Full Name (First Last)

A couple of new members registered for accounts today, apparently missing the notices about using both a first and a last name in member accounts. I deleted those accounts and asked them to re-register.

Since then, I did some research and found a plugin, which I had to pay for, which would allow a member to change his or her username. If you are already using a first and a last name here, I am not encouraging you to change your name, and I am allowing only one name change.

I wanted to mention it because you may notice that option in your profile, and it is okay with me if you should choose to change your username at some point, as long as you continue to use a first name and a last name, which do not necessarily have to be your real name.

I set this option up for anyone else who might register under something other than a first and a last name, and I would like to apologize to those who have had to re-register under another account. Changing usernames is not an option provided by the forum software; this is something that I have had to add.

By the way, I am requesting the use of a first name and a last name so that conversations might flow more fluidly, as if we were real people rather than avatars.

 

If this will be your first name change, you can do that yourself, through your profile. When you go into your profile, under Settings, there will be a hyperlink to "Username Change." Click that, and you can change the name that you are using here.

 

No, we have not changed the policy of using first and last names in this forum. Not everyone reads the instructions before registering for an account, so people will be creating accounts using other naming schemes from time to time. When this occurs, I simply write them, explaining the policy, and asking them to change their member name in their profile. Until this is done, you will be seeing new members that are not using first and last names sometimes. But no, the policy remains.

 

I have deleted a few accounts today that did not use a First and a Last name, as specified. When someone registers for an account using another naming scheme, I send them a private message asking them to change their name to a First and Last name format. I then give them a couple of days, after which I delete their accounts. Just in case mentions that their account has disappeared, that would be the reason.

 

As most of you realize, since a few of you have been through it yourself, not everyone notices the statement on the registration page about using a First name and a Last name when creating an account here, so we'll have new members in the forum from time to time who are using handles. Barring unusual circumstances, I am in this forum several times a day, and usually have it open in a tab all day, so I normally notice it fairly quickly, particularly if they are participating in discussions. It's not a big deal, and it doesn't upset me; I will simply message them about the First, Last name rule, and direct them to their profile, where they can change their member name. Since most forums don't require this, and people who have registered with Xenforo forum before may not read everything on the registration page, I expect it to happen from time to time. Eventually, I'll add a plugin that will bring up a separate page that clearly defines this rule during the registration process. Until then, it's a fairly simple matter to change it.

Periodically, I'll look through the member list and sometimes find someone who has registered with something other than a First, Last name, but hasn't participated in forum discussions. I will send them a message as well but, if they haven't posted or acknowledged my message within a week, I delete their account. People do sometimes register for a forum, then never come back to it, so I don't fret about that.

Every new member is welcome here, and I am very pleased with the way that the forum has been going.

 

As a reminder, periodically I cull our member lists of anyone who is using a handle rather than a name. Member names do not have to be your actual name, but they should appear to be real names, with a first name and a last name at a minimum, with middle names or initials optional. I do send a message to that effect to anyone who registers with a handle, but if it hasn't been changed in a week or so, the account is subject to being deleted. If you registered with a handle, you can change it (one time) in your profile.

 

It's probably best not to reply to someone who is using anything other than an actual name, being at least a first name and a last name unless you know who they are or have reason to believe that they will be changing it to an actual name. Although they are always given the opportunity to change their member name, more than half of these accounts are deleted after a couple of weeks. No harm is done if you reply to them but, in some cases, your replies will be removed along with their posts, although I try not to have to do that. More often than not, I catch these accounts before they have posted to the forum, and some of them probably never intend to post in the forum, but not always. If you invite someone here, it might be a good idea to explain the name thing to them because some people tend to miss it on the registration page.

 

I am about to remove a few more accounts for using a handle rather than a name. Unfortunately, one of them changed her name from a real name to a handle. When this occurs, I leave them a message, then give them a week or so before deleting the accounts. If they have posted in the forum, I will change the name to something, so that their posts don't appear as if from a handle, and then ban the account, so that their threads will remain.

 

When you invite someone to join the forum, please let them know about the convention of using a first and a last name rather than a handle. Most forums don't do that and, although it does state that on the registration page, people seem to miss it sometimes. That's not a big deal because they can easily change it after they register for an account. When someone creates an account using a handle, I send them a private conversation, pointing it out and explaining how they can change their username in the forum. That normally does it but, for some reason, I have had a couple of people create an account using a handle, participate in discussions, yet ignore my request to change their username. When that happens, I send another couple of conversations through the administrative account. Some people create accounts then never come back, so I'll just delete those accounts if they are using a handle but when someone has participated in the forum, I don't like to do that. So that I don't have to delete their posts as well, I'll just make up a name for them and send an email to them with it but, the couple of times I've done that, they haven't returned to the forum. Probably the email ends up in their spam folder, and they can't log in the next time they come back because their username has been changed. I hate to lose people, so it's best if they know about it to begin with.