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  3. Your Display Names and the Challenge Of 10 Million Members

Your Display Names and the Challenge Of 10 Million Members

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  • P PIEBALDconsult

    But some legends, like Luc, who haven't contributed lately shouldn't be affected.

    Richard DeemingR Online
    Richard DeemingR Online
    Richard Deeming
    wrote on last edited by
    #8

    Maybe some sort of sliding scale: if you have less than 1K rep points, your account is retired after 18 months of inactivity; 10K for five years; 100K for 10 years; etc. Of course, that means Griff's account would still be alive and kicking at the heat-death of the universe. :)


    "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

    "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

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    • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

      I'd be inclined to restrict all display names to plain text. Are there any good examples of HTML display names? Letting users choose and use display names which are already in use could easily cause confusion. Imagine how many spam posts we'll get from "Chris Maunder"! Even without the radioactive Bob icon on the post, we might still fall for it. You could try adding a counter or member ID after the name, but after a couple of pages of arguments between "Chris Maunder 3276412" and "Chris Maunder 3267412", would anyone be able to keep track?


      "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

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      Albert Holguin
      wrote on last edited by
      #9

      Richard Deeming wrote:

      Imagine how many spam posts we'll get from "Chris Maunder"!

      We'll just ban that guy... nobody likes him anyway... ;P :laugh:

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      • C Christopher Duncan

        Sounds like a recipe for impersonation.

        Christopher Duncan Author of Unite the Tribes: Leadership Skills for Technology Managers Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living with Your Creativity The Career Programmer

        RaviBeeR Offline
        RaviBeeR Offline
        RaviBee
        wrote on last edited by
        #10

        I agree. /ravi

        My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

        1 Reply Last reply
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        • C Chris Maunder

          For new members it's hard to get a display name that's your actual name. Almost impossible. However, we have tons of members who really don't care if their name is the same as someone else's name. I was thinking that it could be interesting to open up Display Names so that you can choose whatever name you want, even if it's been taken by someone else, with a small cavet: If you haven't contributed a message or article, question or answer, your display name is plain text and it will be displayed in gray. Each time you contribute, or each time you change your name, your name is checked against the list and if you're account is the only account with that name that has made a contribution then your name is yours and is unlocked to accept HTML, and will (by default) be displayed in a dark font. Thoughts?

          P Offline
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          Pablo Aliskevicius
          wrote on last edited by
          #11

          I've never, ever found that problem. Apparently, nobody shares my combination of first name and last name. Not only in Codeproject, but nowhere. Just sharing... ;)

          Pablo. "Accident: An inevitable occurrence due to the action of immutable natural laws." (Ambrose Bierce, circa 1899). "You are to act in the light of experience as guided by intelligence" (Rex Stout, "In the Best Families", 1950).

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          • C Chris Maunder

            For new members it's hard to get a display name that's your actual name. Almost impossible. However, we have tons of members who really don't care if their name is the same as someone else's name. I was thinking that it could be interesting to open up Display Names so that you can choose whatever name you want, even if it's been taken by someone else, with a small cavet: If you haven't contributed a message or article, question or answer, your display name is plain text and it will be displayed in gray. Each time you contribute, or each time you change your name, your name is checked against the list and if you're account is the only account with that name that has made a contribution then your name is yours and is unlocked to accept HTML, and will (by default) be displayed in a dark font. Thoughts?

            RaviBeeR Offline
            RaviBeeR Offline
            RaviBee
            wrote on last edited by
            #12

            I request you to reconsider allowing someone to create a handle that's already in use.  At best it can cause confusion, at worst it's a recipe for impersonation (to quote Christopher Duncan). Thanks, /ravi

            My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

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            • C Christopher Duncan

              Sounds like a recipe for impersonation.

              Christopher Duncan Author of Unite the Tribes: Leadership Skills for Technology Managers Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living with Your Creativity The Career Programmer

              J Offline
              J Offline
              jeron1
              wrote on last edited by
              #13

              Christopher Duncan wrote:

              Sounds like a recipe for impersonation.

              Another outburst like that and I'll ban you! just kidding. not the real Chris Maunder

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              • J jeron1

                Christopher Duncan wrote:

                Sounds like a recipe for impersonation.

