Favorite User Names

November 8, 2021 2:26 AM

A way to favor usernames would be awesome.

Reading a grim and solemn post at the end of an informative comment a username gave me a much-needed chuckle. I wanted to tick a favor button.

posted by maggieb to Feature Requests at 2:26 AM (106 comments total)

Mod note: Hey there! I love that user name, too. But about this, we aren't going to add new functionality, but we do already have a way to keep track of users / user names you like, which is to add them as a contact: click on their user name, which will take you to their contact page; under their name you will see an option to "add as contact." This will not disturb them in any way (ie, they will not get a notice or anything), and if it worries you, you can choose "none" as relationship with that person, or just not select a relationship option. The list of contacts will show up as a link on your user page, and is an option for being able to see a list of folks you have some relationship with OR just members you find interesting, or funny, or knowledgable, etc., or ... whose user names you like!

Alternatively, if you want them to specifically know you appreciate their handle, you can drop a quick note via mefi mail (again, click their user name to go their page, and select the option to send mail), like "just wanted to say that your user name gave me a much-needed chuckle" or whatever. Nobody hates this kind of mail! :)
posted by taz (staff) at 2:28 AM on November 8, 2021 [7 favorites]

(Also, if anyone wants to share their own favorite user names, this would be a grand place to do that! I'm a great admirer of oozy rat in a sanitary zoo, among many others!)
posted by taz (staff) at 2:38 AM on November 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

Just a thought.. profiles are pages, maybe it would be possible to have an [add to favorites] link on them?
posted by Hardcore Poser at 6:39 AM on November 8, 2021

I always admired doublepostguy
posted by thelonius at 6:49 AM on November 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

I have sent a PM to users with a cool name, and had a nice, short conversation. It lets them share a little more, but to a small audience, compared with explaining the name in an open thread.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:13 AM on November 8, 2021 [6 favorites]

I've received one or two MeMails from people letting me know they like my username for idiosyncratic reasons, and it absolutely made my day. If there's a username you like, definitely think about just dropping the person a quick note to let them know their choice of username brightens your day!
posted by biogeo at 7:20 AM on November 8, 2021 [7 favorites]

Also, I've mentioned it before, but We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese is one of those usernames that makes me just a little bit happier whenever I see it, and I'm grateful to them for the silly reference. For those not in the know, it's a reference to a very silly joke in an episode of MST3K.
posted by biogeo at 7:24 AM on November 8, 2021 [26 favorites]

the name glonous keming makes me laugh and laugh
posted by mochapickle at 7:37 AM on November 8, 2021 [56 favorites]

does peacheater eat peaches or cheat peas
posted by phunniemee at 7:44 AM on November 8, 2021 [35 favorites]

It’s an eternal question, phunniemee, right up there whether uncleozzy is an uncle or definitely not cleozzy…
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:49 AM on November 8, 2021 [10 favorites]

omg never until now have I read uncleozzy as uncle ozzy
posted by HotToddy at 7:54 AM on November 8, 2021 [19 favorites]

YES I spent like ten years thinking it was someone who wasn't cleozzy
posted by an octopus IRL at 8:00 AM on November 8, 2021 [8 favorites]

Of course, seeing usernames like phunniemee and mochapickle and an octopus IRL (among many others) make me smile.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:19 AM on November 8, 2021 [4 favorites]

In my head this username will always be pronounced Clav Divs, and never Claudius.
posted by Wordshore at 9:25 AM on November 8, 2021 [45 favorites]

Faint of Butt is distinct, memorable, and funny.
posted by Spathe Cadet at 9:47 AM on November 8, 2021 [17 favorites]

I've always wanted to know what you all think cleoz would be.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:39 AM on November 8, 2021 [9 favorites]

Well, exactly the opposite of what you're like, obviously.
posted by ambrosen at 11:17 AM on November 8, 2021 [12 favorites]

In my head this username will always be pronounced Clav Divs, and never Claudius.

Fuck me.
posted by HotToddy at 12:09 PM on November 8, 2021 [15 favorites]

Shall I heart my pear behind? Do I dare to cheat a pea?
posted by zamboni at 12:25 PM on November 8, 2021 [7 favorites]

Every so often someone new points out that uosuaq is actually "benson" turned upside-down and backwards, and other people's minds get blown anew.

Same with how Benny Andajetz is really "Benny And The Jets".

