From now until 3/20/2021, you have the option to change your DU username

[EarlG]

This discussion thread was locked by EarlG (a host of the Announcements group).

Hi everyone,

At the end of George W. Bush's presidency back in 2009, we introduced a name change amnesty so that DUers who had selected Bush-themed usernames could get rid of them. Now that Donald Trump is out of the picture, we're offering the opportunity again.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• This is completely optional. If you don't want to change your username, you don't have to.


• You don't have to have a Trump-themed username to participate. Anyone who wishes to change their username may do so.


• The process is permanent. If you opt to change your username, there are no do-overs. You will be stuck with the new username until we offer another name change amnesty, which could be years in the future. So choose wisely -- and check your spelling.


• The change will not affect your previous posts. Your username will ONLY change on posts you make going forward. It will not change on posts you have made in the past.


• You will be given a temporary signature line. For 30 days after you change your username, a signature line will appear at the bottom of all of your posts which reads, "This is the DU member formerly known as [username]." If you are already using a signature line, it will not be affected. The temporary signature line will appear below it.


• The name change will be noted on your profile. For 30 days after you change your username, your profile will contain a notification which reads, "This is the DU member formerly known as [username]."

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR USERNAME

• Click the "My Profile" link at the top right of any page to go to your Profile page.


• At the top of your Profile page, you will see a yellow box which says. "From February 20, 2021 to March 20, 2021, we are offering all DU members the option to change their username. If you are interested in changing your username, please click here."


• Clicking the link will take you to a page where you can enter your new username. You will get an opportunity to confirm your decision before the process is complete.

Thanks for reading!

-- EarlG and Elad

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Dear EarlG and Elad! Thank you for doing this. I suspect many will do this.

I will remain CaliforniaPeggy.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

21. CaliforniaPeggy, even if you change your user name, ...

... the system remembers the count of f-bombs you've dropped.

Just saying.



Signed,
JustABozoOnThisBus, formerly known as JustABozoOnThisBus.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

26. I'm sure that's true! Even *I* have forgotten how many! ♥

[Butterflylady]

35. You are definitely my kind of person.

[Skittles]

61. she constantly moons us too

that's another giveaway

[Unca Jim]

54. But will you diminish, and go to the West?

Sorry, had to make the Tolkien joke...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

56. Ah, no worries! I loved the Tolkien books.

I'm not sure how it fits with me and my username, actually.

[Aristus]

2. I'm not going to be changing mine.

But I think it's great that you're offering the option.

[cilla4progress]

7. Hey!

I tried to give you Valentine's hearts but I never found you in the time window!

So here's a couple leftovers now, anyway!!

❤❤ 😆

[Aristus]

11. Aww! Thank you!

That was sweet...

[NurseJackie]

3. Good news!

I'm still trying to decide if I should go from "NurseJackie" to "Nurse_Jackie" or "Nurse-Jackie" ...

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

22. I'm thinking of changing from JustABozoOnThisBus to ZozosMom.

... thinking.

[NurseJackie]

27. That's a sweet name.

[cwydro]

4. I love the "check your spelling" admonition. That hits home.

I’ve been stuck with my name having misspelled it when I joined.

I think there’s been a name change since then, but I never did so.

Maybe I will this time. Maybe not.

But thanks for the opportunity at any rate!

[ornotna]

10. Was it supposed to be Mxyzptlk?

[cwydro]

12. How did you guess?

[ornotna]

15. Even a blind hog will find an acorn now and then

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

23. And I thought "cwydro" was from the original Welsh. nt

[MontanaMama]

25. Are you changing your name now?

I enjoy your posts and don’t want to lose track of you.

[Emrys]

47. crwydro?

"to wander" - https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crwydro

[llmart]

5. I am glad you explained why DU does this.

I always had the impression that the reasons were more like a witness protection program so that we are not always reminded of the posts that we may have made that we regret, or as in my case, all the posts during the trump fiasco where I used profanity that would make a sailor blush.