                Another outburst like that and I'll ban you! just kidding. not the real Chris Maunder

                C Offline
                C Offline
                Christopher Duncan
                wrote on last edited by
                #14

                The last time I screwed with you, my picture was hardwired to that of a small, hairless canine no matter how many times I changed it. I'll behave. :-D

                Christopher Duncan Author of Unite the Tribes: Leadership Skills for Technology Managers Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living with Your Creativity The Career Programmer

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                • C Chris Maunder

                  For new members it's hard to get a display name that's your actual name. Almost impossible. However, we have tons of members who really don't care if their name is the same as someone else's name. I was thinking that it could be interesting to open up Display Names so that you can choose whatever name you want, even if it's been taken by someone else, with a small cavet: If you haven't contributed a message or article, question or answer, your display name is plain text and it will be displayed in gray. Each time you contribute, or each time you change your name, your name is checked against the list and if you're account is the only account with that name that has made a contribution then your name is yours and is unlocked to accept HTML, and will (by default) be displayed in a dark font. Thoughts?

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                  M Offline
                  Marco Bertschi
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #15

                  I'd say that it would be a better idea to allow this feature only if the member has identified himself. E.g. CP could send a letter containing a code to enter in order to verify a users identity, and only verified users would be able to have a double display name. Of course the verification would cost the user a bit, let's say 30$ should be sufficient to pay the administration cost and the postal service to deliver the letter pretty much anywhere in the world.

                  Veni, vidi, caecus

                  enhzflepE 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • RaviBeeR RaviBee

                    I request you to reconsider allowing someone to create a handle that's already in use.  At best it can cause confusion, at worst it's a recipe for impersonation (to quote Christopher Duncan). Thanks, /ravi

                    My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

                    C Offline
                    C Offline
                    Christopher Duncan
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #16

                    See? The impersonation has started already! :-D

                    Christopher Duncan Author of Unite the Tribes: Leadership Skills for Technology Managers Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living with Your Creativity The Career Programmer

                    RaviBeeR J 2 Replies Last reply
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                    • C Christopher Duncan

                      See? The impersonation has started already! :-D

                      Christopher Duncan Author of Unite the Tribes: Leadership Skills for Technology Managers Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living with Your Creativity The Career Programmer

                      RaviBeeR Offline
                      RaviBeeR Offline
                      RaviBee
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #17

                      Hey, that wasn't me who posted! ;P /ravi

                      My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

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                      • C Chris Maunder

                        For new members it's hard to get a display name that's your actual name. Almost impossible. However, we have tons of members who really don't care if their name is the same as someone else's name. I was thinking that it could be interesting to open up Display Names so that you can choose whatever name you want, even if it's been taken by someone else, with a small cavet: If you haven't contributed a message or article, question or answer, your display name is plain text and it will be displayed in gray. Each time you contribute, or each time you change your name, your name is checked against the list and if you're account is the only account with that name that has made a contribution then your name is yours and is unlocked to accept HTML, and will (by default) be displayed in a dark font. Thoughts?

                        L Offline
                        L Offline
                        Lost User
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #18

                        I think it would be wiser to leave things as they are and let people come up with their own particular solutions for this thorny issue. Perhaps a schema like the one for kings and popes would suffice. Say, Chris III (the third) or William H.G. Whatever-Number-th ("HG" not to be confused with Mr. Mercury, that's another gay guy). Or we could start calling ourselves by our registration number in the site: I'm Member #1138974, nice to meet you. ;P Anyway, otherwise you could fall in the trap of trying to authenticate everyone's identity with driver's licenses, passports and whatnot. That would be interesting. BTW, if you see someone else that goes by my name, notify me ASAP: I'm the original (swear to God - although I'm an atheist). :doh:

                        Anything that could possibly go wrong in some moment, will definitely go wrong in the worst possible moment...
                        In the worst way that could be possible!

                        –Finagle's corollary to Murphy's Law (paraphrased).

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

                          I'd be inclined to restrict all display names to plain text. Are there any good examples of HTML display names? Letting users choose and use display names which are already in use could easily cause confusion. Imagine how many spam posts we'll get from "Chris Maunder"! Even without the radioactive Bob icon on the post, we might still fall for it. You could try adding a counter or member ID after the name, but after a couple of pages of arguments between "Chris Maunder 3276412" and "Chris Maunder 3267412", would anyone be able to keep track?


                          "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                          C Offline
                          C Offline
                          Chris Maunder
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #19

                          Richard Deeming wrote:

                          Imagine how many spam posts we'll get from "Chris Maunder"!

                          That's the point though: to make anything posted by the not-real-me to be clearly from not me.

                          Richard DeemingR 1 Reply Last reply
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                          • B BobJanova

                            I think it makes more sense to 'retire' accounts that haven't been active at all for (say) 3 years. That way you free up display names of people who really aren't here, without getting into a position of allowing clashes of active members, or silly games (for example imagine Griff decided he wanted to troll me, he could set his name to mine and he would get priority as he's made more contributions lately).

                            C Offline
                            C Offline
                            Chris Maunder
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #20

                            BobJanova wrote:

                            I think it makes more sense to 'retire' accounts that haven't been active at all for (say) 3 years

                            If that person has posted an article, regardless of how old it is (OK, maybe a decade is a good cutoff) they should still have the right to "their" name.

