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Marcus Hancroft
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I know I'm gonna get flamed for this, but I just can't take it any longer!

The avatar names that noobs are selecting now are getting more and more ridiculous!  I saw a dude the other day with a name that was just a string of numbers!  It started with 046XXXXXX.  How do you even address someone with a name like that?  "Howdy, Zero Four Six!"  There's another person below this thread with 1RXXX as a name.  Again...same question.  

I have never seen anybody out in the real world named as a string of numbers and letters like that.  

I know it's because the sign up system is terrible and they don't tell noobs that that string of numbers is gonna be hovering above their heads forever more.  But, if it were ME and the 1st time I logged in and saw that my name was the string of numbers and most everybody else had a REAL name, I would log out and start again.  

When I see people with those ridiculous "names" I just want to yell out to them;  "Go get a REAL name will ya!"

Of course I am all for them bringing back last names.  But, we know now that it will never happen.  

Noobs need to know that they can likely get a name in this format:  FirstnameLastname.  No spaces.

 

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Yeah, but I consider those display names "play names" or "aliases."  And so have them turned off.  They mean nothing to me and I don't want to see them.  So, off they went a LONG time ago.  They are a poor option what with all the ascii characters so many people seem to want to use.  X-P  Ugh.

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A displayname is not really an option, cause onyl the avatars real name get used to mark everything they own or created. Imagine one of the noobs want to open a store.....it will lead to poor customer service, cause nobody is able to find them quickly in search.

It simply has a strange feeling with those names. Also I didn't think its impossible to get a decent name. In many games with thousands of other userers and even more avatars it was never such a huge problem to find a name. The players there are used to come up with a new name, cause often numbers aren't allowed in names there.

It looks like less effort to pick a line of numbers or random letters. A name is one part of the first impression others will have from someone.

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There's nothing bad you can say about the current situation with user names that hasn't already been said dozens of times.  How smart people could come up with something this bad is a mystery to me.  People are still regularly adding comments to the jira about bringing back last names.

I have never heard of a resident who liked user names.

That said, I agree with the other poster about display names.  I usually keep display names on and usernames off, and it works fine.  Whiles some display names are unpronounceable, so are, as you pointed out, some user names.  

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Marcus Hancroft wrote:

But, if it were ME and the 1st time I logged in and saw that my name was the string of numbers and most everybody else had a REAL name, I would log out and start again.

 

Yep. And I'd wager a good number of folks do just that, though I don't know how many hit the 'start again' part...

 

 

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As a noob here...

I sort of agree about the characters only usernames.  I picked a screen name not realizing (in noobish fashion) that would be what others saw but at least it was real words. I thought I'd get to choose a real name for my Avi for some reason.

So I changed my display name to a more appropriate one "Sophie Velociraptor"

I think display names are sort of a given on this end.  I don't see THAT many that are unintelligible. ASCII is annoying but it's not that bad.

So I answer to both Sophie and ominous knowing that some people see one thing or the other.  What really irks me is that emoting in local shows my rightful display name but in IM it only uses my username.  That's so weird to me.

 

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That's why I'm glad they added the Display Name function, because if a user had a really awkward name, such as 182Silver1192 Resident or xXxSilverxXx Resident, they could easily change it to something simple, without the need of using special characters or numeric symbols, where they could just have a simple name instead of a username that you'd expect to find on an MMORPG.

Honestly, it doesn't really bother me, and I just address whomever has a messed up name with whatever I can make out from it, such as if someone is called 211MYSSST1ka1102, I would just say "Hey, Mystika."

Although, it does also get fairly annoying whenever you walk around and see people with stars and special characters in their display name, if those characters are specific for their nationality or language.

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Marcus Hancroft wrote:

Yeah, but I consider those display names "play names" or "aliases."  And so have them turned off.  They mean nothing to me and I don't want to see them.  So, off they went a LONG time ago.  They are a poor option what with all the ascii characters so many people seem to want to use.  X-P  Ugh.

That's your own self made problem then. :)

The display name is the name the other avatar has choosen to use and so I use it.

If the display name is not readable or something I don't want to use and the username isn't better then I use my imagination. It's fun. :)

047xxx is therefore: zero

A very good name for someone who isn't even able to give themself a name.

If they don't like that name I don't care.  ;)

So I don't see any problems anymore but if someone would ask me (which will not happen) then I'd wish to have the old name system back.

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I never did get why LL thought the addtionof display names meant that last names were no longer needed .

The orginal last name sytem must have been implimented for some reason, likely all the same reasons everyone complains now. I don't get why making up your own last name rather then choosing from a list(like it use to be) was not done.

.

My suggestion, if i could talk to newbs before they made there names would be to do like the following example.

- User Name: johnsmith

- Display Name: John Smith

With something obviously more  unique then "John Smith" tho.

