons people change their caching names. Adding 'Team' before your title can hint at an expanding family. Or you can go wild, like Dan, who became Rocky Balboa for reasons I've never even tried to guess at. Whatever your reason, from May the 15th you'll be stuck with whatever handle you have.

 

Read Jeremy's announcement here.

 

So, if you're thinking of a change of caching label, don't hang about!

[+McDeHack]

I cannot see why anyone would want to change their username.

We get to know each other on here by our names. I for one would be confused if the names got changed.

If one was so desperate to change, then one could start a new account.

[+Team Maddie UK]

I have already posted my feelings on this here.

 

I cannot see why anyone would want to change their username.

 

Loads of reasons...

 

Group acting as a team and team splits up...

Couple using both names split up...

People using Dog or Cat's name and pet dies...

People using an indication of profession and profession changes ...

etc... etc...

 

Sorry, but I think that this latest 'lock-down' (horrible expression) has a certain smell to it and not a very pleasant one I suspect it's an easy option to escape a short-sighted data base design.

 

Martin

[+John Stead]

I suspect it's an easy option to escape a short-sighted data base design.

 

Martin

 

Or it could be part of a revision of the site to make it work faster - and God knows we need that often enough!

[+Team Maddie UK]

Or it could be part of a revision of the site to make it work faster - and God knows we need that often enough!

 

I definitely agree with that John. However, I still feel that if the facility to change the username is necessary to achieve that then there is something inherently wrong with the design to begin with.

[+macroderma]

I don't know - easy name changes are an invitation to trolls etc

 

As I understand it there will still be a way for legitimate changes to cover the sceanarios above

[+Team Maddie UK]

As I understand it there will still be a way for legitimate changes to cover the sceanarios above

 

Hmmm...

 

we'll do our best to come up with some tools to move your information over to a new username. You can already do adoptions to your new account but there is no current way to move other information like bookmark lists, premium memberships, or log entries.

 

No promises there me thinks...

 

Martin

[Rozey Bear]

like Dan, who became Rocky Balboa for reasons I've never even tried to guess at.

 

Well that's obvious, Rocky Balboa = LEGEND and Dan thinks so too, lol.

[+HazelS]

I didn't like Jeremy's line....

 

If you're planning a break up do it by 15th may...

 

As someone who has HAD to change team names due to EXACTLY this reason, I find that offensive.

 

I don't think I'd have carried on caching if I'd been stuck being Hazel and Phill... as I'm not hazel and Phill, I'm HazelS - and dadgum proud of it too!!!

 

Have a heart Jeremy.

 

Rant over

[barryhunter]

we'll do our best to come up with some tools to move your information over to a new username. You can already do adoptions to your new account but there is no current way to move other information like bookmark lists, premium memberships, or log entries.

 

It's seems to me if you will be able to transfer over things like that its irrelevant if you change your name, or just create a new one, move everything over and let the old one die or even remove the old one.

 

Yes it will mean you will also get a new internal id also (and profile link) but you don't really need to to be permanent.

 

Its just the technicality of how the rename it performed not the eventual outcome. If you think about it its not often that you can change your email address with an ISP, once you signed up your stuck, but you can just sign up again. (yes Geocaching is different as there's stats to consider, but if they can be transferred then all well and good)

 

Edited for spealing

Edited April 20, 2006 by barryhunter

[+Simply Paul]

I suspect other people would hate to be separated from their logs -I know I would- if they had to change names. Jeremy says some features may be available via 'workarounds' (such as adopting all your own caches from your old name to your new name) but this doesn't appear to go far enough. Premium membership will be locked to an uneditable name, for example.

[+The Blorenges]

Hey, we've got a name that is the only word in the Universe that rhymes with 'oranges' - and is a real word too (it's a mountain in Wales). So why would we want to change that! Pretty unique I think!

[+Rizz and Company]

I cannot see why anyone would want to change their username.