[left-of-center2012]

6. Thank you for offering this.

I was attacked on DU so many times during the 2020 primaries for my current 'name'.
When I originally chose it, I thought it'd be a good fit here.

[PatrickforB]

45. That's weird. As Dems, I think we are all a bit left of center...

With a couple of possible exceptions.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. I was amazed mine was available

apparently there was a rural rock concert in the UK decades ago known colloquially as the bucolic frolic.

See, I'm not very original.

[muriel_volestrangler]

43. I grew up about 5 miles from it

Although it was in the grounds of a stately home (Knebworth House), that had been, after World War Two, on the edge of Stevenage, a "New Town" built for London overflow/rehousing from wartime damage.

[bucolic_frolic]

48. Well, thanks for the enlightenment

All I recall is someone calling it a rural concert, and I picked up on the rhyme of the words. Apparently, from Wikipedia, there have been many concerts and the manor is frequently used for films. I doubt most Americans would call it a mere 'English country house' as Wiki article does.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knebworth_House

[muriel_volestrangler]

50. Well, as Wikipedia says 'In England, the terms "country house" and "stately home" are sometimes used

...vaguely and interchangeably'.

The one I remember was 1976, 2 years after the "Bucolic Frolic" - The Rolling Stones headlined, and my elder brother was old enough to go - our living room floor had a lot of his friends and family that weekend!

[bucolic_frolic]

52. Wow, what a history! That might prompt a tell all book in the US. /nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

55. Oh no, I don't mean anyone famous stayed - just saying that it was *the* festival that summer

so living within handy parent-driving distance meant lots of people just at the age when their parents would say "OK, you can go" then found our house handy for staying before/after (my brother was at a boarding school, so no one else was as local to Knebworth). And I can remember the town heaving with people going to it - 120,000 went.

[underpants]

9. Vicky

[mountain grammy]

17. hahaha

[underpants]

19. Very obscure reference

But I love that movie and of course Hartman.

[vercetti2021]

13. Hmm

I love my name but...its hard not to change it to Dashie...

[Wawannabe]

68. I was thinking

O. R. E. O.

[vercetti2021]

70. Hahaha

Don't tempt me. OREO TransGirl

[mokawanis]

14. I wanted to change mine to "EarlG"

but apparently that one's taken. Now I have to come up with some other name.

[Ilsa]

29. EarlGee. nt

[Wawannabe]

69. Gee_Earl nt

[katmondoo]

16. I like my name. I also like my birth name and still use it.

[BadGimp]

18. Thank you Earl!

[Glorfindel]

20. I'm going to stick with "Glorfindel"

I changed it once from "Gildor Inglorion," so I think I'll just hold steady this time. I know there are several people eager to change their user names, though, so thanks for giving them the opportunity.

[Sapient Donkey]

24. Was it really 12 years ago when that happened last?

I remember changing my name to something I thought was witty, but it really lost its effect & novelty after the couple weeks. After that I just had a stupid name. I don't think I'll do that again.

But damn, crazy to think that was 12 years ago.

[ismnotwasm]

28. I like my name

It’s versatile 🥰

[BobTheSubgenius]

30. A well thought out widget!

Thanks, EarlG and Elad!

[NurseJackie]

31. Will this have any effect on my "Ignore List" or my "Jury Block List"?

[EarlG]

42. Good question

Those features are based on user ID numbers, not username, so it shouldn't affect your lists.

I just tested it and if you add someone who has changed their name to your Ignore List, it shows the new username. I'm not sure what happens if someone who is already on your list changes their username. I'm guessing it will just show the new username.

[WheelWalker]

58. Is it permitted to use an apostrophe? (e.g., Beginner's Mind)

[PatrickforB]

37. LOL, oh don't name yourself Porn Stallion!

Still chuckling...

