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Wikipedia:Requests for comment/User names

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Pschemp (talk | contribs) at 16:55, 24 February 2007 ({{User|KHEA homeschool sports}}). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

If you believe someone has chosen an inappropriate username under Wikipedia's username policy, you may list it here. However, before listing the user here, please consider contacting the user on his or her talk page and bring their attention to the problem and Wikipedia:Changing username.

When contacting the user, {{subst:UsernameConcern|reason for objection}} or {{subst:uncon|reason for objection}} may be helpful, but feel free to paraphrase it or write your own original text if you prefer. Please try to assume good faith and don't bite the newcomers, if possible: allow for the possibility of innocent error or other reasonable explanation.

Names that are offensive, inflammatory, impersonating an existing user, or asserting inappropriate authority will generally be permanently blocked by admins. Please also read Wikipedia:Username before reporting here. Grossly, blatantly, or obviously inappropriate usernames should be reported at WP:AIV instead.

Be aware that usernames are subject to specific criteria which differ from controls and guidelines regarding other forms of self-expression on Wikipedia. Please ensure you are familiar with the username policy before commenting on a username. This is not the place to discuss the behavior of a user unless it is directly related to their username.

Please inform all users reported here with {{subst:UsernameDiscussion}} or {{subst:und}}. If the RFC is closed as "Allow", please follow up by informing the user with {{subst:UsernameAllowed}} or {{subst:una}}. Admins who impose username blocks, please detail the specific reason with {{UsernameBlocked|reason for block}} or {{unb|reason for block}} (not just "Violates WP:U", please).

This page is for bringing attention to usernames which may be in violation of Wikipedia's username policy. Before listing a username here, consider if it should be more appropriately reported elsewhere, or if it needs to be reported at all:

Do NOT post here if:

  • the user in question has made no recent edits.
  • you wish to have the block of a user reviewed. Instead, discuss the block with the blocking administrator (see also Wikipedia:Blocking policy § Unblocking).

Before adding a name here you MUST ensure that the user in question:

  • has been warned about their username (with e.g. {{subst:uw-username}}) and has been allowed time to address the concern on their user talk page.
  • has disagreed with the concern, refused to change their username and/or continued to edit without replying to the warning.
  • is not already blocked.

If, after having followed all the steps above, you still believe the username violates Wikipedia's username policy, you may list it here with an explanation of which part of the username policy you think has been violated. After posting, please alert the user of the discussion (with e.g. {{subst:UsernameDiscussion}}). You may also invite others who have expressed concern about the username to comment on the discussion by use of this template.

Add new requests below, using the syntax {{subst:rfcn1|username|2=reason ~~~~}}.

Tools: Special:ListUsers, Special:BlockList


Tools  : Special:Listusers, Special:Ipblocklist

If a discussion becomes lengthy, it may be moved to a subpage. See existing subpages.

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New listings below this line, at the bottom, please. Add a new listing.


Does anyone know if Superbot (talk · contribs) is an authorized bot? If not (and it seems like it from the contribution history), this account should be blocked. AecisBrievenbus 00:09, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

  • Comment - I'm confused by this - don't we ALWAYS want editors to feel that way? What makes one user more deserving of that than any others? This isn't intended to be a "bite" to User:Kukini, whom I respect, but is intended to point out that I see this occassionally (and am indeed guilty of saying it) and someone asked me the same question. It kind of re-adjusted my thinking. Philippe Beaudette 04:28, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • User notified of impending block, block to be imposed at or after 04:18, 25 February 2007 (UTC). Please remove this discussion after blocking. Deiz [[User talk
Deiz|talk]] 04:20, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Apparent nonsense username. Wikipedian27 02:31, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Random characters. Violation of WP:U. Wikipedian27 02:44, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I think the issue is that it's a hard username for other users to remember and use, and thus hard to reference in other posts, etc. The policy on WP:U deals with apparently random sequences of letters and/or numbers and to most people I think this one would be apparently random. However, let's let this run for a bit here and see what other people think. Thanks for coming here and letting us know what the username means and it's precedent. That makes the discussion much more productive! Philippe Beaudette 05:03, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you; I appreciate your consideration. Does this mean I can consider my block postponed and expect another message beforehand if I am to be blocked after all? --P1h3r1e3d13
No, I certainly don't have that ability. This page does, however, operate by consensus and consensus can change. Previously the consensus was disallow, because we didn't know the context and it appeared random. Now that there's explanation it's possible that the consensus can change. I would expect that you would be notified in the event of a block, but we'd need one of the Wikipedia administrators to make that call. Luckily, several of them watch this page. I'm curious to hear one of them chime in and shed some light on their thoughts. I (and most of the folks who contribute here) am just an editor that has interest in this subject and enjoys seeing the interesting names that come through. Philippe Beaudette 05:12, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong Allow: Could as easily have been "Phred13", but we're not making aesthetic judgments here, and I don't see a WP:U violation. "Apparently random"? Please, it's no such thing. Strip the numbers, and it's "Phred", strip the letters and it's "13" thrice, simple patterns interleaved. Plus it's his pre-existing ID elsewhere, on multiple sites,, which makes it almost like his real name. -- Ben 05:47, 24 February 2007 (UTC) Added "Strong" -- Ben 06:15, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow It's obviously meaning Phred13, with the number 13 in between. It's easy to pronounce, and it can be considered leet. --wL<speak·check·chill> 07:08, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Disallow but allow the user to change it to something like 13Phred13, something other editors could actually be expected to work with. As it is, it appears random, weither it is or not. I came up with a 30 character password recently, which is really not random at all, but if you looked at it, you'd barely know where to start -- febtalk 07:25, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow. P1h3r1e3d13's explanation is fine with me. PeaceNT 08:27, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

