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Username Lockdown


mdccxxvii

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I think that new users whould be able to change their username for the first month that they have their geocaching account. If anyone agrees or disagrees, please post their comments below.

 

--EDITED--

 

The reason I think that users whould be able to change their names, is that like me, many users may just want to start geocaching before thinking of a very good name. "Mdccxxvii" is what I'm stuck with, unless I start anew, which would be annoying, even though I've found only five caches.

Edited by mdccxxvii
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I think simply stating on the "create an account" page, that you can't change your username should be enough "warning" to people to think about what they put for a username before they commit to it. If this isn't already on that page, I think it should be.

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I think that new users whould be able to change their username for the first month that they have their geocaching account. If anyone agrees or disagrees, please post their comments below.

 

--EDITED--

 

The reason I think that users whould be able to change their names, is that like me, many users may just want to start geocaching before thinking of a very good name. "Mdccxxvii" is what I'm stuck with, unless I start anew, which would be annoying, even though I've found only five caches.

 

We're working on customizing an application for use with Geocaching.com that will require us to lock down the ability to change your username. As a result on May 15th we will be locking down the username change feature on the web site.

 

The technical issue relates to a fundamental part of their application that stores usernames in the database outside of the account data. This means that if we did make username changes in our account database it would require a tremendous effort to automatically update the other system with the username change.

 

So are you against Geocaching.com expanding and improving and working with outside applications (from the sound of it), or do you just want to make them exert a "tremendous effort"?

Edited by Mopar
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OK. Maybe just one change per. account in first week. That should limit it. As well, this would decrease the number of accounts that are just left in hyperspace using up usernames and taking up room in the Geocaching account database.

Edited by mdccxxvii
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OK. Maybe just one change per. account in first week. That should limit it. As well, this would decrease the number of accounts that are just left in hyperspace using up usernames and taking up room in the Geocaching account database.

 

/me bangs head against wall.

 

According to the head guy here, with the changes planned for the site, it would be extremely difficult to allow a username to be changed after it was created. Not difficult to change more then once, or difficult to change after one month.

 

Difficult to change after it's been created.

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I though system improvements were supposed to go along the line of more user flexibility, not less.

 

If I would have heard about the member vote on this issue :laughing: , I would have voted for keeping the ability to change user names for active cachers, and adding a feature that wipes out (or adds "inactive" to their user name) dead accounts after 2 years or so of inactivity. That would free up some cool names that are sitting stagnant.

 

(Yes, I know a user can request a name that has been inactive for a while, but automating this would be better. And yes, I know that would tick a few inactive people off, but if they can't find the time to log in every few months, too bad for them.)

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My stance is that there are so many accounts in cyberspace, just taking up room on the geocaching database. If names could be changed just once, and inactive accounts would be deleted (inactive for 2 months?), then it might be worth the extra effort to make the username database less full, and more efficient.

 

 

/me bangs head against wall.

 

According to the head guy here, with the changes planned for the site, it would be extremely difficult to allow a username to be changed after it was created. Not difficult to change more then once, or difficult to change after one month.

 

Difficult to change after it's been created.

 

You have a very strong oppinion, Mopar. I believe that this will save time, not waste it.

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My stance is that there are so many accounts in cyberspace, just taking up room on the geocaching database. If names could be changed just once, and inactive accounts would be deleted (inactive for 2 months?), then it might be worth the extra effort to make the username database less full, and more efficient.

Sigh.

 

What you don't seem to get, is that it would take exactly the same massive coding effort to allow names to be changed once, as it would to allow them to be changed 100,000 times. I can easily come up with a dozen other things I'd rather see Groundspeak's development resources used for.

 

You only have a handful of finds, and no hides. You could create a new account, and copy your logs over in, what? 10 minutes?

Edited by Prime Suspect
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I think that new users whould be able to change their username for the first month that they have their geocaching account. If anyone agrees or disagrees, please post their comments below.

 

--EDITED--

 

The reason I think that users whould be able to change their names, is that like me, many users may just want to start geocaching before thinking of a very good name. "Mdccxxvii" is what I'm stuck with, unless I start anew, which would be annoying, even though I've found only five caches.

