Just a suggestion, but if you implement this, there are some potential downsides that might be avoided by the following safeguards: there should be something permanent and highly visible on the profile that points out the previous name users should be restricted to ONE name change. If you can't get it right then, you're SOL. it should not be an auto-accept, rather it should be applied for (with brief reason for change stated) and approved/disapproved users with active infractions should not be eligible until infractions expire The standard reason for disallowing name changes (technical issues aside) is to avoid confusion and/or deception, and to provide continuity. The safeguards above would mitigate this problem and encourage people to avoid behavior that leads to infractions. All IMO. Hey, I'm an idea guy. ~ Rob
Then, I wonder if there would be a way to know the former username(s) of the member concerned; like, formerly known as(formerusename, XXX etc))... Else this major change may lead to confusion(...) Modification: Noticed that Rob just made a similar suggestion after I made this post (Rob I guess you started typing earlier and finished quicker too) I agree with you! Looks like it! But really...if more members here offer practical suggestions in regards to the silly things that goes on here (from time to time), this great place can only get greater!
RE: "Username History" - Kudos. Very good (aka "visible") way to handle that. Added: Potential for Revenue? If you'd like a creative revenue idea... allow us to change *others* usernames for a fee. They could then decline the change by paying twice that amount. Granted... once every possible permutation of "Butthead" got used it might lose steam... but it's worth a shot. [Like I said, I'm an idea guy.]
Lol that's way too much of an idea.. If you paid to change a name to Butthead -- people would probably just not use that account and make a new one, or otherwise whine until they got it changed back. The res tof your ideas seem to be pretty sensible, though. Shawn, are namechanges allowed then, or is the system in place for prior name changes?