WP:U prohibits usernames that relate to editing processes. Wikipedian27 03:05, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Is it really appropriate to pick the name of an ethnic group and then add "blood n veins" to it? It's like having "Arab blood n veins" as a username. Khoikhoi 05:03, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

  • Comment I believe he/she is saying he/she is proud to be Assyrian.Proabivouac
  • Allow - I'm having a hard time finding a policy under which this would be unacceptable, except MAYBE it could be potentially viewed as offensive, but I don't think that a reasonable person would find it so. I think in this case we should let it go and keep an eye on contribs. That may shed some light on meaning. Philippe Beaudette 05:09, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow: What's "offensive" is to denounce or derogate others' ethnicity; it's not offensive to show pride in one's own. Remember the "Allow" on Theangryblackwoman (talk · contribs)? Why fuss about "Proud American" or "Bonny Scot" or other ethnic/national-pride names that don't tear anyone else down? At most it would become an issue in questions about COI edits or edit-wars, which haven't happened yet, may never happen, and if they do happen would be user-conduct concerns, not grist for RFC/NAME. -- Ben 05:40, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allowper Ben. --wL<speak·check·chill> 07:10, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Disallow - I'm sorry but their are different ways of stating of being proud of your ethnicity. With a username like that, he sounds like his ready to go to war then to construct educationaly. Chaldean 14:31, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow No rule against stating your ethnicity. Chaldeans assumptions are creative at best, I see no indication of any of that. HighInBC (Need help? Ask me) 14:55, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Moved again from AIV - Violation of WP:U (see WP:U#Inappropriate usernames Religious and hate names) John Reaves (talk) 08:40, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Throughout HIstory Man Has Observed Society And Its Changes (talk · contribs) seems to have chosen a username which is way too long (and also has a capitalisation mistake). WP:U says that extremely lengthy usernames are inappropriate. Sam Blacketer 11:52, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

  • Disallow Too long.Proabivouac 11:55, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Allow: (1) On "capitalisation mistake". In a book title, capitalizing the word "And", and the letter "I" in "HIstory", would be a mistake. In a name, the matter's not so clear-cut. In real-world names, words like "de" or "von" are generally given the case (upper or lower) and spacing that the named person prefers. I'd presume we extend the same courtesy here. (Though I was once told that if I'd CamelCapped my username as BenedictTheMoor I might have been blocked on sight as a likely Cplot sockpuppet.) If this actually was a mistake on the user's part, it's the user's embarrassment to bear, and I imagine we'll see a name change request going through soon enough. . . . (2) On "lengthy". It would be overlong for a nick to sign on talk pages. The user may sign with just the acronym "Thimhosaic" -- which would explain that capped "I" as making the acronym pronounceable. As a username, the phrase is certainly not hard to read, pronounce, or distinguish from other users, as one long random string among others might be. It's easier to remember than many much shorter names. When referring to this user in conversation, "Throughout..." would be sufficient to let others know whom you mean. -- Ben 13:44, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • And we ended up allowing Foot's name. But if you'd like to make your suggestion directly to Throughout, on the user talk page, I'd certainly encourage having that one-to-one discussion. -- Ben 15:02, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Apparent random characters, perhaps even nonsense name. Wikipedian27 14:07, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Why was he blocked. I saw him on the new user list with no contribs, then I saw he was blocked Why?Zbl 15:01, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

He spent too much time reading Wikipedia:Requests for comment/User names. -- Ben 15:07, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Those are the only two words the blocked username has in common with the other (pre-existing) username. Excess similarity is clearly not the issue. If all it takes to get blocked is a username of the form "Can't... will....", then the existing user must have a trademark on those words. ... What? You mean he doesn't? Then there's no reason to block those two words. -- Ben 15:42, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Much greater resemblance to "My foot is caught in the shoe washer" -- though I'd key off the word following "my", and call them "Foot" and "Shoe". I can tell the difference, most days. -- Ben 15:55, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • I'm acutely uncomfortable with the accusation of "trolling whilst creating a username". We already have the rules against obscene, offensive, inflammatory, etc., and don't need "trolling" to cover those. As Wikipedia:Troll points out, "trolling" is a very subjective judgment, and has often been applied to the innocent. I'd prefer not to see it given as a reason to block, especially before someone's even made any edits. -- Ben 15:55, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Reported to AIV as: "Username may be rude, inflammatory, unnecessarily long/confusing, too similar to an existing user, contains the name of an organization or website, or is otherwise inappropriate." I'd like more imput on this one. Metros232 15:01, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

  • Boy, that reason sure covers the field! Let's see: it's not rude, it's not inflammatory, I don't think it's too long or confusing (on which my opinion will surprise no-one here or at WT:U), show me the existing username, might be an existing organization but has anyone looked it up?, and "otherwise inappropriate" is just too vague. "Looks like an organization name" might have been a clearer way to put it. Editors here are supposed to be individuals, not organizations. -- Ben 15:32, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • http://www.khea.info/sports.html tips the gaff: "Kentucky Home Education Association", so it really is an organization, with "homeschool sports" one of their areas of concern.

This was already blocked, as it is advertising the group and is a group account. Check the block log before posting please. pschemp | talk 16:55, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Reported to AIV as "username..." I don't know if this is completely inappropriate. Could be a company name but could also be some sort of play on St. Elmo's Fire. Metros232 15:02, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

comment If the person reporting this name did not give a reason, then I don't see the need in repeating it here, without a reason. I will close this soon as no claim of a problem exists. HighInBC (Need help? Ask me) 15:28, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Contact SunStar Net (talk · contribs) for more information. He reported it to AIV. Metros232 15:37, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Nonsense username. Wikipedian27 16:34, 24 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]