 

Since you only have five finds you would be better off to go ahead and pick another name and re-log those caches under the new moniker. It's far easier for you to do that than for it to be fixed on the website's end.

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Having a unique guid or ID as the sole non-changing identifier and having the login name just another attribute is much better for down streams systems. Sharing the ID with those systems would really be the best. That said though if there is a problem with the username being changed then maybe a display name should be a new field added to the profile page and have that show up in logs and other pages. This way I can change my display name based on my mood and not really be "stuck" with it.

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Having a unique guid or ID as the sole non-changing identifier and having the login name just another attribute is much better for down streams systems. Sharing the ID with those systems would really be the best. That said though if there is a problem with the username being changed then maybe a display name should be a new field added to the profile page and have that show up in logs and other pages. This way I can change my display name based on my mood and not really be "stuck" with it.

Won't work. Or at least, it won't work very well. Re-read the original explanation for the lock-down.

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You only have a handful of finds, and no hides. You could create a new account, and copy your logs over in, what? 10 minutes?

 

That would probably be the best way to do it, while you still have a low number of finds...

Us old-timers are too established to change now...

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You only have a handful of finds, and no hides. You could create a new account, and copy your logs over in, what? 10 minutes?

 

That would probably be the best way to do it, while you still have a low number of finds...

Us old-timers are too established to change now...

<looks at poster name>

Good one...

:rolleyes:

Edited by PAWSitraction
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Actually, it's a rare website that lets you change your username at all. I think a lot of people were suprised that you could do it here, not to mention how easy it was.

 

Probably the way to do it (which I'm sure is far too late to implement here) is to have a non-changable login name that only you would know, and a public display name that you could modify which would be the name that would show up in logs.

 

Personally, I prefer static usernames. If "Team ABCD" logs one of my caches, it's suprising to go back and look at old logs and see "EFGH Cache Finders" and spend a few minutes wondering who the heck they are until I realize they're the same people.

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The topic has been edited:

 

I think that users should be able to change their display name once a year for their geocaching account. There would be a static username, that would be visible once the display name was clicked on to see the profile.

 

The reason I think that users whould be able to change their display names, is that like me, many users may just want to start geocaching before thinking of a very good name. "Mdccxxvii" is what I'm stuck with, unless I start anew, which would be annoying, even though I've found only five caches.

Edited by mdccxxvii
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The topic has been edited:

 

I think that users should be able to change their display name once a year for their geocaching account. There would be a static username, that would be visible once the display name was clicked on to see the profile.

 

The reason I think that users whould be able to change their display names, is that like me, many users may just want to start geocaching before thinking of a very good name. "Mdccxxvii" is what I'm stuck with, unless I start anew, which would be annoying, even though I've found only five caches.

 

mopar, move along cobber, give me some wall space....

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The topic has been edited:

 

I think that users should be able to change their display name once a year for their geocaching account. There would be a static username, that would be visible once the display name was clicked on to see the profile.

 

The reason I think that users whould be able to change their display names, is that like me, many users may just want to start geocaching before thinking of a very good name. "Mdccxxvii" is what I'm stuck with, unless I start anew, which would be annoying, even though I've found only five caches.

I'll try this time.

 

New functionality is planned for GC.com.

 

For those new features to work, the database table that holds the user information must be made so that the user name can never change.

 

If the username were to change, those new features will not work.

 

Therefore, the site had to be modified so that you could no longer change your username.

 

The change was not made because TPTB has something against being able to change usernames.

 

It was made so that cool new features could be added to the site.

 

It means that once a username is created, it can not be changed at all.

 

Not within one year.

 

Not within one month.

 

Not within one week.

 

Never.

 

Like most other sites on the net, once you create a username, it's yours forever.

 

If you don't like yours, you'll have to create a new account.

 

Because your username cannot be changed.

 

Ever.

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The topic has been edited:

 

I think that users should be able to change their display name once a year for their geocaching account. There would be a static username, that would be visible once the display name was clicked on to see the profile.

