New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines.

Re:New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines. by pg on Saturday January 31, 2009 @03:35AM (#459383)

Some percentage of the nasty things people say on web forums are said half-jokingly and offend because half-jokingness is hard to convey in text, but I think the majority are genuinely nasty.

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Re:New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines. by nailer on Saturday January 31, 2009 @03:54AM (#459400)

Have you considered asking new users to enter their first and second names, and creating an available username from that?

This is often credited for Facebook having more 'real' content than MySpace and Friendster.

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Re:New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines. by tsetse-fly on Saturday January 31, 2009 @04:11AM (#459410)

Enforcing specific types of usernames is rather lame. People would just enter fake names. Facebook depends on your real identity so people who have met you can locate you.

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Re:New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines. by nailer on Saturday January 31, 2009 @04:28AM (#459419)

Some people may enter fake names, but asking for their first and last names at least sets expectations.

As you've touched on, allowing people to find you on hacker news would also be a benefit.

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Re:New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines. by pg on Saturday January 31, 2009 @04:34AM (#459421)

Usernames consisting of people's first and last names feels corporate. It would be a bummer not to have any mechanical_fishes.

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Re:New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines. by davidw on Saturday January 31, 2009 @11:01AM (#459715)

One thing that might help just a bit is to more prominently encourage people to add some contact information in their profiles. It is, unfortunately, fairly rare.

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Re:New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines. by robotrout on Saturday January 31, 2009 @03:15PM (#459992)

Thanks mate!

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Re:New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines. by Xichekolas on Saturday January 31, 2009 @08:07PM (#460327)

I didn't realize until this moment that there was a mechanical_fish and a robotrout... am I missing out on a joke or something?

Next I'll see a reply from cyberguppy.

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Re:New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines. by nailer on Saturday January 31, 2009 @02:31PM (#459944)

What about FirstnameLastinitial? E.g., I'd be Mikem, rather than nailer.

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Re:New users: Welcome. Please read the site guidelines. by showerst on Saturday January 31, 2009 @03:48PM (#460027)

My guess is you're not the only MikeM, which leads to yahoo-esque usernames (I'd likely be TimS223 or something), and by that point you may as well allow real nicknames.

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