[SleeplessinSoCal]

33. Sadly my username knows no boundaries.

[Pepsidog]

34. I was a long time lurker on DU then realized I could create an account. As for my name, I was

petting my dog “Pepsi” so without much thought I selected “pepsidog”.

[PatrickforB]

36. Thank you Earl. PatrickforO was getting a bit dated, because

the O stood for Obama.

And while O was a great president, Biden will be as well. So PatrickforB it is!

[Renew Deal]

41. Also, you can tell people it's for Barack when you feel like it.

[PatrickforB]

44. I like it!

[BumRushDaShow]

53. I'm glad I checked in here

because I would have lost you!

[PatrickforB]

59. Me too!

[kairos12]

38. Changing mine. Thanks a bunch.

[Joe Nation]

39. I already have the best name.

[Renew Deal]

40. Can I become alsomadinmaryland?

[soldierant]

46. I remember choosing mine

because I was deeply pissed that the GOP (as it was then, before it moved all the way to the QOP) had misappropriated the fable of the ant and the grasshopper to, among other things, denigrate the arts. (There's no such thing as a marine ant, but the profile pic took care of that omission.) Virtually everywhere else that I post I go by "underwriter505" and will seriously consider changing it for consistency. But I'm leaning to not doing so. I'll think about it.

[meow2u3]

49. I'm sticking my my user name

because meow2u3 fits me purrfectly.

[Captain Zero]

51. Where?

Sorry. I've been reading reddit too much.

[GreenEyedLefty]

57. Glad I didn't pick BrownHairedLefty in 2006

My hair has grayed considerably since then.

Thanks for offering this, but I remain a green eyed lefty (left handed and left leaning).

[Unwind Your Mind]

60. Thank you!

I’ve been wanting to change mine, I don’t know how I missed it last time

[a la izquierda]

62. I'm going to change mine

New stage in my life, sooo... it’s time

[cwydro]

63. I have a question about searching members' names.

Last edited Sun Feb 21, 2021, 11:16 AM - Edit history (1)

If I search an old name, will it take me to the new name of that member?

[EarlG]

64. It depends

If you put the old username into the "Find Member" function on your My Inbox page, it will not return any results. But if you use the Advanced Search function to search for posts by the old username, you will get results.

[cwydro]

66. Thanks!

[SmartVoter22]

65. Thanks for the option of name change

I like this idea and ho[e that it may be a permanent offer. I suggest one should be offered to change name, for privacy reasons, say once every quarter, or 4 times per year.

This would limit the daily name changers, as would be spammers and nefarious characters; but allows others who may want to update a name to something more topical to their own lives. I've changed min when I got cancer, twice...so two name changes, I changed names when I subscribed to some other social media, so I can keep track of my accounts.

But, I want to thank you for taking the time to consider this option and provide all the DU users with that choice.

I enjoy DU more than any other posting website; Twitter, etc as the members are live people who are engaged in in-depth discourse and are always open to reason instead of name calling which is how conservative America seems to communicate.

Again thank you.

[Peacetrain]

67. It will be 13 years in April that I have had this moniker..

think I will keep it for at least another 12 If I am still with you in this life.. I might take on a new persona

[Bucky]

71. Is the username "CRUZFAN2024" already taken?

[AwakeAtLast]

72. Asking for a friend

Right?

[gollygee]

73. I changed my name during one of these amnesty periods

I was something like MichiganDem or MichiganDemocrat or whatever, but there were a lot of people with similar usernames, so I chose something else. I sometimes regret my choice, but I couldn't think of anything, and at least it is original. It's nice to give people a choice to get rid of a username they don't like or is no longer relevant every so often.

[IrishEyes]

75. No change for me. I love my username.

I'm still very Irish and smiling more than ever since Biden/Harris were elected. I think it is great that you are giving people this option.

[RandomNumbers]

76. Thank you.

Finally corrected a 15 1/2 year mistake.



( I was gonna fix it on a previous amnesty but dithered over what to change it to, and time expired. Doh! Glad I caught this one.)