 

The reason I think that users whould be able to change their display names, is that like me, many users may just want to start geocaching before thinking of a very good name. "Mdccxxvii" is what I'm stuck with, unless I start anew, which would be annoying, even though I've found only five caches.

I'll try this time.

 

New functionality is planned for GC.com.

 

For those new features to work, the database table that holds the user information must be made so that the user name can never change.

 

If the username were to change, those new features will not work.

 

Therefore, the site had to be modified so that you could no longer change your username.

 

The change was not made because TPTB has something against being able to change usernames.

 

It was made so that cool new features could be added to the site.

 

It means that once a username is created, it can not be changed at all.

 

Not within one year.

 

Not within one month.

 

Not within one week.

 

Never.

 

Like most other sites on the net, once you create a username, it's yours forever.

 

If you don't like yours, you'll have to create a new account.

 

Because your username cannot be changed.

 

Ever.

EDIT TOPIC:

What about allowing us to just change our name every leap year?

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The topic has been edited:

 

I think that users should be able to change their display name once a year for their geocaching account. There would be a static username, that would be visible once the display name was clicked on to see the profile.

 

The reason I think that users whould be able to change their display names, is that like me, many users may just want to start geocaching before thinking of a very good name. "Mdccxxvii" is what I'm stuck with, unless I start anew, which would be annoying, even though I've found only five caches.

I'll try this time.

 

New functionality is planned for GC.com.

 

For those new features to work, the database table that holds the user information must be made so that the user name can never change.

 

If the username were to change, those new features will not work.

 

Therefore, the site had to be modified so that you could no longer change your username.

 

The change was not made because TPTB has something against being able to change usernames.

 

It was made so that cool new features could be added to the site.

 

It means that once a username is created, it can not be changed at all.

 

Not within one year.

 

Not within one month.

 

Not within one week.

 

Never.

 

Like most other sites on the net, once you create a username, it's yours forever.

 

If you don't like yours, you'll have to create a new account.

 

Because your username cannot be changed.

 

Ever.

 

Wait...is that a RULE or a GUIDELINE? :)

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Jeremy,

 

Couldn't an exception be granted for those of us who, through no fault of our own, find it necessary to suddenly become part of the Witness Protection Program? The thing is, those U.S. Marshals are kinda picky about severing ALL ties with the past.

 

Thanks for your consideration,

 

Signed,

 

cache_test_dummies Phil Johnson

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Jeremy,

 

Couldn't an exception be granted for those of us who, through no fault of our own, find it necessary to suddenly become part of the Witness Protection Program? The thing is, those U.S. Marshals are kinda picky about severing ALL ties with the past.

 

Thanks for your consideration,

 

Signed,

 

cache_test_dummies Phil Johnson

 

it's a known fact that anyone involved in the Witness Protection Programme waive their rights to any links to Geocaching as a whole, whether it be physically out and about looking for/hiding caches, or in your armchair gobbing off in the forums....

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I've had my user-name for over 49 years.

Why would I want to change it now? :(

 

Why, young fella, back in the olden days we had to hand crank our GPSr's to make 'em work. And the satellites were steam powered.

 

You had steam??? we had to send hamsters to the satellites on kites to get them there. It was a constant project as the poor little guys didn't do that well in space. This was before the newer stronger hamster breeds

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The topic has been edited:

 

I think that users should be able to change their display name once a year for their geocaching account. There would be a static username, that would be visible once the display name was clicked on to see the profile.

 

The reason I think that users whould be able to change their display names, is that like me, many users may just want to start geocaching before thinking of a very good name. "Mdccxxvii" is what I'm stuck with, unless I start anew, which would be annoying, even though I've found only five caches.

icon_frustrated.gif

 

It would take as much coding effort to allow people to do this once a year, as once a minute. Which part of this do you not get?

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I've had my user-name for over 49 years.

Why would I want to change it now? :laughing:

 

Why, young fella, back in the olden days we had to hand crank our GPSr's to make 'em work. And the satellites were steam powered.

 

You had steam??? we had to send hamsters to the satellites on kites to get them there. It was a constant project as the poor little guys didn't do that well in space. This was before the newer stronger hamster breeds

 

you had kites? we had to use slings to get the hamsters to the satellites. a lot of people were killed before we perfected our aim.

