Another Hubber Asked Me to Change My Username, what now?

1. 84

   Joe Machoposted 12 years ago

   Hello,
   
   I'll give you a little background to the story here. I write on hubpages under the  alias of Joe Macho. It was the first thing to pop in my head, and I find it more comfortable to write under this name than my real one. My problem now, is that I was contacted by another hubber and asked to change my username, simply because his real name is Joseph Macho. Is this something that I need to abide to? I registered on hubpages months before this hubber and have never had contact with him until today. What do I do from here?

   replyreport
   1. 88

      Patty Inglish, MSposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I would not change it and don't know of a legal reason to change it. There may be many people with the same name, after all  - Mary Jones, Joe Smith, etc. But email and ask HP at Team@hubpages.com

      replyreport
   2. 0

      Website Examinerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Invite him to join this discussion.

      replyreport
      1. 84

         Joe Machoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         How do I do that?

         replyreport
         1. 0

            Website Examinerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            If he has a contact link on his profile page, you can contact him through HubPages. Or you may have his direct email address. Otherwise, leave him a comment. Either way, be sure to include a link to this thread
            
            (http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/92194).

            replyreport
   3. 77

      Greekgeekposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Joe, since your hubs have been around a while, and their URLs are built with your username, changing your username would mean breaking ALL the links to those hubs, ALL the clout they've built up in search engines, and ALL the traffic your hubs are getting. All that hard work would be poured down the toilet, and you'd have to start from scratch. This means lost income. Besides which, you'd probably have to delete your account and create a new one. And the kicker? This other Joe Macho could waltz in and inherit the search engine love you've built up pointing to your user profile.
      
      It would be completely unfair to you.
      
      I've had the opposite happen. I've had an online handle, sepdet, that I've used on the internet since 1993. It was my misreading of an ancient Egyptian name... but once I discovered my mistake,  I kept it, because people knew me by it.  Alas, my mistake got propagated on the web, thanks to some of my articles getting copied and quoted.  When I went to register my usual handle on Twitter, I found someone had claimed it.
      
      Did I contact that person? Absolutely not, because I hadn't trademarked it. The web is first come, first served.

      replyreport
2. 0

   Website Examinerposted 12 years ago

   Keep your user name, which you cannot change except by closing your account and starting a new one under a different name. Put a notice on your profile page that this is not your real name. Ask the other person to contact HubPages if he has any concerns.

   replyreport
3. 80

   TamCorposted 12 years ago

   I looked this guy up, and he doesn't even go by his given name. 
   
   I like Website's advice--put a notice on your profile page, stating that this isn't your real name, just for clarification purposes...
   
   Also--You're stuck with your HP name unless you close your account down and start over, and since you have so many hubs up, I doubt that you want to do THAT!

   replyreport
   1. 84

      Joe Machoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      No, closing my account would be the last thing I want to do. I've worked really hard to get where I'm at, and would hate to lose it all.

      replyreport
      1. 60

         paradigmsearchposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I don't want you to close your account either. Otherwise, I won't be able to say, "Say it ain't so, Joe,"
         
         Hang in there.

         replyreport
4. 76

   sunforgedposted 12 years ago

   I wouldn't even bother with the "not my real name" notice. Its not required and I don't think that its a real issue or a legitimate request.
   
   My real name has hundreds of results that aren't me. (and I like it that way)

   replyreport
   1. 84

      Joe Machoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's what I thought. I punched my real name into Google and it came back with thousands of people who aren't me.

      replyreport
   2. 65

      relacheposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      THIS.

      replyreport
      1. 84

         Joe Machoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         THIS?

         replyreport
         1. 65

            relacheposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            It's a common Internet way of saying "ditto" or indicating you support what someone else already said.  The use of all capitals is for added emphasis.

            replyreport
   3. 0

      Website Examinerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, in principle. But the OP is asking how to resolve the situation, and such a notice could be a pragmatic solution. It is not totally irrelevant that the person with that name may be concerned about confusion.

      replyreport
      1. 84

         Joe Machoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Don't get me wrong, I understand his side of the situation too. I'll just have to wait and see what the staff at hubpages have to say.

         replyreport
         1. 74

            skyfireposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I don't think you'll get answer from staff in this thread. You need to send them an email if you want quicker response. My personal opinion - Ignore such emails.

            replyreport
      2. 76

         sunforgedposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I agree, It is a solution to a "perceived" problem. I'm suggesting that it is not an actual problem and the request was naive to the point of being laughable.
         
