old old usernames

[GrayMouser]

Okay, this is weird.

While searching an old thread- "Tolkien compared to other writers" -started by bmilder in 2000 (I told you we're talking old here)-I discovered I'd been posting here under the name of MikeN, which I'd totally forgotten.

However, there's no record of that name in the Member's List and Search doesn't return any hits.

But it was definitely me, and since it showed a user name those posts must be somewhere- mustn't they?

[Valandil]

Hey GM / MN - Ben or one of the other earliest members would be able to tell you most accurately... but I know that way, way back, Entmoot was on something called EZ Board. And I understand they had a crash from back then and lost a lot of stuff. Maybe they were able to recover threads but not members or posts(??). I know that some of them (The Hobbit, for instance) have commented about how their posts from those days don't show up on their post counts, which is partly why the admins set very high artificial post counts some while back.

I'll see if anyone drops in who can tell us more.

That's interesting to hear though. And yes - I even see a lot of ancient posts by users just called 'guest' - which implies that you could post without registering back then, which you can no longer do here. So clearly there were some changes.

[GrayMouser]

Thanks- noticed that there was a definite split on the thread, with posters before 2004 having non-linking usernames. Too bad- I'd totally forgotten I was here that far back- I'd like to see what i thought back then!

[Earniel]

That's interesting to hear though. And yes - I even see a lot of ancient posts by users just called 'guest' - which implies that you could post without registering back then, which you can no longer do here. So clearly there were some changes.
Or possibly the posts were copied from the old board to here, but the old accounts could not be moved. It was before my time, though, so I'm just guessing.

In any case, Graymouser, some of your old posts are still here, but you can't search them on your account name because the account is not here. I've found one of your first posts (http://entmoot.tolkientrail.com/showthread.php?t=876&highlight=miken) by searching for MikeN in the text in the hope someone had replied to you and used your name.

I'm guessing you never made the move from the old board (EZboard, I think it was) to here. Some of the others did, and judging from the discussion in the very first thread, their information (join date and post count for instance) were afterwards adapted to reflect those they had on the previous board. I've checked out a few of the earliest accounts and it seems to bear out. Eruve, for example, a member that posted around the same time as you under MikeN, has over 300 posts according his/her profile, but only 3 turn up in a search, all dating from 2001. But according to the profile the joining date is earlier, and there are several posts under Eruve's name from an older date but that are not tied to an account.

So while the actual first posts on Entmoot date from (august, I think) 2001, I presume all the earlier posts were copied, but without the accounts belonging to them. Which, I think, is why you won't find the MikeN account.

[GrayMouser]

Thanks for your trouble, Earniel. I think that I didn't transfer but rejoined later under my current name.

Still, nice to see my first post again!

[Ben]

Or possibly the posts were copied from the old board to here, but the old accounts could not be moved. It was before my time, though, so I'm just guessing.

In any case, Graymouser, some of your old posts are still here, but you can't search them on your account name because the account is not here. I've found one of your first posts (http://entmoot.tolkientrail.com/showthread.php?t=876&highlight=miken) by searching for MikeN in the text in the hope someone had replied to you and used your name.

I'm guessing you never made the move from the old board (EZboard, I think it was) to here. Some of the others did, and judging from the discussion in the very first thread, their information (join date and post count for instance) were afterwards adapted to reflect those they had on the previous board. I've checked out a few of the earliest accounts and it seems to bear out. Eruve, for example, a member that posted around the same time as you under MikeN, has over 300 posts according his/her profile, but only 3 turn up in a search, all dating from 2001. But according to the profile the joining date is earlier, and there are several posts under Eruve's name from an older date but that are not tied to an account.

So while the actual first posts on Entmoot date from (august, I think) 2001, I presume all the earlier posts were copied, but without the accounts belonging to them. Which, I think, is why you won't find the MikeN account.

This is correct. Entmoot was hosted by ezboard from 1999 to 2001. When ezboard became unreliable, we decided to install vBulletin software on our own server to get more control over the board. We were able to copy over the old posts with the original timestamps, but could not transfer user accounts. Entmooters had to re-register for the vBulletin, and admins manually changed users' post counts and registration dates upon request to reflect their activity on the ezboard.

We actually didn't allow guest posts on the ezboard either. The posters were all registered users of ezboard at the time, but show up now as "guest" because they are not linked back to vBulletin user accounts, even when the user did re-register under the same name.

[Snowdog]

Ah yes.. the days of EZcrash. I came by here and Barrow Downs on there in August 2000 as I wandered the www for Tolkien sites and information on those darn movies.

[Huorn]

While on the suject of old old usernames--I joined this site in 2003 as Entwife Oak. I made about 260 posts on that account before creating this one on 2006 and abandoning that one. If it still exists is there any way that account can be merged with this one?

Just found the profile---> http://entmoot.tolkientrail.com/member.php?u=2355 - 250 posts before it was abandoned. It has the old animated Huorn avatar. I will be experimenting with this account to see if I can put a newer avatar on it.

[Jonathan]

Welcome back Huorn!
Admins can merge accounts but traditionally the staff have been reluctant to do so. Similarly as a rule, the staff generally don't change usernames, delete accounts or alter postcounts - all things which would be the result of a merge. The join date would be affected too.

Do you still have access to your old Entwife Oak account? Would you want help with restoring the access?


Edit: I've talked to the rest of the staff. An admin should soon merge the two accounts.

[Huorn]

Yes I do. I found it and still have the login--but I don't want the old username when the two are merged. After the merge I want the username to stay Huorn.

EntwifeOak----->Huorn and the resulting account to still be Huorn. Keep my present email that is on this account. The old email that is on EntwifeOak is dead.

[Pitchike12]

Actually I just joined, so I don't have an old-old username. Can you register to a new user again if you want to change it?:rolleyes: