Is changing your online name bad for your reputation?
- Thread starter jdab
- Start date
I don't change mine due to it being hard for users to know who I am. I have hard time knowing who the people are when they change their names and sometimes I'll be talking to someone and think they are someone different, even when I know them. So, it can definitely hurt your trust due to people not knowing who you are.
If you do change your name it would help to include a line in your signature with your previous username. Something simple like "Previous username Flux" would ensure that people know who you are when they interact with you.
One thing I've seen on forums that's actually an excellent idea (some members do it here, I've seen) is that, if you used your old name for a long time, then switch to another username, you could have something in your signature like "Formerly known as Flux" or something like that so people know that it's still you posting. I've seen people doing it here after requesting a username change and I think it's quite clever. Like Chris, I too feel it confusing when people change their usernames, no matter how many posts they have, because I'm never sure if it's the same member as before or not. I mean, sure, there are ways of telling. For instance, if a person has been a member for quite a few years and their posting style hasn't altered too much (unless they were new to forums the first time and they didn't make good posts but have improved over the years) then it can be somewhat easy to tell if it's the same person or not. However, if it's a brand new member, and they request a username change, then it becomes next to impossible to tell if it's still them or not, simply because they're so new to the site. I would really recommend the former username listed in the signature if it's a brand new member more than anything. Yes, this can be helpful for any member, regardless of how long they've been on the forum, but I think it's more suitable for brand new members, especially if you're just barely getting to know them.
I don't feel like changing your online alias is bad for your reputation, unless you change your alias to a name that is already being used be someone who has a negative reputation on the internet. Then you have the problem with being mixed up with the person with the bad reputation, and that kind of effects your reputation as well. Also, a lot of people get annoyed by change, and simple changes like a change of username on a forum may not be welcomed by some people. Like others have said, if you are going to make a name change, you need to let people know by putting a note in your signature or something. 🙂
Dennis said:
The only reason I didn't do it this time is because I made an error when I reregistered here. What I wanted for my display name I had as my login name and I wanted it the other way around. I didn't have the old username for long so it didn't make sense for me to put my previous username in my signature. Not when it's a measly registeration error. Now if I felt like changing my alias because I felt it was time for a change, then I would put who I was before in my sig.
I don't think that it can really hurt you, luckily i love the username "JimmysNetwork" so i don't think i will ever change it. If i do ever change it i would use "Jimmy" so either way people would know who i am.
master412160
Seasoned Veteran
It does. And on VB there is this nice feature of username history. So for a forum with that it wouldn't hurt.
This is what I did when I changed from Spudster to Mr.Shy for A few months, I added in my signature Recently known as Spudster this won't be hard for users to remember since all they need todo is look at your signature.
I have changed back to Spudster since the recent username started to fell weird.
I have changed back to Spudster since the recent username started to fell weird.
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