[Hard core Rikki]

What's your desired new username? It goes without saying you shouldve contacted an active administrator about it.

 

[Hard core Rikki]

Do you think the idea I gave is a good one?

Its a bad one open for abuse. Wether we think so or otherwise is irrelevant.
Time isnt available in so little amounts that manual renamings wouldnt be better. A public log would have to exist for this kind of change, to make it clear who is now who (even today. Not everyone knows who MT, Evil_Squall, AOLforBroadband or Luigi___ are for example. These names and the earlier having been 'freed', anyone could now impersonate them, since freed names would not be blacklisted against renaming from other than the actual person earlier represented by it). Ban evasion could also be done the same, to hide the actual account identity, or impersonate other people or an already used idnetity.

If yes, do you think it is technically doable?

Everything is possible. Username changes are not the optimal way to do it however, changing only displayed names is, provided its still immeditely clear who is and was who (that would get rid of the issues with what you put on the table), as in not requiring literal investigations just to realize Luigi___ is a known emudev that went by another name.

do you think it would be a good thing to implement it here?

On the net, youre represented by a username and optionally an avatar and sig. How will you be recognized if you change them all, including your usertitle? And what about those who didnt see your 'new' usertitle while it was still mentioning your old username?

If no, can you give me at least one reason why it would be bad? Then I could think a little more before giving this kind of suggestions? Thanks.

If you change your username, anyone could use 'RedLion' instead of you and lock you out of your own username. Sure, you have 4 stars and a few thousands posts, but anyone in that bracket too could impersonate you, and people wouldnt even have an idea theyre not PMing or talking with the 'real' RedLion.

Without a clear automated public log, all sorts of abuses are possible even for fun, and would be encouraged literally (today volume is very low and admins are always aware of who changes, so good safeguards). Just forum 'cosplay' is troublesome, you can guess how full impersonation could be.

The reasons why I proposed it is because I think it would give a little more (controlled) freedom to the users concerning their user name.

Impersonation, hiding actual account identity and the possibility of fooling others members is not something to look thrilled by. A public automated log mentioning who changed name, when, and to what would have to be required even more than before, along with double identity display on miniprofiles, 'actual' display name and somewhere else the account name (ephemere mentions in usertitles are not a viable workaround, and not everyone will even have the delicacy to specify there they changed identity).

They could change it themselves letting the admins doing more importants jobs elsewhere. Of course, I know it does not happen twice a day, but at least the users won't have to seek for an admin for such a "simple" task.

Thats part of the job. Just ask away, wether 'simple' or not.

 

[Hard core Rikki]

It's still a bad one, wether you like to think otherwise. The supposed safeguards you listed are not actual ones (BOLDENING them wont suddenly make them any more valid, so you know).

Post deletion itself has far more relevance in terms of 'freedom'. The logic for usernames is the same as in real life. Youre free to change your name, but you dont get to do it yourself, and any occurence of change has to go through officials authorized to handle that.

You asked for a reason, reasons were listed. But maybe you weren't actually interessed in reasons.

Again, if anyone wants to change your username, just ask, and do it properly as on every forum on the internet: ask an active admin, or post in a thread with the desired username.

 

[Hard core Rikki]

The 2 points were adressed, including the "last phrase of the last post". I would recommend you reread more carefully.