Do You Ever Feel the Need to Change Your Mamapedia Name?

Updated on May 11, 2012
J.B. asks from Dayton, OH
21 answers

Ok...so I really need some feedback on a question that is difficult to post...so here's my question...have you ever changed your "name" to ask a question? And if so, how the heck do you do it? I'm sure if I do change my name, someone will say "wow that's an odd 1st question!"

ETA...although I love the feature of being able to look back at previous questions...I guess it kinda worries me that this particular question will be there for all to see for who knows how long...lol :)

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So What Happened?

Thanks, everyone! As usual, lots of great advice. I will eventually ask the question....now when you see a weird question over the next few days...please don't assume it's from me, lol!

Featured Answers

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H.M.

answers from Denver on

You can always go back and delete the question once you get all the answers.

Mamapedia won't delete it for you but you can erase the question and title - granted the answers will still be there...

Otherwise - ask away sister - we're all pretty anonymous on here anyhow. Shh...guess what...I don't really live in Boulder. :-)

6 moms found this helpful

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

I only have 1 profile here but I did alter my name this week.

I have been TF for years then I saw a TF pop up not too long ago and we were very different. I didn't change then because locations were also very different.

This Week I saw another TF and she was in the Dallas area and per the question was not like me either so I just tagged my location onto my TF so the people who have been here for years and those I know will know its still me and I just differentiated myself from only TF

4 moms found this helpful

More Answers

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J.S.

answers from Columbia on

If you said, hey I'm a first time poster....

wait. i get it. If you said that....well we'd all know.

_____________________

I just read your eta. Thank you. I *have* noticed a surprising amount of first time posters with dramatic questions that seem to never reappear. But I digress... :)

Your point is well taken. I concede. For you, I shall refrain from any reference to first time posters, their lack of previous questions or anything that sets them apart and identifiable.

Us regulars gotta look out for each other. :)
---------------------------------------------------------------
ETA - I'm sure people will be returning to read some of these answers - so I have a request of all the regulars. Please go create a new account. You'll need to use a different email address of course. And post a question. Doesn't need to be true, obviously fake, dramatic or particularly interesting.

Let's help 4littleones - and BURY her question in a pile of questions! :)

10 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

Even if you change your name - people can review your history of questions and know it's you.

Other people have created another account to ask the questions they didn't want people to know who they were. Don't let the small people here bother you. Ask the question.

You've been on here long enough, people will KNOW you. If not, if you have a person on here that you trust - go to them via a PM and ask them. That way - your issue isn't "public" nor is it being ignored. You are able to get an answer - heck!! That person MAY ask the question FOR YOU!!!

Don't change your name. Just ask the question. Don't be embarrassed. And don't let people on here bother you. You need help with a question.

6 moms found this helpful
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M.R.

answers from Seattle on

I changed my name but it did not change the history of who I was on this site. I think you have to have different email addresses to have a new name as well as a new history.

Do you have any cyber space friends here?

For instance, you could write up your question in a PM to me (or other) and I'll post it as a question for some one else and your ID is totally protected b/c I would not tell anyone who you are. Or you could choose another random Mum you trust here and ask if they will post for you. That would be less laborious than creating a first time user. You might get called a Troll with that approach.

5 moms found this helpful
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K.S.

answers from Detroit on

Well . . . should we expect it to be changed to 5littleones? :)

5 moms found this helpful
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K.S.

answers from Miami on

I've never changed my user name. You will get honest feed back from this group. some you will love, some you will hate, some you'll just pass up. But you do get different views which is what i want and love.

4 moms found this helpful

T.M.

answers from Redding on

I think you should just ask. Those of us that have been here for awhile have sort of a bond and rapport, and most would give you good answers.
You would have to open a new account with a different email address in order to change your name.
My mom wants to join this because I'm always telling her much she would probably like giving some great-grandmotherly advice. I wouldnt want her to read any of my old stuff where I've talked a little bit negatively about her, I wouldnt want to hurt her..... so if I do get her to join, you wont see Grandma T anymore, I will have to morph into something else.
ETA: actually now that I think about it, I guess I could keep my same name just all my old answers would go away. Hmm.

4 moms found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

I changed my name but not my account. Anybody can go back to whenever and see my earlier questions. If you really want to be anonymous, you need a new account.

3 moms found this helpful

A.J.

answers from Williamsport on

I look at it this way...no one knows you here anyway AT ALL. Even if they've seen your user name forever and know your views on things, it's still totally anonymous. No one cares. Truly. I'm not savvy enough to change, but for sketchy questions, I've just asked. Who cares. I figure only a handful of people recognize my name and again they don't know me and I don't know them. If I had a really scary question, I guess a new account is the way to go, but then people will think you're a troll if they see no other back posts. SO maybe use the new account for a while before popping "the question" so you have a question and answer history...hey, I'm getting the hang of the strategy...

