this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2023
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I've been seeing a lot of usernames formatted "[lowercase][fourdigits]" or "user-[randomletternumbers]".

Normally, I'd assume that that just means the name was already taken and the numbers are manually entered to make it unique, but the formatting is too consistent. Is that something google is doing automatically?

The other one is real weird. Is that something some proxy sites are doing for anonymous posting?

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[–] Usernameblankface@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My username got changed for me by Google. Now it's (previous username, spaces removed) (random numbers)

[–] painfulasterisk@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

This is exactly my case.

[–] Contramuffin@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

It seems like Google changed the format of their YouTube usernames. I assume usernames need to be unique now, but I don't know for sure.

In any case, Google automatically added a string of numbers after my username, and I simply haven't bothered changing it back

[–] TornadoRex@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Bots? What are they doing?

[–] dustyData@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

No, actually real users. YouTube used to use user names. When they tried to force Google+ integration they gave the option to use your real name or split your account and have two "profiles". One with your username and one with your G+ name. When G+ was unceremoniously brought to the backyard and old yellered, the G+ profile was changed to your old YouTube username plus a bunch of random numbers. Some time later they fused all profiles, leaving a bunch of people with just a word and random numbers. It can be changed now, I think, but most people don't bother.

[–] TornadoRex@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

Oh yeah I remember that now.

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

If they're bots, they're some of the laziest usernames. Even worst then the [firstname][lastname][number] that infected reddit.

[–] Overarch3784@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can only answer this for me. I always use a username generator and usually it's a word with four numbers following.

[–] user224@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 year ago

user224 in here. I just made a mistake.
Firstly, I only wanted to test out SDF.org without wasting my username, but somebody decided to verify me out of their good heart. Then SDF.org announced their Lemmy instance. I didn't know what Lemmy is, so I used my SDF username.
I can't change it now.