Personally, though, the name Queen of Spreadable Fats tickles me in a place I can't reach.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:31 PM on November 8, 2021 [11 favorites]

Does anyone besides me miss contributions from fucker and FishFucker?
posted by Lynsey at 12:33 PM on November 8, 2021 [4 favorites]

I've always wanted to know what you all think cleoz would be.

Well, Cleo Z is a racehorse, so I suppose it suggests you are unlike a large, fast horse…..
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:46 PM on November 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

My favorite usernames are porn in the woods, incomple, It's Raining Florence Henderson, and oneswellfoop.

I also think there should be a "What it Says on the Tin" award for BitterOldPunk, who delivers that vibe as promised, while still being pretty affable.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:49 PM on November 8, 2021 [14 favorites]

I'm still a big fan of Short Attention Sp and Obscure Reference.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 12:58 PM on November 8, 2021 [10 favorites]

I still think fondly of the Culture Ships.
posted by zamboni at 1:08 PM on November 8, 2021 [13 favorites]

This will not disturb them in any way (ie, they will not get a notice or anything)

I don't think that's correct. I currently have a "Contact Activity" sidebar box on the front page saying "[redacted] added you as a contact. 3 weeks ago"; I was wondering why they did that until I saw this post...
posted by offog at 1:09 PM on November 8, 2021 [5 favorites]

Agreed on Faint of Butt!
posted by purplesludge at 1:27 PM on November 8, 2021

There are so many usernames that I see and think, oh son of a damn that's good. Then one of these threads pops up and I can't think of a single one.

But offhand, Cheeses of Brazil always makes me think of a delightfully strange and specific coffee table book.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:30 PM on November 8, 2021 [5 favorites]

I've always voted the quidnunc kid as #1.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 1:36 PM on November 8, 2021 [34 favorites]

I miss 'feckless fecal fear monger', because that's exactly who they weren't.
posted by scruss at 1:47 PM on November 8, 2021 [11 favorites]

Faint of butt continually confuses me, because they are not me.
posted by Faintdreams at 3:59 PM on November 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

What site wouldn’t be proud to have a humble nudibranch as a member?
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:21 PM on November 8, 2021 [10 favorites]

I've always liked Joseph Conrad Is Fully Awesome. As, indeed, they (the Polish writer and the Metafilter member) truly are.
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 4:38 PM on November 8, 2021 [8 favorites]

I seem to like a lot of amusing animal names or ones where I get the reference even though others might not. A few I could think of offhand: itstheclamsname, that's how you get ants, Year of meteors and a heavy box of anvils is heavy.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:24 PM on November 8, 2021 [2 favorites]

And i also especially like functional names that make you draw a hilarious mental picture:

two unicycles and some duct tape
a box and a stick and a string and a bear
posted by mochapickle at 6:10 PM on November 8, 2021 [19 favorites]

So many good ones. "Taffeta, Darling" made me laugh. It's one of our favorite Young Frankenstein references.
posted by evilmomlady at 6:33 PM on November 8, 2021 [4 favorites]

Oh heylo
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 6:58 PM on November 8, 2021 [6 favorites]

stavrosthewonderchicken
posted by clavdivs at 7:17 PM on November 8, 2021 [13 favorites]

I like it when people make little references indicating they "get" my username, which has happened more times than seems likely!
posted by Balthamos at 1:24 AM on November 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

Threads like this one always make me wish that I picked something clever, instead of just choosing a character from one of my favourite books. I could have looked so much smarter and more amusing. *sigh*
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:37 AM on November 9, 2021 [13 favorites]

Too-Ticky, you are smart and amusing to me. I had never heard of the book so until today you were also a bit mysterious.
posted by evilmomlady at 4:02 AM on November 9, 2021 [6 favorites]

I had a wonderful exchange with Samizdata about user names - mine reminded him of an old pirate radio station he used to listen to, his reminded me of an old digital swap-group from college (wavs, asciiart, etc) I used to belong to.
posted by eclectist at 4:16 AM on November 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

Where can we find all the versions of names that contain "sock"? There are some really witty ones there.....
posted by lalochezia at 4:47 AM on November 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

I like handles which seem to hint at an in-joke that I don't quite get or are an unexpected combination of words. See: mandolinconspiracy.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 4:53 AM on November 9, 2021 [5 favorites]