3 moms found this helpful
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S.Q.

answers from Bellingham on

I've changed - I like the anonymity.

3 moms found this helpful
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C.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

Someone will check your profile and see it's not your first question. If they're on here enough they'll remember your old name also. What's wierd is that I haven't changed my name in a long time but sometimes I see my old name like if i asked a question and I view it without logging in. Kinda creepy.

3 moms found this helpful
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H.P.

answers from Houston on

I've gone back and changed and deleted questions for that same reason. (People will assume that you are running and just don't like the answers, etc.) I don't like the Facebook share feature because it will upload your exact question in your words to somebody's FB wall. I have had too many experiences of finding out just how small this world is, and I do not want to expose myself any further to having certain people know certain things that I discuss here. None of it is malicious, but I don't want my friend to know that I don't like being around her child. So my SIL already knows that I dislike her, but I don't want somebody else to read the story and recognize the specifics and decide that there's no such thing as coincidence and determine who I am and then look at other questions and answers from me.

People are so judgmental and critical that they can't just know something and keep it moving. I wouldn't mind so much if I knew that I was dealing with people who could take what is expressed at face value and leave it at that. Instead, they have to assign their own specific criticisms to EVERYTHING--taking it in and twisting it around--and then spread that to others.

3 moms found this helpful
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V.M.

answers from Cleveland on

I'm sending you a private pm, because i want to make sure you are crystal clear on the advice given. I like my privacy too much, and dont' want to give away any secrets, but think maybe you need to be super clear on your options.

3 moms found this helpful
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K.F.

answers from Salinas on

Unlike me you are anonymous. I would have to start a whole new account in order to ask a really titillating question, or then again, maybe I already have;)

With my first name, initial and the ridiculously small, nosey town I live in the paranoia of being discovered would make me crazy.

No one REALLY knows who you are and Dayton is a pretty big place.
Go for it. Now you have all our attention plus we give GREAT advice!

3 moms found this helpful

F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

I have been on here forever. At first I was my real first name and last initial. However, someone posted they were being stalked on here and that freaked me out. Since I had my real city and state and I have an unusual name, it occured to me how easy it would be for someone to google me and actually walk right into my office (I own an insurance agency). So because of that, I deleted my insurance info off here and changed to my nickname. I am *friends* with some mamas from here on Facebook, so they know the *real me*. It has never occured to me to make a fake name in order to ask a question. I'm neither shy or embarrassed to ask or answer anything on here. And yes, I answer alot of the "crazy" first questions with "Great first question! Welcome to MP!" because I don't really *believe* that it is a real question. But who cares?! Everyone else offers advice anyway. So if you have a question, just ask it, no one is judging, and even if they do, who cares! =)

2 moms found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

nope. i own everything i write here, even when it's wrong.
:) khairete
S.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.F.

answers from Columbus on

Yes. There have been a few times when I have wanted to ask anonymously (sp??) as I have people on here who know me and if it's something regarding very personal or issues with the hubs .... I don't want people to know but need advice from other moms. This is most likely due to past circumstances. I've vented to friends before who then, for some odd reason, have mentioned the problem to their husbands and next thing you know, my husband knows I was talking about him. (thanks friends?!?!?!?) Ladies need to be able to vent...but my husband doesn't get that..... so I have not asked questions on here before in worry that someone will know it is me, mention to their hubs and BAM another fight insues between me and my husband.... shoot, is there some way to post this answer anonymously - LOL... I wish we could ask questions with an anonymous name and it not be attached to our page for future viewing

1 mom found this helpful
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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

People create new accounts all the time!

What you're talking about is creating a new account, not changing your name. I changed my name but still have my O., original account that I've had for years.

Just create a new account if you're too embarrassed to ask a certain Q.
Apparently MP doesn't care how many accounts anyone has....

(I'd wait a few hours now, though! LOL)

1 mom found this helpful
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C.G.

answers from Albuquerque on

I didn't change mine to post questions, I changed mine due to my job, they're really tight on what is OK and not OK, so I try to err on the side of caution. I can't run the risk of someone googling my name and coming up with different areas to track me on...I have a FB page under my name but it's basically a shell, I don't post/use it for myself, I created it so I could friend my daughter and keep track of her.

For posting questions, I would hope this site and all it's Momma's are cool enough for us to ask whatever we need to ask without having to hide the fact that it's us asking, you know? It's a little sad to think we have to hide our identity just to ask for help on something...

1 mom found this helpful
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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

ummm they can still look at your other questions so changing your screen name wouldnt do anything in hiding your identity.

1 mom found this helpful
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