Why do we have the facility to change user name

[Oneeyedvic]

It seems fairly obvious (to me at least) that some people have changed their names fairly maliciously. What is the point in having a facility to change names? I know that all the questions / answers that have been posted are also changed, but really is there any need?

 

Yes some people do change them for 'ease' - FP for example, but the vast majority of people seem to do it for mischief. If you took this facility away, would it also stop people's user names 'getting hijacked' (if that still happens)

 

And by the way - I think this is a lovely site - just like in real life there are morons about, but the vast majority of things are fun. i am only sorry that I can no longer use it at work (ruddy boses making you work - outrageous)

 

Keep up the good work Eds!

[smudge]

Oneeyedvic - Quite some time back when I was being hounded by a psycho on here, AB Ed suggested it might be best if I change my username, but as I had done nothing wrong, I couldn't see why I should, so I didn't. This person soon got the message from other users to 'back off' & after the AB Ed intervening he/she was finally banned. This person is back however, but AB Ed reassures us that he/she is keeping a close eye on him/her. 

 

As for FP - I would imagine the only reason she changed her username, is because most users, including myself, used to refer to her as FP for short - hence the shortened version of her original name. There would be no other reason for her to change it, as she has always offered sensible, sound advice - apart from not liking bananas! lol.

[Hgrove]

Oneeyedvic, when I first joined I was quite naive - I used my real first name which has a very unusual spelling and also, now and again, gave innocent hints about myself - where I live, where I'm from, what I do etc.  Then there was an episode in which a user claimed to have identified another user's address, and began to make threats about visiting the house with her "friends" etc.   I was not involved but I became a little concerned as I realised hardly anybody else uses their real name here.  So for me, being able to change my user name was a lifesaver.  By the way I regard everything I have written as being in the public domain already - the Ed. is free to delete if he deems it appropriate, but actually, everybody who has been using the AB for a while will remember it.

[FP]

If someone is threatened on AB then I feel that the culprit should be banned completely.  Surely it is possible to ban the email address.  Unfortunately, however, people can always use another email address, although at least these days you cannot join AB until your email address has been checked out.  You will always get problems like this on any site, but I feel a grave mistake has been made by the editors by trying to cover up what has happened in the incident HGrove mentions.    

[willowherb]

i changed my name from mullein because i wiped my computer clean by accident and i was wiped out of the answer bank when i came to put my name back in they allready had a mullein registered so i couldnt do it,,also i dont know a great deal about computers i was totally at a loss ..what i did ,,so i had to change my name to willowherb their is no other reason why i changed my name ..i liked mullein a lot better,,but their you go..i couldnt even post an answer in the it section to get help to sort it out..it makes me sound like a dizzy blonde..i also wiped my husbands stuff off the computer  ..so i wasnt very popular..anyway thats the reason why my name has changed,,i cant even remember the password i had as mullein so i had no chance of restoring it...