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.