Can we change names now?
I want to change to “Ancient Wisdom” if its not taken
I know there are some who want to change their forum names. I’m getting caught up with the forum now. When I’ve done so, I will resume checking to see if people are up-to-date with our name change policy first. When I think people are up to date with our name change policy, then I will open it up for changing names.
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Did you consider to open a regular account without moderator privileges to do the checking?
Perhaps. However, I still need to finish catch up.
I just saw your post.
I would enter a support ticket, and also tell them how many posts you are up to. Have you posted more than 1000 times?
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Hey @RVconsultant,
About name changes, anonymity and the name Anon_123.
I’ve noticed a number of users with a ‘anon_xxxx’ username while still participating actively in the forum.
That’s why I’d like to propose a change to our naming guidelines. While the desire for anonymity is understandable, that is exactly why we use nicknames instead of real names.
To maintain a functional community, members need to be identifiable.
From a practical standpoint, having multiple ‘anon’ accounts makes following a thread nearly impossible. It disrupts the flow of conversation when you can’t distinguish between participants at a glance. If someone wants to participate actively in this community, they should use a unique individual handle.
A community thrives on reputation. If someone gives great advice, I want to remember who they are. When everyone is ‘anon_123’, we lose the ability to build trust. You can’t tell if you’re talking to a long-time helpful member or a brand-new troll. Also, I want to be able to gauge the quality of the given advice.
Our forum already provides a great balance by allowing users to share detailed information on their profile or keep it private. However, when a user combines a generic ‘anon_xxxx’ name with a private profile, they essentially become a ghost. This creates a total lack of accountability. If we can’t see who a person is—even by their reputation or profile history—it fundamentally breaks the social contract of a functional forum.
Furthermore, we have an established obligation for members to list their past usernames on their user page. This is a vital tool for tracking a user’s history and ensuring long-term accountability. When a user switches to a generic ‘anon’ handle and then sets their profile to private, that list becomes inaccessible. This allows someone to effectively “reset” their reputation and hide their past conduct, which bypasses the very rules meant to keep our community transparent and honest.
Ultimately, there is a moral element to how we interact here. It feels fundamentally wrong for someone to want all the benefits of being part of a community without being decent enough to be identifiable. Participation is a two-way street; if you want to be heard and respected, you should at least provide a consistent identity for others to engage with.
Because of these points, I propose that we implement a rule requiring all members who want to actively participate in the forum to use a unique nickname.
Additionally, perhaps we could ensure that if a user page is set to private, the ‘Past Usernames’ list remains visible to maintain our standard of accountability.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this and if we can update the guidelines to reflect these community values.
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Fully agree! I know 1 or 2 permanently banned users, are using anon123 accounts with hidden profiles.
They might fool some people, but they are not fooling me.
Anon123 and private profile allows for bypassing forum rules and it breaks trust.
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Noticed this too
Would prefer actual usernames as well
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I will have to agree with this.
I get it if someone want to ’anonymize’ their account if they leave the forum- but having active members have these as aliases makes it hard for the rest of us. Two or three anon123 might be manageable, but when there are 10 or even more? That makes it hard to track.
It’s not like you can’t be anonymous here - thats why we use aliases. But the rule ”list all your previous names and aliases in your bio” emerged for a reason.
I mean, replying to an anon123, how will I know if I have had conversations with this person before? What can I expect this person to know, based on previous conversations? It’s like a wild card, and my (highly personal) opinion is that it’s a bit… mmh… disruptive.
Especially if we consider this down the line.
Edit: I just wanted to highlight this 
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