Damn it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:53 AM on November 9, 2021 [4 favorites]

Where can we find all the versions of names that contain "sock"?

infodumpster username=sock
posted by zamboni at 6:28 AM on November 9, 2021 [9 favorites]

I like the ones that refer to the poster's area of expertise. backseatpilot , soundguy99 and Pater Aletheias come to mind.
posted by Liesl at 6:53 AM on November 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

Coldchef …
posted by Melismata at 6:57 AM on November 9, 2021 [11 favorites]

I've always smiled when I see escape from the potato planet.
posted by skynxnex at 7:45 AM on November 9, 2021 [5 favorites]

AHA Larry David Syndrome is one of the ones I always see and remark on!
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:00 AM on November 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

Damn it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:53 AM on November 9 [+] [!]

and yet, you are the most espoused of MeFites!
posted by supermedusa at 9:44 AM on November 9, 2021 [5 favorites]

I sent Lesbia's Sparrow a note to compliment them on their user name. if you know the poem, it's a bit of a saucy reference ;)
posted by supermedusa at 9:45 AM on November 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

I always liked AFABulous. The name reminds me of a t-shirt, LGBTerrific.
posted by blueberry monster at 10:45 AM on November 9, 2021 [9 favorites]

I like little cow make small moo
posted by moonmilk at 12:47 PM on November 9, 2021 [6 favorites]

i thought it was clav divs this whole time!
posted by lazaruslong at 1:35 PM on November 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

Homunculus. whom I miss very much.
Languagehat. whom I fucking miss very much.

Kattullus is a extremely cool name, first one wondered about, His profile page is like a Poetic manual of mefi and beyond.

of the 4 previous metas about the v v, I, ejust say Clav ( clah-v) which Imsorta freaked about referring in the third person.
there is Claudius

God, dong_resin, opus dark, goodnewsfortheinsane
I always miss balisong.
posted by clavdivs at 2:49 PM on November 9, 2021 [12 favorites]

whether uncleozzy is an uncle or definitely not cleozzy…

(NOT CLEOZZ-IST)
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:52 PM on November 9, 2021 [3 favorites]

(a) I'm surprised at the number of fellow Gregs on this website!

(b) I've often wished I'd spent more time deciding on a more clever name when I joined but I don't want to change horses this deep mid-stream. C'est la vie.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:55 PM on November 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

Has anybody made a list of the usernames derived from Guided by Voices songs? There are more than three.
posted by ardgedee at 4:16 PM on November 9, 2021

You guys are all wrong, the best usernames are Faint of Butt and mcstayinskool.
posted by saladin at 4:26 PM on November 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

In my head this username will always be pronounced Clav Divs, and never Claudius.

I go back and forth on this one but usually wind up on "clav divs"
posted by bendy at 4:57 PM on November 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

A few previouslies:

what is your favorite username

favorite MetaFilter usernames

coolest usernames on Metafilter

There are several more but they're generally unique to users participating at the time.

goog search for more - username site:metatalk.metafilter.com
posted by bendy at 5:05 PM on November 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

In my head this username will always be pronounced Clav Divs, and never Claudius.

a few decades back (the VHS age) while going through the whole I Claudius series with a few friends, we referred to those evenings as Clav Divs nights. And it was good.
posted by philip-random at 5:08 PM on November 9, 2021 [6 favorites]

Gray Duck

If you have to ask, you are not from Minnesota!
posted by soelo at 6:13 PM on November 9, 2021 [7 favorites]

I too salute the creative frisson so many users provide -- not to mention the eponysterical opportunities provided thereby. Since establishing my account I've thought of a hundred better missed names -- but who hasn't? The first was a toss off and oh so much time has passed providing a thousand ideas.
posted by lathrop at 6:38 PM on November 9, 2021 [3 favorites]

dothreetyposconstituteabadpost.
not sure of extant user but I might just use that as my first sock puppet.
klangstonklangston whom I lovingly call, Colonel Klang not to confused with Ironmouth whom I refered to as 'The Colonel'.

we had a deal, kyle. just cool.
Mr crash Davis. vrash

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing.

I really love whether older and a lot of newer usernames as they are whimsical or wispy trenchant, ones that read like a sing-song, a phrase from a favorite text all so unique.
posted by clavdivs at 8:22 PM on November 9, 2021 [6 favorites]

Incidentally, "wispily trenchant" will be my next username.