         When, Joe macho made that request, did he realize that Joe Macho was a pseudonym?
         
         I would say, "sorry, but there is little I can do for you,but if anyone ever emails me looking for you, ill be sure to forward the info to you"
         
         Im stunned that there is a "real" Joe Macho and that he writes at HubPages. That must be like finding two exact snowflakes, really, what are the chances!
         
         edit-Using a very creepy, accurate People search I found 30 returns for that name, which compared to most names is a very, very small return.

         replyreport
5. 67

   Rosie2010posted 12 years ago

   Hi Joe Macho.  What are the chances huh?  You had already invested time and effort building 105 hubs here on Hubpages, which is an amazing feat btw, under that username.  IMHO you own that username here on Hubpages.  But best contact Hubpages as Patty Inglish suggested and let us know what they say.
   
   Welcome to Hubpages, Joe Macho!!!!

   replyreport
   1. 84

      Joe Machoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I definitely went ahead and contacted the Hubpages team. I'll let you know what they say. I appreciate the kind words.

      replyreport
6. 62

   Lisa HWposted 12 years ago

   I think some people need to realize that if they happen to have a name that's also a commonly used word (like "snow", for example), their name is going to show up being used as a word, rather than as a name.  (I wonder if there's a real Joe Sixpack or Joeblow out there somewhere too.... )  My kids' father is a "Joe".  He's so used to his name being thrown around for one purpose or another, he, himself, uses that name for similar purposes.   

   replyreport
7. 83

   Pcunixposted 12 years ago

   Or sell your account  to him for whatever the trouble is worth to  you..

   replyreport
8. 89

   Cardisaposted 12 years ago

   I don't think it's necessary to change your name, as Patty said there are thousands, maybe millions with the same name. It's not like you are plagiarizing the guy and even if he is using his real name it doesn't make a difference because you are "Joe"  and he is "Joseph".

   replyreport
9. 60

   ntmarketingposted 12 years ago

   Leave it as is because you have no legal obligation to change it.

   replyreport
10. 77

    psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

    Ignore him.

    replyreport
11. 85

    Rebecca E.posted 12 years ago

    don't btoher changing it, it's your username and the trouble would not be worth it.  You don't need to change it.

    replyreport
12. 0

    jenuboukaposted 12 years ago

    Hey think of it as "first come first serve"  It was not like personal thing against the guy, and you are right, all the hard work you have done would have to be reversed in a sense. No way, not in my book. It is a lot of work, effort, and time to publish and be read under a name for a period of time.

    replyreport
13. 75

    Uninvited Writerposted 12 years ago

    If he wanted to use his real name he should have had the foresight to do that. When we had the chance to have individual domains I created one under my own name to avoid the possibility, no matter how rare, of the chance someone else would use my name.
    
    No one can demand you change your user name.

    replyreport
14. 84

    Joe Machoposted 12 years ago

    Well, the Hubpages team confirmed what you've all been saying. There's no reason for me to change it. Thank you all for your input!

    replyreport
    1. 67

       Rosie2010posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I'm happy for you.. thanks for letting us know.
       Happy hubbing, Joe Macho!!!
       

       replyreport
15. 73

    LeanManposted 12 years ago

    I have had a similar problem from a company/individual that is unhappy with my user name and claimed copyright.. however you cannot copyright a name or a website URL..... So in the end.... No worries....

    replyreport
16. 74

    skyfireposted 12 years ago

    You have to consider the possibility of some of the trolls that are sending random legal notices to website owners to get the profit or pure enjoyment that comes from harassment. I know many cases where some website owners who got random take-down notices just because they don't agree with the content posted. My real name has more than 10k folks in the same state that matches occupation and interests like mine. It is really hard to for any random person on the internet to spot the right person from the lot. If any one person out of this lot asks me to remove content that matches with his life or interest, doesn't mean I have to respect that request. I simply don't care unless I get legal notice and that too valid one.

    replyreport