 

There are people like me who just registered with their last name and always meant to come up with something original. My English friend put me onto this topic...so now I have about 3+ weeks to come up with a name which will be one that we like and also descriptive.

[barryhunter]

I still read Jeremy's post as saying they will provide tools to move everything (including logs) over to a new name if required (just that there isn't currently). Judging by the reaction they will have to even if they don't plan to. As I said before it will just be a technical change on how its performed, not that it won't be possible. (like moveing house by moving the contents to a new house (which happens to be identical other than the address) rather than moving *the* house)

[+Hi-Tek]

At the moment you can change your user name to anything that hasn't already been registered on gc.com. Your user name is tied to your user ID 'number' - (mouse over a posting - lh side of screen to see it for those who aren't aware).

 

In the last couple of days I tried to revert to my former Caching name but was unable to because it was 'already registered'. Huh!?1? Searching for any cache 'finds' or 'hidden' by that name shows "Sorry, no results were found for this search." I suspect the database just has my former name recorded as being 'in use' and not recorded against my user ID number.

[+The Other Stu]

OK, I guess it's time for us to move over now then......

 

I know we're SSC&B and have been (so far) for 37 caches, but you'll notice that we also rarely cache together, the single one thing that seems to be constant when caching is Phoebe the mad dalmatian.

 

We are now officially known as "Team Phoebe"

 

Stu

[Deego]

Well "Team Phoebe" you will be SSC&B on the forums until you click -> http://www.geocaching.com/forums/register.aspx and update the forum software with your new name

[+Brenin Tegeingl]

Well I'll put my hand up and admit that I changed my name . I started off as just Mancunian, then I got back into pyrography so added Pyrocacher. If the no name change had been active from the start I'd have been stuck with Mancunian and explaining what some one living in Wales uses a description of some one from Manchester, and not as it is now giving them double confusion Jeremy should put a Name is Locked warning on the registration page

 

Dave

[+ryme-intrinseca]

I like my username. It's my whole Internet identity - I use it for everything. Now my sister's gone and nicked it off me, and named her baby 'Trinseca' so I guess in a few years time we'll be fighting over email addresses, ebay id. etc

 

When I showed my mum my lovely new Geocoin, inscribed with ryme-intrinseca, she said 'ooh, that's nice, can I have it for Trinseca?'

Edited April 21, 2006 by ryme-intrinseca

[+Haggis Hunter]

I cannot see why anyone would want to change their username.

A new person may unwittingly come up with a very similar name to what is already used, and then start to be addressed by the name that is well established.

As you will see there isn't a lot of difference between the two cachers locations, just different Cities?

[Deego]

Yep, I nearly called my self Moote, what a lucky escape I had

[+Teasel]

I still read Jeremy's post as saying they will provide tools to move everything (including logs) over to a new name if required (just that there isn't currently). Judging by the reaction they will have to even if they don't plan to.

And even if Groundspeak never get around to it, how difficult would it be for one of us to write a little script which went through all someone's logs, deleted them all, and re-logged them under the new username? Of course, Jeremy would still have to be petitioned to either formally allow, or turn a blind eye to, the breaking of the TOUs in this way.

[+HazelS]

Yep, I nearly called my self Moote, what a lucky escape I had

 

... Taxi for Deego!

[+The Flying Boots]

We started off with the name Ivoryboots because it was just something we came up with quickly to start Geocaching straight away. Luckily we changed it when we realised how involved we were becoming to something more apropriate to ouselves.

 

If we'd known from the start that we couldn't change it once it was set we'd have given it much more though initially. So as long as it is known during sign up that things can't be changed that would be alright.

[+The Bongtwashes]

Just a quick reminder that it is USER NAME LOCKDOWN DAY for anyone who was vaguely considering changing

[alistair_uk]

I have decided to remain alistair_uk in the end, if it is only slightly broke then just keep topping up the oil once a month and it will be fine.