Unless I decide to go full Achewood and settle on "so hell of wispy a spider covets". Hmmm, tough choice...
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:36 PM on November 9, 2021 [4 favorites]

Gray Duck

I feel Gray Duck should be given the user name Goose for posting outside of Minnesota….
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:05 AM on November 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

Names I considered but rejected:

Fragrant Chariot
Cinnamon Horse
wonder-loving grandmothers
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:07 AM on November 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

@922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a

What text is your user name a hash of?
posted by suetanvil at 10:00 AM on November 10, 2021 [3 favorites]

I've received one or two MeMails from people letting me know they like my username for idiosyncratic reasons, and it absolutely made my day.

Same here. It always feels good to be appreciated. And I also miss feckless fecal fear mongering. Faint of Butt always brings a smile to my face.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:59 PM on November 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

of the 4 previous metas about the v v, I, ejust say Clav ( clah-v)

So the divs are silent?
posted by bendy at 7:06 PM on November 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

This thread has led me down a rabbit hole located deep in another rabbit hole. If you posted a comment in 2006 I may have just favorited you fifteen years too late.
posted by bendy at 7:21 PM on November 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

Serious question for moderators, how spicy or poor-taste does a username have to be before it gets someone banned?
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 7:23 PM on November 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

correct bendy. I guess it's interesting to note that well in the early days if you address someone you use the username and they're not going to spell out clavdivs so I think it was languagehat who just shortened to Clav. I guess a lot of folks either use their real name or a shortened version of a username. I'd love to pour through all the ones that I used to use but. oh I guess you see it occasionally of course if you know someone for a long time for instance from now on Greg_Ace I might just address as Greg. you can't really do that with bendy I mean what would you use bend ben.
I guess that's an example of what could be a microaggression because you might not have talked the username before or what not so it is appropriate to use a full username. but I like the name bendy and what I like even more is I'm pretty certain that both you and I know that no disrespect has taken place.
LHstavsmigsqcrashklangcommishcheffoldyfishyopydresadjectivmadamedopysnezzytomcatevan(both)anadeanohumonkphillippracoloqmr.badamchavy and pater.
posted by clavdivs at 8:55 PM on November 10, 2021 [2 favorites]

picking one:
It's Raining Florence Henderson.
FLO!
posted by clavdivs at 9:00 PM on November 10, 2021 [3 favorites]

So the divs are silent?

Only in HTML.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:17 PM on November 10, 2021 [3 favorites]

from now on Greg_Ace I might just address as Greg

My friends call me Gr
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:18 PM on November 10, 2021 [5 favorites]

I'm pretty certain that both you and I know that no disrespect has taken place.

clavdivs I've never intended you disrespect. I've been a dedicated MeFite since 2001 and a lurker since the site started. You've always been a good sport about people talking about your syntax. I think there's been at least one MetaTalk about it.

Rock on with your bad self. I always appreciate your posts whether they make me laugh or they confuse me.
posted by bendy at 9:20 PM on November 10, 2021 [3 favorites]

After Lawrence of Arabia became Aircraftman T. E. Shaw (A/C2. No. 338171), Noël Coward once began a letter to him, “Dear 338171 (May I call you 338?) . . ."
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:23 AM on November 11, 2021 [6 favorites]

There was a MeFite whose username was a pair of Chinese logograms. Someone pointed out that it looked like a little man jumping between a boat and a dock, and after that seeing the username always gave me a little burst of joy.
posted by Kattullus at 2:34 AM on November 11, 2021 [4 favorites]

Bendy no I never thought that but shortening your user name to bend...no, I just wanted you to feel no disrespect from the comment. I am and forever shall be a fan and admirer. .
posted by clavdivs at 8:10 AM on November 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

There are many great names. The one that always makes me pause is 2N2222. The name is from a discrete transistor (a little electronics component on a circuit board) that I haven't thought of, explicitly, in 15 years except on metafilter. They still exist and are useful. Just not for things I work on lately. I always find the name eye catching. My intuition is that it tells me a whole lot about the person who chose it. I hope to meet them IRL someday and find out if I'm right. The specificity of the name suggests we will get on well, even if we disagree about some things.

