Wikinews:Changing username

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The user name Wikinewsies choose for themselves is no longer set in stone. On request, Bureaucrats can change user account settings and article histories such that all previous edits of a given user are attributed to the new name. Currently, only users with fewer than 5000 edits (edit counter) can be renamed. You can only be renamed to an account that does not exist.

1. To change your user name on the English Wikinews only, please make your request on this page.
2. To change your user name on another Wikimedia project that has a local bureaucrat (see Special:Listusers on your wiki to check), please ask one of those bureaucrats.
3. To change your user name on another Wikimedia project that has no local bureaucrat, please ask a steward at meta:requests for permission.

• Archives: see /Archive

[edit] Alternatives

[edit] Change your signature

Instead of changing your name, you can change your preferences to change your signature. This will change your "public appearance" on talk pages without requiring costly changes to the database.

• All your edits will be attributed to the same user. Although it will be your Username and not your sig that appears in page histories, most public interaction here goes on via talk pages.
• If you have the desire and the patience, you can use "What links here" from your User: page to manually edit all your old signatures to use the new sig as well (probably not necessary in most cases).

[edit] Create a new account

You can simply create a new account with the desired name, and redirect your old User: and User Talk: pages to your new account.

• Put a note at the top of your new User: and User Talk: page to explain the change.
• This does not merge your contributions history; but anyone investigating the old edits will be redirected to your new one.
• Again, if you have the patience, you can use "What links here" from your old User: page to manually edit all your old talk page signatures to display the new sig as well, using a piped link of the form [[User:OldUserName|NewSig]]. Use an informative edit summary so that people do not think you are tampering with someone else's entry on a talk page (a definite community no-no).

[edit] Instructions

Please follow the procedure carefully or your request will not be fulfilled.

1. Check the new name you want does not exist (Special:Listusers)
2. Sign in with the account that you want renamed.
3. Copy the following text and paste it at the very bottom of the "Requests" section.

   {{subst:Renameuser|CURRENT|NEW|Reason for requested renaming}} ~~~~

In addition:

• If you are re-naming to be consistent with a username on another project, please include a diff to an edit with that account saying you want to rename on wikinews, to prove you really own the account on the other project. If you have a unified account under the SUL system, you should assert you want the change with your 'home' wiki
• If you are a sysop, please note this fact with your request so that the necessary changes can be made.
• Once your request is dealt with, all edits from your old account will be reattributed to your new account.
• You should check that the old account has been recreated and blocked to prevent someone else creating the account and impersonating you.

[edit] Current requests

Please put new requests at the end. To expedite your request, post a note on the talk pages of all bureaucrats. You may find a list of bureaucrats at WN:A. Fulfilled requests will be immediately moved to /Archive. See also special:log/renameuser.

[edit] Juleshs31 → JulesMattsson

• Current name: Juleshs31 (talk · contribs · logs · block log)
• Requested name: JulesMattsson (SUL reports: old & new) (rename user)
• Reason: Easier intergration with other services, helps build set of search results relating to photography when searching my name, which helps me in folio building and pro work. Juleshs31 (talk) 14:53, 12 December 2009 (UTC)

If I rename you, then your login for this wiki and other WMF wikis will no longer be "unified", i.e. you'll have to log in here separately from other projects because the username is different. Is that ok with you? If so, I'll rename you. Tempodivalse [talk] 15:07, 12 December 2009 (UTC)

Yeah sure that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Is there any way of unifying them with a different username of Wikinews than on other WMF wikis but login as one logs in as both? If not no matter. Thanks, --Juleshs31 (talk) 15:22, 12 December 2009 (UTC)

• Alas, no. There are no features in MediaWiki that support multiple pseudonyms. You can maintain the accounts separately, but should declare so clearly to avoid any appearance of operating sockpuppets. I'll do the rename now; what I did when I went from brianmc -> Brian McNeil was request separate renames on a few other projects and run a reunify on the new name. Left me with some orphan brianmcs places like Thai Wikinews. --Brian McNeil / ^talk 15:29, 12 December 2009 (UTC)

• Done --Brian McNeil / ^talk 15:31, 12 December 2009 (UTC)

• Okay, well I may just do that, as I don't really contribute to other WMF projects much, it shouldn't be too much of a problem to request renames on all of them and eventualy reunify, when I get around to it... :P Thanks, --Juleshs31 (talk) 15:33, 12 December 2009 (UTC)

• YOU'VE RELOGGED IN UNDER YOUR OLD USERNAME! You need to log out, and log in with the new username! --Brian McNeil / ^talk 15:45, 12 December 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Pmlinediter → Pmlineditor

• Current name: Pmlinediter (talk · contribs · logs · block log)
• Requested name: Pmlineditor (SUL reports: old & new) (rename user)
• Reason: Unify SUL. Pmlineditor ∞ 11:38, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Done Tempodivalse [talk] 14:33, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Oneiros → Oneiros

• Current name: Oneiros (talk · contribs · logs · block log)
• Requested name: Oneiros (SUL reports: old & new) (rename user)
• Reason: I want to usurp the account for my global SUL 91.1.102.162 (talk) 20:57, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

• I don't see any problem with this — if you can prove you own both accounts. Please provide a link to a signed, logged-in, diff on your home wiki (enwiki), and same for the account here. I will then be happy to rename the unlinked account to 'Oneiros-old and you can sort out the SUL. If you don't have the ability to log in to the account, then it'll be up for wider community discussion and scruitiny. --Brian McNeil / ^talk 02:20, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Here's the link to the section on my home wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Oneiros#SUL . Sorry, I don't own the Oneiros on this wiki. But that account hasn't been used for more than four years.--91.1.105.68 (talk) 14:45, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

• Not done I'm sorry, while the user hasn't been around for a long time, they've made good-faith contributions. They've not set and confirmed an email address, I have no way to see if they wish to keep the name or have a preferred change. --Brian McNeil / ^talk 15:33, 12 December 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Iceflow → BarkingFish

• Current name: Iceflow (talk · contribs · logs · block log)
• Requested name: BarkingFish (SUL reports: old & new) (rename user)
• Reason: SUL Unification, across all WMF projects. Renamed at home wiki (en.wp), this is to go in accordance with my Home Wiki.
• Link to confirmatory edit: here
• Please note:' The username BarkingFish does exist here, but has no edits or actions on this Wiki, the request therefore is that the username be changed and User:BarkingFish be usurped. Thanks!

BarkingFish (talk) 23:39, 14 December 2009 (UTC) Iceflow (talk) 23:40, 14 December 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Treelo → Baa

• Current name: Treelo (talk · contribs · logs · block log)
• Requested name: Baa (SUL reports: old & new) (rename user)
• Reason: Good ol' SUL merging with a new name after my recent (or upcoming) usurp at home wiki (en.wiki) identifying diff Treelo (talk) 05:03, 17 December 2009 (UTC)