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Tellyawhat, mdccxxvii:

 

If it's too much of a "tremendous effort" for you to set up a new account and re-log your five finds, I'll do it for you.

 

Just this one time.

Not once a year, once a month, once a week, or once every third leap year when the sum of the dates that fall on Tuesdays add up to a prime number.

 

Let me know the username that you'd like to use, and if it's available, I'll open up a whole new account for you, log finds for the caches you already have on your existing account, and send you the password for it.

 

Then you won't have to worry about not being able to change your username, or going through an extrordinary effort to establish a new account, and you won't have to worry about posting here any more.

 

Deal?

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Actually, it's a rare website that lets you change your username at all. I think a lot of people were suprised that you could do it here, not to mention how easy it was.

 

Probably the way to do it (which I'm sure is far too late to implement here) is to have a non-changable login name that only you would know, and a public display name that you could modify which would be the name that would show up in logs.

 

Personally, I prefer static usernames. If "Team ABCD" logs one of my caches, it's suprising to go back and look at old logs and see "EFGH Cache Finders" and spend a few minutes wondering who the heck they are until I realize they're the same people.

After years of playing in cyberspace this was the first site I found that would let you change your name. Doesn't bother me that it is locked down.

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My first week on the site I used my email address as my username. I had been using that name for about 10 years, but it only described me. Since this is a family activity, I changed my username to what it is now. Had there been a lock on changing my name then it would have been terrible. I would have had to create a new account and copy the text from a whole 11 logs. :laughing: That's more than twice the number of logs the OP is complaining about. It's the end of the world!

 

Oh wait, no it isn't. 800+ finds since then with no plans to change my username again. :)

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Tellyawhat, mdccxxvii:

 

If it's too much of a "tremendous effort" for you to set up a new account and re-log your five finds, I'll do it for you.

 

Just this one time.

Not once a year, once a month, once a week, or once every third leap year when the sum of the dates that fall on Tuesdays add up to a prime number.

 

Let me know the username that you'd like to use, and if it's available, I'll open up a whole new account for you, log finds for the caches you already have on your existing account, and send you the password for it.

 

Then you won't have to worry about not being able to change your username, or going through an extrordinary effort to establish a new account, and you won't have to worry about posting here any more.

 

Deal?

Wow is that offer available for anyone?

In case it is I'd like my new user name to be:

Cross_dressing_hamster_lovin_moon_worshippin_gps_enabled_troglodyte

Assuming it hasn't been taken yet. :laughing:

Edited by Recdiver
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Wow is that offer available for anyone?

In case it is I'd like my new user name to be:

Cross_dressing_hamster_lovin_moon_worshippin_gps_enabled_troglodyte

Assuming it hasn't been taken yet. :laughing:

Nope - looks like someone already has that one registered. So sorry.

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To everyone who actually scrolled down this far...

 

The reason I created this string, was because a Groundspeak staff member recommended it.

 

I emailed Groundspeak, and they said, "put it as a forum topic", but of course with much better grammar.

 

No, I don't need anyone to create me an account, I can do that myself.

 

Changing display names is what I think will free up space on the database, (fewer accounts taking up space from people who have ditched names they don't like). The text display would be simple, because it would be sort of like an avatar, displayed in logs. A simple text display retrieved from the user's profile, with a link to the user's account.

 

If this doesn't happen... then Groundspeak should at least make a program that deletes unused account.

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To everyone who actually scrolled down this far...

 

The reason I created this string, was because a Groundspeak staff member recommended it.

 

I emailed Groundspeak, and they said, "put it as a forum topic", but of course with much better grammar.

 

No, I don't need anyone to create me an account, I can do that myself.

 

Changing display names is what I think will free up space on the database, (fewer accounts taking up space from people who have ditched names they don't like). The text display would be simple, because it would be sort of like an avatar, displayed in logs. A simple text display retrieved from the user's profile, with a link to the user's account.

 

If this doesn't happen... then Groundspeak should at least make a program that deletes unused account.

Allowing users to change names takes up more space in the DB, not less. Each name used takes up another memory location.

