Can someone else use your screen name?
 

There are two postings on the Europe site with my screen name but not from me...can someone else use an existing screen name? I feel so violated! LOL

i have also experienced this. please, foderites, be aware that the insightful posts are from me but the inciteful posts are from my imposter.

Have you both notified the editors?
It was my impression that this couldn't be done with the current registration. In the old "pre-registration" days it was a common problem, with people making nasty or stupid posts using someone else's screen name.

I have noticed several really close screen names -- one letter changed or an extra letter or something like that, but I didn't think anyone else could use an existing screen name.

I meant to add, that I have noticed a walkingaround posting on Europe board. Is that what you mean, walkinaround, or was the g missing like in your name?

Mine are spelled the same - there is also a 42travel or a Four2travel...something like that.

4totravel - As far as I know, since registration, it isn't possible to have duplicate screen names. Why not give us the link to one of the threads that has someone else using your screen name. Sometimes when we expect to see something, that is what we read even when the spelling is slightly different.

You cannot use the exact same screen name or use the same e-mail adress to register two different screen names. "Exact" in this case may or may not include upper/lower case.

i was just kidding...unfortunately, i must take full responsibility for all my posts, good, bad, pleasant and unpleasant.

Hi 4totravel--are you absolutely sure? And if so, contact the editors and why not also mention here which of the posts you saw are *not* yours, so that you will feel less violated.

This is what my 'research' found:

1. it doesn't matter if I sign in as travelnut or Travelnut, the system always shows it as Travelnut.

2. I tried registering as travelnut with a different email, and got:
Please use your browser's back button to return to the previous screen and reenter the requested information below.
This screen name (travelnut) is already taken.


3. I tried registering as TRAVELNUT with a different email, and got:
Please use your browser's back button to return to the previous screen and reenter the requested information below.
This screen name (TRAVELNUT) is already taken.


So I don't think someone else can use your name spelled exactly the same (regardless of capitalization)

What one can do is use a Capital I for a small L, so in the screen name 4totravel, the last letter is not a small L(l), but a capital I(I). There are other examples as well. It's not so prevalent here, but on some political forums, where it can get really nasty, there are people who want to "hijack" someones identity to "discredit" them.

What has the world come to? Now we have identity theft on a chat room.

Wait a minute... you're saying that your name... "4totravel" is somewhow impinged by "four2travel"?

That doesn't even seem underhanded to me. I feel sure that it never occurred to "four2travel" that you had already taken "4totravel". Just because they are homophones, doesn't mean that you have suffered from "identity theft".

I don't have the right to assert to Fodors that no one else should be allowed to use "Wrecks"!

I don't know why you feel violated.

But maybe that was deeply tongue in cheek.

;)

Best wishes,

Rex

HI--now that rex has clarified for me, forget what I said above. No one on this board would ever be naive enough to think 4totravel and some other person using a totally different way of spelling or character use in a name that just sounded like 4totravel was the same person!! Maybe rex is right and you were joking and some of us who did not see it as a joke responded as if you were serious.....Therefore, I guess the joke would be on us!!:)

I don't think Keith is correct, as Fodors doesn't recognize caps or not as two different things.

I gather 4totravel wants to know if Fodors checks registration names to make sure there are no names slightly similar.. I'd say no, they have enough to do without that, but no one can use your exact same screenname.

Christina
Actually Fodors does recognise caps, as can be seen in both of our user names which both have capitals at the start.
It doesn't recognise caps when logging in nor does it allow people to register usernames using different capitalisation but exact same spelling as an existing username, but it does recognise caps.
Which means a user could, theoretically, <i>appear</i> to use an existing username IF that username contained, for example, a lowercase &quot;L&quot; by using an uppercase &quot;i&quot; in their version.

I don't think 4totravel was saying that she was impinged upon by four2travel - note her use of the word &quot;also.&quot; A quick search shows one post by 4totravel referring to 11 and 13-year old children and another referring to her childrens's ages as 4 and 6 two years ago. Hmmm, the mystery deepens...perhaps 4totravel is in work and will check in later.

I don't want to search to find those two posts, but if someone named &quot;4totravel&quot; was posting two years ago and then deleted that account for whatever reason, a new person (the current 4totravel) could have gotten a new account with that name more recently. So, they'd be two different people, but no &quot;fraud&quot; or anything like it.

The only other way a person could use your userid at the same time that you are is by knowing your password.

The lower=case l (ell) and capital i (eye) situation is also quite plausible, but does not appear to be the case here. Click on 4totravel's userid and then replace the L in the web address above with an i and you will see there is no such user. Same if you replace it with a one.

I've regestered my name on several sites. On AOL, a few years ago someone used my name and it was not nice to hear some feedback about that person.

