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> Users will need to wait for an in-app prompt for when it’s their turn to select a new username, which will eventually roll out to all users over the course of

> Users will need to wait for an in-app prompt for when it’s their turn to select a new username, which will eventually roll out to all users over the course of “several months.” The company will assign priority to users based on their Discord registration dates, so people who have had their name “for quite a while” will have a better chance to get a desired name. I have several friends who use Discord as their primary social outlet. The vague way this change is being rolled out is causing a lot of heartburn for them. It's strange to have a social platform force everyone to change their screen names. The vague way that they're rolling out the change over "several months" without any indication of timelines is making it worse. From a product point of view, it would ease the pain if they would have communicated each person's username selection date in the app. Instead, they gave vague advice to watch for some unspecified in-app notification to pop up at some time in the next few months. For people who are anxious about keeping their screen names, this is a recipe for anxiety.

gabereiser 3y ago
Rule number one is you don’t change usernames, like you don’t change peoples email address. Username, email, address, phone, any PII is up to the user to change. Don’t f#ck with it.
- prox 3y ago
  Absolutely. If there is even just one Discord employee reading this : dont ffing do this. This is some hallucination that things will be more in line with other social outlets. Ask yourself: does this add value to my service? I think the answer is a 100% no. Ask yourself: does this move hurt my brand? Guess what is happening right now. This is idiocy in action.
  - flangola7 3y ago
    So how do you suggest they address the recurring issues they laid out?
    - hackinthebochs 3y ago
      How often does adding a friend cold even happen on discord? All interaction is based around shared servers. If user A wants to friend user B, they either are or will be a member of the same server. Globally unique usernames just aren't relevant.
      - suzakus 3y ago
        Based on discord's post: https://discord.com/blog/usernames https://discord.com/blog/usernames it seems it happens more than you'd expect; particularly as discord has been on the uptick to being ubiquitous among teens/young adults who may wish to add each other after meeting in person
        packetlost 3y ago
        Fine. Have a first-come-first serve lottery system. Person with the lowest discriminator wins that name. You have to open that up to everyone (not just those who pay), but that should be relatively easy to do. IMO, I think it's also ok to give preference to people who 1) were there first 2) pay for the service
        Ekaros 3y ago
        Discriminators are random for non nitro-users. And if you stop paying you don't even get to keep one...
        pavel_lishin 3y ago
        > Fine. Have a first-come-first serve lottery system Isn't this exactly what Discord is doing?
        ewanm89 3y ago
        Okay, discriminators are randomly assigned unless one pays for nitro, that said they have account creation date on record, so they can do it in order no problem. The issues are the order they have chosen is not that simple. They are giving verified bots first choice (some of these are questionable), then owners of partnered servers, then discord for business, then it is going by account age. They have added a clarification to their blog post: "Current Nitro subscribers paying for the ability to customize their discriminator that registered for Nitro on or before March 1, 2023 will also be given early access." Yeah, when early access is in the list I do not know.
  - egometry 3y ago
    Almost certainly a play on the Twitter space. Driven by some exec or PM. The numeric distinguisher was good, actually.
- charcircuit 3y ago
  This is up to the user to change. Your old username becomes a display name and then you get to pick what your unique username will be. Discord doesn't have unique usernames right now.
  - reactordev 3y ago
    and what recourse do I have if my unique name is taken? This is the crux of the problem. You can't create a limited supply market when there wasn't one, after the fact.
    - charcircuit 3y ago
      >and what recourse do I have if my unique name is taken? Add a number. Before your unique username was your name + a 4 digit number. You could do the same thing here with your name plus a number.
      - eropple 3y ago
        The difference in affordances between "everyone has a number attached" and "somebody who isn't you doesn't" should be obvious. My username on Discord is "Ed#1234". My username will not be "@Ed". That sucks, the change isn't my choice, and I've canceled my subscription because they're removing the one feature, as much of a vanity thing as it is, that I liked enough to give them money. (This isn't an invitation to well-actually-that's-illogical about it. I could not care in the slightest if you think it is sufficiently lesswrongish to be valid. They're changing my username out from under me. That sucks. They have lost me as a customer.)
      - gabereiser 3y ago
        if I have a unique username in the form of a name + a 4 digit number, why do I need to create a unique username? The logic behind this doesn't make any sense other than the fact that they want to charge for a blue checkmark and/or they aren't satisfied with their current username setup. Both of which are not my concern as a user of their product. I shouldn't have to win the lottery to get my username back. I shouldn't be outbid by some kid with a python script who wants my name. Your name is your only true property on 3rd party sites/services. My username, is me. I am my username. To change it would be to change me. I kinda like me.
- KomoD 3y ago
  I do want to add: you can still add people by their old name#9999 username
- ShadowBanThis01 3y ago
  Right up there I'd put: Don't force people to use E-mail addresses as user IDs. It's a terrible idea for security and it's just straight-up dumb. Talk about amateur hour.
  - lelanthran 3y ago
    What's the alternative that doesn't require more effort for the user?
    - ShadowBanThis01 3y ago
      Any string that isn't taken.
      - lelanthran 3y ago
        That sounds like more effort for the user: now they have to remember some random string in addition to their email address. If every website did this, no one will ever sign up.
        ShadowBanThis01 3y ago
        Why would it be "in addition to" their E-mail address? And do you have a problem remembering your E-mail address? I don't understand your objection here at all. Not to mention, I said ANY string; that could be your E-mail address if you want it to be. Finally, your assertion about "any Web site that did this" is absurd, since a huge number of (probably even most) forums are powered by software that requires you to specify a user ID that doesn't have to be an E-mail address.
        gabereiser 3y ago
        Implying that one would remember their email address but would forget the 2nd item for identity. Combining email address with another string to create a unique ID isn't the answer either. Any combination of string+salt can be broken. What we are getting at is that it shouldn't be on the user to have to remember yet another identifier for XYZ website or service. We already have the concept of usernames, email address are somewhat unique, and you can suffix numbers like they do. If you really want unique ID's, decouple login from your identifier. On Steam, people login with their username or email address, not their Steam ID. For some, their Steam ID is 9999999999999999 long. For others it's 99999999 long. It all depends on when you joined Steam.

