Discord changing how the name/username system works, first come and first serve

[Drayton]

https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/6/23711332/discord-username-changes-community-backlash-handles

Remember people can have same nicknames but different (discord tags #), well they plan to get rid the discriminator (#) in favor of twitter-style tag. Let's say Qibli#2940 it won't be #2940 anymore after the update came and first come, first serve basis people can get that rare or nifty username for them to hold on anymore, you won't be getting a nickname that you want to hold dear from like Qibli#2940 to @Qibli (a.k.a like twitter)

Are you happy or sad with the upcoming changes on twitter?

 

[Nah]

Doesn't sound like a very good idea to me

 

[Drayton]

Giving up you update around here. Bots, verfied and server owners gets prioritized and the name change thing be more for nitro users who gets a early access.

 

[Mewtwolover]

https://discord.com/blog/usernames

The biggest problem: our current usernames can often be too complicated or obscure for people to remember and share easily.

Removing four-digit discriminators isn't the solution, it will only make that problem even worse.

 

[Tsutarja]

it's a no bueno from me

 

[Megan]

I don't like how this is just another instance of "your name as a brand" thing. <_<

 

[Incineroar]

I really don't like it. Name sniping will become a huge issue, where as the number discriminators makes it easier for everyone in the event that someone wants the same name.

 

[Cherrim]

My gut reaction was that I hated it but then I read their blog post and it made a lot more sense. Especially during the pandemic, Discord really pushed itself to be the chat application for everyone. I was constantly getting popups from the app itself being like "do you have a club at school? make a discord server for it to stay connected with everyone!" And when you make something for everyone, that includes the tech illiterate normies who have only ever known usernames and display names. I have to admit that I didn't even know that Discord usernames are case-sensitive. I thought I could just give my handle as cherrim#0421 or Cherrim#0421 and it wouldn't make a difference, but apparently it does. So when you have people who are putting all kinds of things in their usernames, because it simply allows you do, I can totally understand how the hypothetical person in the blog post would struggle to share their username in a setting where they aren't just copy-pasting it to someone they already chat with elsewhere. Couple that with the fact that it's not even easy to find servers if you aren't already chatting (because you have to pay or be partnered [very hard!!] in order to have a vanity url) and it's just not simple to connect with people on Discord for the first time. I'm sure most people eventually manage it but why should it be so hard?

That said, it's kind of infuriating that they moved the goalposts and instead of letting people change their name on a first-come, first-served basis, they're expediting Nitro users and people who own partnered servers. And I say that as someone who has Nitro—the one silver lining about the whole change when it was announced was that it was going to be handled fairly. If you've had your name+discriminator on Discord longer than others, your chance to change would come up first. But then they silently edited and let people who are already paying have an earlier go and that doesn't sit well with me at all, it feels really scummy.

I think once the change is made, people will stop caring in a few months and it'll all settle down, but it sure has been kinda weird seeing all the sheer vitriol from people on the subreddit over this.

Anyway if I don't get my username, this is the worst thing they've ever done. If I do, it's whatever, LOL.

 

[RadEmpoleon]

I think it's disappointing because the number discriminators made discord unique from traditional social media platforms. Now it feels like they're just trying to copy them...

at least I won't have to worry about anyone stealing the username RadEmpoleon since it's so ridiculously specific lol

 

[Palamon]

If I don't get Palamon, I'll be pissed.

Tbh, I don't care, but it sucks because some people won't get their usernames since they're very common.

 

[Juno]

Said this earlier on Discord but I'll say it here, too - I always thought discriminators were such a great solution to a growing problem a lot of sites and services have, which is that there are simply too many people on the internet now for unique usernames to be good. It made a lot of sense to me that people could still have a name that was "their" name, while having a system in place that made them easy to find (I don't think remembering your 4 numbers is that difficult). I would have thought more platforms would be moving towards discriminators, not the other way around.

 

[Roni]

well time will tell how affected i'll be by this change. on top of casual use, i use discord for work too, so i don't feel like i can just use one of my online monikers to get around. my name right now is literally just my first name, Aaron, with an extra "a" lol. i guess if that's taken, i might as well start adding some numbers in there or something. not the end of the world, just a minor nuisance to deal with.