All this would be resolved if the Fodor's editor would log in. But you've probably scared him (her) away when a while back they said they would to much hue and cry.

I've wondered whether Fodor's ever deletes a screen name if it has been inactive for a long time, opening it up to be used by someone else. I wish they would.

A lot of screen names are held by people who are no longer active here. When I first registered, I was amazed at how many different screen names I had to try before I found one that wasn't already taken.

At this point I'm not sure an editor could help, since it's not really clear what 4totravel means. S/he needs to post examples of posts by that userid that were not made by him/her.

That said, what on earth does &quot;they said they would to much hue and cry&quot; mean????? I've tried processing that through my brain over and over again and can't make any sense of it at all.

Hello everyone.................I'm the other 4totravel. The 4totravel that started this thread is not me. I recently registered under that user name. My intent was not to violate the other 4totravel, my apologies.

If you set the program to login automatically from a specific computer always when you enter, it is possible that somebody activated in your computer www.fodors.com and it is already login. Then he / she just answer or write a new post.

jlm_mi, Fodor's could explain the rules on use, reuse and deletion of names.

Yes, I didn't like the clarity of that either. When Fodor's said their editor would occasionally post to a thread a great deal of discussion by the regulars started about Fodor's editors interfering on this site. Since then I've only seen one or two comments by the editors.

Clear now?

jlm_mi, Fodor's could explain the rules on use, reuse and deletion of names.

Yes, I didn't like the clarity of that either. When Fodor's said their editor would occasionally post to a thread a great deal of discussion by the regulars started about Fodor's editors interfering on this site. Since then I've only seen one or two innocuous comments by the editors.

Clear now?

I am thoroughly confused!! There are TWO registered posters with *identical* screen names, as would seem to be the case from the above second 4totravel post who says he/she is not the OP. How could that happen?? Is this for real or is someone having great fun?

valtor has the most likely scenario. If you click on 4totravel's name in both posts the same list comes up.

At most we have 2 people using the the same account. At the worst we have somebody silly enough to think they can play with us. If it is the former the REAL 4totravel needs to be more careful about logging out when not at their computer.

For clarification purposes and to know who your refering to. Am I the REAL 4totravel or am I 4totravel #2.

Also, nobody uses my computer at work, How would they use my account (unless I'm missing something here),

In this instance it's obviously not a case of someone being able to post because the original user left themselves logged on because the &quot;other&quot; 4totravel has indicated that he/ she registered the name separately.

So it's either a strange error at Fodors end where their database failed to refuse a username request as already taken OR it's a T R O L L, as SFowler suggested.

Kavey,
I would be very, very surprised if the Fodor's database allowed 2 identical usernames. That would violate one of the main database design &quot;rules&quot;. Also, based on other's research (Travelnut etc.), it's just not possible.

Here's my ideas, some of which are stated above:
1. Username went inactive and then became available for use again.
2. User was logged in and someone else posted using it.
3. Someone else know's the user's password.
4. Split personalities.

I'm leaning toward #4.... :)

From what I have learned here at Fodors, if one is registered, no one can use that name. There are passwords to protect you.
If you <u>un-register</u> that screen name, then it is back up for grabs.
Someone did just that a while ago, using one posters name to post nasty comments. Fodors was told and the name was banned.
So I agree, sounds Trollish. (which I do not think is a screen name yet, is it?:) )

Jbee, exactly. I work in IT and have even designed basic databases in the past (only Access but still fairly complex) and the most basic rule is to set primary keys to avoid duplication. And since that seems to be working just fine for every other user name any of us have tested it's unlikely to be a key violation in this case.

Which leaves... those other options you postulated!

Kavey -
I couldn't summed it up better myself, but you were missing acronyms in your post (PK = primary key). After all, everything is easier in acronyms, right? :))

Now that I re-read a few things on this post, I'm more confused-

&quot;For clarification purposes and to know who your refering to. Am I the REAL 4totravel or am I 4totravel #2. &quot;

If THEY don't know, how do WE know? Will the real 4totravel please stand up? :)

:D Will we ever know? What an enigma!

I have to say though that if you click on 4totravel's name, the postings certainly don't show a TROLLISH bent.

Methinks the troll doth protest too much ...

To troll or not to troll, that is the question.
Too true, I am not 4totravel; but I play her on the internet.

We can all do it too - the answer is simple, and involves a bit of a slip up by fodor's programmers (not the cleverest bunch by half) - but so far no one has precisely mentioned the answer. With all the geniuses on this board, so knowledgeable about touring and Turing, the answer should be passing obvious.

So if I understand, you already know the answer to your original question, and the answer is &quot;yes&quot;, but you want us to figure out how you did it??????

It would appear to me that 4totravel is a jerk - for jerking us around.