 

Now, allowing old user names to expire would reduce the storage requirements, but I don't think there are all that many out there that it would make a difference. unless, of course, you are talking about deleting accounts that had finds logged too. That would change the history of many, many cache pages. Those finds and notes aren't just deleted because the authors are inactive. They stay there for the record of what happened with the cache. I'm not in favor of deleting any of that history just because you think saving space is more important. How much does a hard drive cost these days? A dollar per gigabyte? The cost-benefit analysis comes up in favor of keeping those old names and whatever history went with them.

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I simply register all forums under the same name. Same one I've had for 8 years now. As far as deleting deliwuent threads....I think two months is WAY too short. Someone gets deployed, they may not be able to log in for a good 6 months. Or, the limited time they get online, would be spent emailing family, or IMing friends, etc, not necessarily surfing here. A year, at a minimum, would be my suggestion.

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I simply register all forums under the same name. Same one I've had for 8 years now. As far as deleting deliwuent threads....I think two months is WAY too short. Someone gets deployed, they may not be able to log in for a good 6 months. Or, the limited time they get online, would be spent emailing family, or IMing friends, etc, not necessarily surfing here. A year, at a minimum, would be my suggestion.

 

If they can IM/email their friends/family, they can ask someone to check up on their geocaching account once every two months...

 

Now, allowing old user names to expire would reduce the storage requirements, but I don't think there are all that many out there that it would make a difference. unless, of course, you are talking about deleting accounts that had finds logged too. That would change the history of many, many cache pages. Those finds and notes aren't just deleted because the authors are inactive. They stay there for the record of what happened with the cache. I'm not in favor of deleting any of that history just because you think saving space is more important. How much does a hard drive cost these days? A dollar per gigabyte? The cost-benefit analysis comes up in favor of keeping those old names and whatever history went with them.

 

Just don't delete the logs! It shouldn't be hard to make it so that logs become permanent fixtures on the cache site, when a user's account is deleted.

Edited by mdccxxvii
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Now, allowing old user names to expire would reduce the storage requirements, but I don't think there are all that many out there that it would make a difference. unless, of course, you are talking about deleting accounts that had finds logged too. That would change the history of many, many cache pages. Those finds and notes aren't just deleted because the authors are inactive. They stay there for the record of what happened with the cache. I'm not in favor of deleting any of that history just because you think saving space is more important. How much does a hard drive cost these days? A dollar per gigabyte? The cost-benefit analysis comes up in favor of keeping those old names and whatever history went with them.

 

Just don't delete the logs! It shouldn't be hard to make it so that logs become permanent fixtures on the cache site, when a user's account is deleted.

Shouldn't the record also show who wrote the logs? :laughing:

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Now, allowing old user names to expire would reduce the storage requirements, but I don't think there are all that many out there that it would make a difference. unless, of course, you are talking about deleting accounts that had finds logged too. That would change the history of many, many cache pages. Those finds and notes aren't just deleted because the authors are inactive. They stay there for the record of what happened with the cache. I'm not in favor of deleting any of that history just because you think saving space is more important. How much does a hard drive cost these days? A dollar per gigabyte? The cost-benefit analysis comes up in favor of keeping those old names and whatever history went with them.

 

Just don't delete the logs! It shouldn't be hard to make it so that logs become permanent fixtures on the cache site, when a user's account is deleted.

Shouldn't the record also show who wrote the logs? B)

I can see it now:

  • Some loser takes the name |\/|4573r L337
  • |\/|4573r L337 Post log to a cache: "Th1s cache t0tally 5ux!!!!! L4mest 0f the L4me My d0g p00p5 better caches than this!!!!"
  • |\/|4573r L337 gets bored, and stops caching.
  • Someone, mdccxxvii, lets say, decides that |\/|4573r L337 would be a great caching name (not unlikely, considering his first choice for a name). Since the name has "expired", its now available.
  • The new |\/|4573r L337 goes to a geocaching event, where then owner of the cache sees his name tag.
  • Owner of the cache slips out of the meeting, and keys |\/|4573r L337's car.

Sounds like a plan!

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