gabereiser 3y ago

Rule number one is you don’t change usernames, like you don’t change peoples email address. Username, email, address, phone, any PII is up to the user to change. Don’t f#ck with it.

prox 3y ago
Absolutely. If there is even just one Discord employee reading this : dont ffing do this. This is some hallucination that things will be more in line with other social outlets. Ask yourself: does this add value to my service? I think the answer is a 100% no. Ask yourself: does this move hurt my brand? Guess what is happening right now. This is idiocy in action.
- flangola7 3y ago
  So how do you suggest they address the recurring issues they laid out?
  - hackinthebochs 3y ago
    How often does adding a friend cold even happen on discord? All interaction is based around shared servers. If user A wants to friend user B, they either are or will be a member of the same server. Globally unique usernames just aren't relevant.
    - suzakus 3y ago
      Based on discord's post: https://discord.com/blog/usernames https://discord.com/blog/usernames it seems it happens more than you'd expect; particularly as discord has been on the uptick to being ubiquitous among teens/young adults who may wish to add each other after meeting in person
      - packetlost 3y ago
        Fine. Have a first-come-first serve lottery system. Person with the lowest discriminator wins that name. You have to open that up to everyone (not just those who pay), but that should be relatively easy to do. IMO, I think it's also ok to give preference to people who 1) were there first 2) pay for the service
        Ekaros 3y ago
        Discriminators are random for non nitro-users. And if you stop paying you don't even get to keep one...
        pavel_lishin 3y ago
        > Fine. Have a first-come-first serve lottery system Isn't this exactly what Discord is doing?
        ewanm89 3y ago
        Okay, discriminators are randomly assigned unless one pays for nitro, that said they have account creation date on record, so they can do it in order no problem. The issues are the order they have chosen is not that simple. They are giving verified bots first choice (some of these are questionable), then owners of partnered servers, then discord for business, then it is going by account age. They have added a clarification to their blog post: "Current Nitro subscribers paying for the ability to customize their discriminator that registered for Nitro on or before March 1, 2023 will also be given early access." Yeah, when early access is in the list I do not know.
- egometry 3y ago
  Almost certainly a play on the Twitter space. Driven by some exec or PM. The numeric distinguisher was good, actually.
charcircuit 3y ago
This is up to the user to change. Your old username becomes a display name and then you get to pick what your unique username will be. Discord doesn't have unique usernames right now.
- reactordev 3y ago
  and what recourse do I have if my unique name is taken? This is the crux of the problem. You can't create a limited supply market when there wasn't one, after the fact.
  - charcircuit 3y ago
    >and what recourse do I have if my unique name is taken? Add a number. Before your unique username was your name + a 4 digit number. You could do the same thing here with your name plus a number.
    - eropple 3y ago
      The difference in affordances between "everyone has a number attached" and "somebody who isn't you doesn't" should be obvious. My username on Discord is "Ed#1234". My username will not be "@Ed". That sucks, the change isn't my choice, and I've canceled my subscription because they're removing the one feature, as much of a vanity thing as it is, that I liked enough to give them money. (This isn't an invitation to well-actually-that's-illogical about it. I could not care in the slightest if you think it is sufficiently lesswrongish to be valid. They're changing my username out from under me. That sucks. They have lost me as a customer.)
    - gabereiser 3y ago
      if I have a unique username in the form of a name + a 4 digit number, why do I need to create a unique username? The logic behind this doesn't make any sense other than the fact that they want to charge for a blue checkmark and/or they aren't satisfied with their current username setup. Both of which are not my concern as a user of their product. I shouldn't have to win the lottery to get my username back. I shouldn't be outbid by some kid with a python script who wants my name. Your name is your only true property on 3rd party sites/services. My username, is me. I am my username. To change it would be to change me. I kinda like me.
KomoD 3y ago
I do want to add: you can still add people by their old name#9999 username
ShadowBanThis01 3y ago
Right up there I'd put: Don't force people to use E-mail addresses as user IDs. It's a terrible idea for security and it's just straight-up dumb. Talk about amateur hour.
- lelanthran 3y ago
  What's the alternative that doesn't require more effort for the user?
  - ShadowBanThis01 3y ago
    Any string that isn't taken.
    - lelanthran 3y ago
      That sounds like more effort for the user: now they have to remember some random string in addition to their email address. If every website did this, no one will ever sign up.
      - ShadowBanThis01 3y ago
        Why would it be "in addition to" their E-mail address? And do you have a problem remembering your E-mail address? I don't understand your objection here at all. Not to mention, I said ANY string; that could be your E-mail address if you want it to be. Finally, your assertion about "any Web site that did this" is absurd, since a huge number of (probably even most) forums are powered by software that requires you to specify a user ID that doesn't have to be an E-mail address.
        gabereiser 3y ago
        Implying that one would remember their email address but would forget the 2nd item for identity. Combining email address with another string to create a unique ID isn't the answer either. Any combination of string+salt can be broken. What we are getting at is that it shouldn't be on the user to have to remember yet another identifier for XYZ website or service. We already have the concept of usernames, email address are somewhat unique, and you can suffix numbers like they do. If you really want unique ID's, decouple login from your identifier. On Steam, people login with their username or email address, not their Steam ID. For some, their Steam ID is 9999999999999999 long. For others it's 99999999 long. It all depends on when you joined Steam.