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Hypatia Meili wrote:

I never did get why LL thought the addtionof display names meant that last names were no longer needed .

The orginal last name sytem must have been implimented for some reason, likely all the same reasons everyone complains now. I don't get why making up your own last name rather then choosing from a list(like it use to be) was not done.

.

My suggestion, if i could talk to newbs before they made there names would be to do like the following example.

- User Name: johnsmith

- Display Name: John Smith

With something obviously more  unique then "John Smith" tho.

^^ THIS!!!!

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As someone that writes scripts, display names are terrible. Best case, it means adding another line of code. Worst case, most scripts just ignore display names anyway. And there are a host of other issues between those two cases.

 

As for display names made up of unreadable characters? I ignore them.

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OminousVelociraptor wrote:

As a noob here...

I sort of agree about the characters only usernames.  I picked a screen name not realizing (in noobish fashion) that would be what others saw but at least it was real words. I thought I'd get to choose a real name for my Avi for some reason.

So I changed my display name to a more appropriate one "Sophie Velociraptor"

I think display names are sort of a given on this end.  I don't see THAT many that are unintelligible. ASCII is annoying but it's not that bad.

So I answer to both Sophie and ominous knowing that some people see one thing or the other.  What really irks me is that emoting in local shows my rightful display name but in IM it only uses my username.  That's so weird to me.

 

Same here, I didn't realize my username would be my in world name as well. I gave myself an actual name as soon as I figured out how lol... and now answer to that, or half a dozen different combinations of UncommonTruth.

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Pussycat Catnap wrote:

Yep. And I'd wager a good number of folks do just that, though I don't know how many hit the 'start again' part... 

 

The sad thing about the name thing is that there is a very simple solution that LL refuses to adopt:  Allow people to change usernames (Once would be enough.) and allow spaces in usernames.  It wouldn't hurt if they prohibited numerals in usernames.  Better yet, to avoid frustration at signup, they could have the initial username be system-assigned and say on the page that the user could change it later.

It is terribly frustration to try one username after another, only to find that all that one thinks are even remotely desirable are unavailable.

I've said this before, and many disagree: there is no reason that the name people are known by inworld need be unique or be their sign-in credential, or be unchangeable.  Our RL names are not unique---just look
.  They can be changed, just not instantly or for free. 

 

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Jennifer Boyle wrote:

 

I've said this before, and many disagree: there is no reason that the name people are known by inworld need be unique or be their sign-in credential, or be unchangeable.  Our RL names are not unique---just look
.  They can be changed, just not instantly or for free.

I think that in SL it is very important that the names, by which avatars are known, will be unique.  In SL one could change the appearance to a totally different one in a blink of an eye.  How could we recognize the person if the name was not unique?

In RL the situation is different.  Even if the names are not unique we have no difficulty in recognizing one John Smith from another John Smith.

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I think really causing a fuss over names like those isn't worth it. Chances are, they won't even stay very long in-world.

If the person just likes a name with numbers of random jumbled words then let them! Not sure what to call them?

Perhaps use something they are wearing if you must. I just find the whole deal to honestly not be a big thing.

 

Last names were nice but I doubt we'll see them again.

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i just copy and paste their name into chat rather than try to type it..that makes it easier..i kinda do that for all names if a lot of people are saying hi..like when i walk in a club or something and get greeted by a lot..

 

i'm just kind of waiting for the fad that is going to hit the real world from the net names..

you know someone is gonna make some 7337 names for kids..

it can't be worse than the parents that named  one of my friends Allen while having the last name Allen also..

imagine being in class and hearing Allen Allen  come to the office..can't tell you how many times he had to hear *what what*? from others in the class..i felt bad for him in that sense..

but i bet there will be some really neat 7337 names at some point in rl..there just has to be ...somewhere *winks*

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Coby Foden wrote:


I think that in SL it is very important that the names, by which avatars are known, will be unique.  In SL one could change the appearance to a totally different one in a blink of an eye.  How could we recognize the person if the name was not unique?

In RL the situation is different.  Even if the names are not unique we have no difficulty in recognizing one John Smith from another John Smith.

Yes, but in RL the stakes are much higher, like who fathers your child, who you are confident is free of STDs, and who you share really significant, not trivial, amounts of money with.  Surely, when it gets to things that are significant in SL, you can, at the least, be suspicious that you are dealing with an impersonator.

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I remember coming to SL in 06 and seeing the last name selection list and going  "Oh cool! I get to have my own name like I do in RL" Now I'm seeing ridiculious names like "06hata4life" or "SluttyMama55" Its WTF! I know this one dj with the username x5########" (sorry not posting the full username because of confidenciality but u get the point) I liked SL alot better back way back when. Display names to me also seems to just make things confusing, because when I go to IM a client and they changed it between then and the time I last talked to them, it leads to a few unnessessary steps that are just irritating.

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