Can I change my login name? I hate the name but love that this account was made in 2005.

[Flinch Queso]

So ive had this account for a long time, sadly for some reason all my items and photos are gone. The account has been around since 2005 and i love that ppl can see that. I hate my login name and have hated it for a very long time. One of the many reasons why id like to change my name is because of players who would recognize me and id rather they dont know im playing anymore. Blocking them wont help my predicament. Im almost tempted to just make a new account but i want people to know how long ive been playing.

I was hoping i could get a csr to help me out, its not that hard to change usernames in other games especially if theres a really good reason, like internet stalking or abuse. The whole display name thing is a complete waste of time considering ur username is shown under ur display name, and if u turn that off all u have to do is mouse over me or look at my profile and theres my username. Do you guys think i could file a ticket to get it changed, ive played this game for so long and thousands of dollars worth of lindens in game and its all gone, and i have spent hundreds to buy lindens, and in turn have sold lindens for several hundred dollars myself.

[Silky Mesmeriser]

Short answer no you cant change your username, you can choose a new display name by using a v2.x viewer but that will not allow you to hide from your past in any way at least not if anyone choose to search you by your old name or looked at your username instead of your display name.

That said more important is to think about why you would need to hide from your past and what is so important that you would be willing to sacrifice all your work and investment to date.  Not knowing what you are trying to avoid it is hard to advise but in general terms defrending, muting and changing your display name should be sufficient if these individuals pose some kind of threat or are greifing you then you can always utilise the abuse report proceedure that is what it is there for.

On the other hand if you simply want people to know how long you have been playing then that is easy to acheive even with a new account, simply add a line to your profile stating that you have been an SL resident since <date> and felt like a fresh start, you would hardly be the first resident to have gone to that extreme.  Naturally in doing so you loose everything that you have invested in the current account over the last 7 years no doubt a considerable amount by this point.

The decision is yours but if I were you I would not be willing to give up 7 years of investment and effort in effect simply to hide from my own past after all the one who would lose the most by doing so would be myself not those I would be hiding from.

[Rolig Loon]

I don't care for the Display Name option myself, but this seems like just the sort of situation that they were made for.  Read all about it at http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Display-names/ta-p/700173 and see if you agree. You can't change your login username -- that's like trying to change your Social Security number in RL -- but you can hide it in normal use by adopting a Display Name. It will be what most people see in chat and on your overhead tag.

[baby1979]

DARK,ANGEL2823