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Importance of names

(11 Posts)
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BlueBelle Sun 02-Dec-18 08:12:29

Am I being unreasonable to expect HQ to be more caring about Usernames I feel it is very unfair to allow names that are so similar that they can be easily confused
I have recently taken part in a discussion thread where a poster is making very harsh posts about the originator I m not a particularly observant person and it took me a number of posts to realise this wasn’t who I thought it was but a different poster who simply had a 2 added to EXACTLY the same name
Now if you are reading through a longish thread and see Ilovethebeach2 is everyone going to be ponderous and observant enough to know this isn’t Ilovethebeach posting
( I hope there isn’t an Ilovethebeach poster )

Please HQ _ sort this out_ it really isn’t kind to have two very different posters with almost identical names and one letter or number is NOT enough because most people, realise or not, do skim read, and would only see the name as a whole not the added numeral

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kittylester Sun 02-Dec-18 08:16:26

I so agree with you BlueBelle!

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Marydoll Sun 02-Dec-18 08:20:19

I noticed that too Bluebelle.
What made me wonder, was I thought the tone of the post was so unlike the usual posts of the original user name.
Surely GN must have a system in place, most sites have, where similar names are rejected. confused.
I would be upset if it were me.

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sodapop Sun 02-Dec-18 08:26:18

Yes I agree too.

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grannyqueenie Sun 02-Dec-18 08:27:37

There are enough opportunities for posts to cause offence without name confusion adding to it. Come on Gransnet
sort it iut. Like you marydoll I’d be upset if it was me

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Auntieflo Sun 02-Dec-18 08:29:44

Another thumbs up for BlueBelle’s suggestion. Great idea and long overdue.

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janeainsworth Sun 02-Dec-18 08:42:35

?

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CariGransnet (GNHQ) Sun 02-Dec-18 08:51:34

We will look at this, but unfortunately the system can only reject identical names automatically and, as far as I'm aware, there isn't anything we can add to it to alert us when things are similar.

We will speak to tech but if you do spot a new name that may cause confusion, do let us know asap - once someone has posted multiple times rather than just once or twice they may be less inclined to change.

From previous investigation it does seem to be coincidence rather than anything more sinister. Those who have joined us later may have had the experience of putting in a username and finding it's been taken (not as surprising as it might seem...'unique' nicknames often seem to be not as unique as we might think across the board, not just on GN or other websites) Hence people trying to think of a quick tweak so they can get on with posting.

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Marydoll Sun 02-Dec-18 08:56:11

Thanks Cari for your quick response. ?

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BlueBelle Sun 02-Dec-18 09:15:07

Cari thanks for your prompt reply As an admin and not the only admin if the system itself (and it must be a very antiquated system) can’t notice such close similarities surely admin can very politely ask the poster to change before it even becomes a problem After all it’s not an every day occurance it happens occasionally Regular posters can help and alert you to any very close similarities Surely that is doable you ask us to help by reporting adverts or trolls may we add this ?

I would be totally mortified if someone posted vitriolic views in my (almost) name and I firmly believe something needs to be done ASAP
I don’t for a second think it’s done on purpose that never entered my head but it is a BIG problem if it does happen and the second person to choose the name should be politely but firmly asked to change it
Thank you

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M0nica Sun 02-Dec-18 10:32:10

I cannot see that the computer cannot be programmed to pass to admin, any name that has all the same letters but different numbers, or only 2 letters different.

I absolutely agree with Bluebelle

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