If I had to pick a name again, I wouldn't choose a real person. I'm hoping nobody ever tells me that he was a monster. (But, I want to know about it if so.) I also didn't realize that long names with spaces were allowed, which opens up so much more opportunity.
posted by eotvos at 1:11 PM on November 11, 2021

Unless I decide to go full Achewood and settle on "so hell of wispy a spider covets". Hmmm, tough choice...

Not "gossamer bloatee"?
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 2:05 PM on November 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

That's also a great (and wonderfully spot-on) phrase, but it's a touch too succinct to have the same level of peculiar Achewood syntax that's on display in the one I mentioned.
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:39 PM on November 11, 2021

Besides, I wouldn't want anyone to inaccurately associate my own self with the wearing of a gossamer bloatee - heaven forfend...

Tight as a drum!!
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:41 PM on November 11, 2021

I always thought AgentCorvid was a cool username. Then I actually read it closely and saw that it is ArgentCorvid. But I think that is equally cool, so all is good! Madamjujujive is also a cool name, despite the fact that in the earlier days of MeFi she had a knack for posting cool sites that I wanted to share before I did; in some cases years before I found them.
posted by TedW at 3:38 PM on November 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

infodumpster username=sock

Aww, didn't make the cut.
posted by Otto Franz Joseph Leopold von Soxen-Puppetten at 6:01 PM on November 11, 2021 [2 favorites]

I still think fondly of the Culture Ships.

We're still here! The modern internet might have left walls of text behind, but as Excession suggests, Minds rather enjoy them.
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 2:22 AM on November 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

"Iris Gambol" always makes me chuckle.
posted by peakes at 2:29 AM on November 12, 2021 [2 favorites]

Serious question for moderators, how spicy or poor-taste does a username have to be before it gets someone banned?

Hm ... I don't recall us ever actually banning someone for their username (aside from some stealth lookalike names of other members, usually by regular members goofing around, and of course we just banned the username, not the user), though maybe we have. I think there's been a couple of instances of us discussing with the user and then changing the problem name. I'm likely forgetting some stuff though.
posted by taz (staff) at 6:12 AM on November 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

I vaguely remember someone signing up as just the c-word and us being like "Nope, pick another one"
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:09 AM on November 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

Bad idea: a fundraiser thread where people pay $5 to register obscene versions of their own or others' user names to post a single comment before being banned.
posted by biogeo at 10:31 AM on November 12, 2021 [6 favorites]

I'd definitely consider paying 5 bucks to be Greg_Arse for a hot moment. (some people might even think it's appropriate...)
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:43 AM on November 12, 2021 [4 favorites]

> I think there's been a couple of instances of us discussing with the user and then changing the problem name.

"Ladies I sure do love cunnilingus" comes to mind as an example of that. Who I now see left the same way he entered, eventually (under their revised username) flamed out arguing about sexism in a metatalk thread. Checks out!
posted by vibratory manner of working at 1:04 PM on November 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

I guess I could be The No Underpants Monster.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:19 PM on November 12, 2021 [4 favorites]

mo’ pickle
posted by mochapickle at 1:36 PM on November 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

I vaguely remember someone signing up as just the c-word and us being like "Nope, pick another one"

Yup. Way back in 2007.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:48 PM on November 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

bendy in all the GOOD ways
posted by bendy at 5:42 PM on November 12, 2021 [5 favorites]

Yo
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 1:29 PM on November 13, 2021 [4 favorites]

HotTiddy
posted by HotToddy at 10:47 PM on November 13, 2021 [2 favorites]

I think there's been a couple of instances of us discussing with the user and then changing the problem name.

Oneswellfoop's original username did not wendell.
posted by pompomtom at 3:45 AM on November 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

Well based on at least five comments, biogeo’s idea is a good one. I’m a fan of goofy fundraiser ideas.
posted by Vatnesine at 10:38 AM on November 14, 2021

I had my un-cleozzy moment one night. Then it was Uncle Ozzy ever after. Then tonight I re-examined a name I have stumbled over, Mr. Greenwood, aka srboisvert.
posted by Oyéah at 6:38 PM on November 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

Mind blown, it’s not un-cleozzy? Next thing you’ll tell me is that your username isn’t pronounced like the Kool-Aid man busting through the wall.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 7:26 PM on November 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

I still miss You Can’t Tip a Buick and Anticipation of a New Lover’s Arrival, The.

Although the Culture ships already got a mention I see.
posted by aspersioncast at 5:31 PM on December 1, 2021