                            K 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • C Christopher Duncan

                              See? The impersonation has started already! :-D

                              Christopher Duncan Author of Unite the Tribes: Leadership Skills for Technology Managers Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living with Your Creativity The Career Programmer

                              J Offline
                              J Offline
                              jeron1
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #21

                              It was me. ;) Had you going for a moment though!

                              C 1 Reply Last reply
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                              • RaviBeeR RaviBee

                                I request you to reconsider allowing someone to create a handle that's already in use.  At best it can cause confusion, at worst it's a recipe for impersonation (to quote Christopher Duncan). Thanks, /ravi

                                My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

                                C Offline
                                C Offline
                                Chris Maunder
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #22

                                I get it can cause problems, but I'm looking for some creative solutions. If this is a problem too hard for our collective intelligence, so be it. But I think it's not.

                                RaviBeeR M 2 Replies Last reply
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                                • C Chris Maunder

                                  For new members it's hard to get a display name that's your actual name. Almost impossible. However, we have tons of members who really don't care if their name is the same as someone else's name. I was thinking that it could be interesting to open up Display Names so that you can choose whatever name you want, even if it's been taken by someone else, with a small cavet: If you haven't contributed a message or article, question or answer, your display name is plain text and it will be displayed in gray. Each time you contribute, or each time you change your name, your name is checked against the list and if you're account is the only account with that name that has made a contribution then your name is yours and is unlocked to accept HTML, and will (by default) be displayed in a dark font. Thoughts?

                                  L Offline
                                  L Offline
                                  Lost User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #23

                                  So are you filtering zero-width spaces yet?

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • C Chris Maunder

                                    For new members it's hard to get a display name that's your actual name. Almost impossible. However, we have tons of members who really don't care if their name is the same as someone else's name. I was thinking that it could be interesting to open up Display Names so that you can choose whatever name you want, even if it's been taken by someone else, with a small cavet: If you haven't contributed a message or article, question or answer, your display name is plain text and it will be displayed in gray. Each time you contribute, or each time you change your name, your name is checked against the list and if you're account is the only account with that name that has made a contribution then your name is yours and is unlocked to accept HTML, and will (by default) be displayed in a dark font. Thoughts?

                                    D Offline
                                    D Offline
                                    devenv exe
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #24

                                    Chris Maunder wrote:

                                    If you haven't contributed a message or article, question or answer, your display name is plain text and it will be displayed in gray.

                                    Chris, clearly you don't understand what gray is associated with on CP. May be a nother color but not gray. Thanks.

                                    "Coming soon"

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                                    • J jeron1

                                      It was me. ;) Had you going for a moment though!

                                      C Offline
                                      C Offline
                                      Christopher Duncan
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #25

                                      D'oh! :doh:

                                      Christopher Duncan Author of Unite the Tribes: Leadership Skills for Technology Managers Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living with Your Creativity The Career Programmer

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • C Chris Maunder

                                        For new members it's hard to get a display name that's your actual name. Almost impossible. However, we have tons of members who really don't care if their name is the same as someone else's name. I was thinking that it could be interesting to open up Display Names so that you can choose whatever name you want, even if it's been taken by someone else, with a small cavet: If you haven't contributed a message or article, question or answer, your display name is plain text and it will be displayed in gray. Each time you contribute, or each time you change your name, your name is checked against the list and if you're account is the only account with that name that has made a contribution then your name is yours and is unlocked to accept HTML, and will (by default) be displayed in a dark font. Thoughts?

                                        T Offline
                                        T Offline
                                        thatraja
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #26

                                        Please don't wake up those contracting-guys[^]

                                        thatraja

                                        Code converters | Education Needed No thanks, I am all stocked up. - Luc Pattyn When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is - Henry Minute

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • C Chris Maunder

                                          For new members it's hard to get a display name that's your actual name. Almost impossible. However, we have tons of members who really don't care if their name is the same as someone else's name. I was thinking that it could be interesting to open up Display Names so that you can choose whatever name you want, even if it's been taken by someone else, with a small cavet: If you haven't contributed a message or article, question or answer, your display name is plain text and it will be displayed in gray. Each time you contribute, or each time you change your name, your name is checked against the list and if you're account is the only account with that name that has made a contribution then your name is yours and is unlocked to accept HTML, and will (by default) be displayed in a dark font. Thoughts?

                                          N Offline
                                          N Offline
                                          Nemanja Trifunovic
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #27

                                          Sure. I bet there are thousands of people that have the same name as me and are frustrated that can't get a CP account :-D

                                          utf8-cpp

                                          OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
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