Wikipedia:Username policy

"WP:UN" redirects here. For the United Nations WikiProject, see Wikipedia:WikiProject United Nations.

"WP:U" redirects here. For the User page guideline, see Wikipedia:User page.

See also: Wikipedia:How to log in and Wikipedia:Changing username

The username policy covers accepted practices and behavior in naming and operating a user account on Wikipedia for accounts created after 2006-12-08.

When you create a new account, so you can log in, one of the things you will have to do is pick a username. This page gives some advice on this, and also details uses of accounts which are not acceptable.

Your username is attached to all edits you make while logged in. This means that all your edits are credited and attributed to you. This is further explained at Wikipedia:Why create an account?.

Choosing a username

The choice of username might be based on your real name or a familiar Internet nickname, or a new pseudonym that you use only for Wikipedia, depending on how much anonymity you want to preserve while editing.

Wikipedia editors have been subject to severe harassment inside and outside of Wikipedia. This is a valid reason not to use your real name or any previously used username or nickname that can be connected to you. On the other hand, you will probably be taken more seriously if you edit by your real name. It may be possible to change your mind later and rename your account, but a record will still exist tying you to the original username; see below for details.

If you choose not to use your real name, you should pick a username that does not interfere with the writing of this encyclopedia. Choose a name that you are comfortable using, but also one that others are comfortable seeing and collaborating with. A controversial name may affect other users' perspective on your credibility or political or religious viewpoint. Avoiding controversial names is in your own interest. In addition, there are some specific Wikipedia-related username issues. Your username may be blocked if it makes it look like you are an administrator here or occupy an official position; avoid terms like admin or administrator, bureacrat, steward, checkuser, oversight, and similar terms like "sysop" or "moderator." Also, your username may be blocked if it looks like a bot username, especially names that end in "bot;" such account names are reserved for approved bots.

Wikipedia usernames are case sensitive. The first letter of all usernames is automatically capitalized.

Signatures

By default, your username is also used as your signature on talk page posts. For details on signatures and how to customize them, see Wikipedia:Signatures.

Non-Latin usernames

Users with non-Latin usernames are welcome to edit in Wikipedia. However, scripts of non-Latin languages (such as Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Japanese and others) are illegible to most other contributors of the English Wikipedia. As a courtesy to the rest of the contributors, users with such usernames are encouraged to help them navigate by means of Latin signatures, Latin user redirects, and an explanation on their userpage.

For more information on the specifics, see Wikipedia:Userpage § Non-Latin, and Wikipedia:Signatures § Non-Latin.

Username disambiguation

If your username is similar to that of another Wikipedia editor (or Wikipedia article), you should add a hatnote (disambiguation) so a reader can find the other editor if desired. You can use the templates {{thisuser}}, {{thisusertalk}}, and {{userpage otheruse}}, among others, at the top of your user page and user talk page for this purpose.

If your username is commonly misspelled, consider adding a redirect from the misspelled username to your actual username. (You can create a user page without going through the new user process.)

Username blocks

Wikipedia administrators are allowed to block users based on their username in some circumstances. Generally these blocks fall into one of three types:

1. Username blocks may be applied to users with usernames that are clearly unacceptable for use on Wikipedia. These blocks are typically indefinite "soft" blocks that allow the user to create a new account and edit anonymously. If you have been given a username block, please don't take it personally; it is meant to disable the username you chose, not to prevent you from contributing.
2. Preemptive blocks may be applied to users whose disruptive username makes it clear they intend to cause trouble, namely usernames obviously created for the purposes of trolling, contain harassment or personal attacks, or fitting the pattern of a banned user or known vandal. Such usernames are typically hard-blocked indefinitely without further discussion.
3. Conduct blocks with username component any block for a user's behavior may take their username into account. If the username is part of the problem, a block may be extended to an indefinite block, so as to disallow the username. Blockable conduct that may have a username component includes, but is not limited to disruptive or tendenitious editing, incivility or personal attacks, and disrupting Wikipedia to make a point.

Inappropriate usernames

Wikipedia does not allow usernames that are confusing, misleading, promotional or offensive.

The line between acceptable and unacceptable user names is based on the opinions of other editors, and you should not create new usernames for the purpose of trying to find this line. If your real name appears to be inappropriate but you wish to use it anyway, you can e-mail an administrator to work out a solution. Note that the criteria below, and examples further below, are applied to your signature as well.

Also, note that a username that is inappropriate in another language or one that represents an otherwise inappropriate name with misspellings and substitutions, such as a swearword in Leetspeak, may still be considered inappropriate.

These four points summarise the reasons that a username may be considered inappropriate under this policy.

1. Confusing usernames make it unduly difficult to identify users by their username.
2. Misleading usernames imply relevant, misleading things about the user.
3. Promotional usernames appear promote a group or company on Wikipedia, if the user promotes it.
4. Offensive usernames can be expected to make harmonious editing difficult or impossible.

The choice of an inappropriate username is remedied by an indefinite block on the username in most cases, so as to disable the use of that username. In some cases, the user will not be blocked, so as to allow them to gracefully abandon the name without being forced to do so, either by filing a request at Wikipedia:Changing username or by simply not using the account further.

The more borderline a username, the less important it is for it to be blocked, and the larger the potential for the block to be harmful in driving away a good contributor.

Usernames that are not inappropriate but which could still cause minor amounts of confusion or friction can be thought of as usernames that are bad ideas. Bad idea usernames should not be blocked, and users that choose them should not be forced to change them, unless the username actually causes a significant problem.

If you think that someone has chosen a bad username, but it has not been used inappropriately, the thing to do is to discuss the name with the user, and realize it is up to them to decide if they want to change names. Keep in mind that a user's choice of username is a personal choice, and while we want new users to succeed, it is best to avoid treating them harshly, and instead explain the issue and hope they will respond well. If multiple users have tried and failed to get a user to change their username after a good-faith attempt at discussion, it may be best to open a request for comment on the user's username; in some cases, the user may be, as a result, forced to change their username.

Reporting inappropriate names

Unless a username is blatantly inappropriate, or you think it needs a preemptive block, do not report it unless the user has begun editing. Most usernames that are registered are never used.

Clearly blockable usernames should be reported at Wikipedia:Usernames for administrator attention (along with an explanation of the issue), and can be blocked on sight by any administrator. In cases of clear bad faith it is occasionally useful to disable account creation (such as attack usernames).

For usernames that may not be clear violations, it is best to treat them as "bad idea" usernames and discuss them with the user instead of reporting them.

Changing your username

Usernames can be changed by bureaucrats. You can request a name change at Wikipedia:Changing username. If you have few edits, it may be easier and quicker to simply register a new account with a different name.

Any talk pages that you have signed will still display your former username. If you feel strongly about personal information no longer being on visible pages on the site, you can edit these pages to remove your signature. (Your old signature will still appear in diffs and in earlier versions of the pages.)

Real names

You are allowed to edit under your real name, but you are not allowed to edit under the real name of a well-known living person unless either (1) you are that person, or (2) you aren't that person, but it is your real name, and you make it clear that you are not that person. Usernames that are real names of well-known people may be blocked until it can be confirmed that the user in question is using their real name. If you aren't famous, but share the name of a famous person, it is best to leave a note on your user page making this explicit.

If you are a well-known living person who is blocked for using your real name, please don't take offense! Realize that we block such usernames to protect you from being impersonated. If you want to use your real name to edit, it is fine, but you will need to prove you are who you say you are. The best way to do this is through Wikipedia:OTRS.

Company/group names

Many relatively unknown companies or groups attempt to use Wikipedia to promote themselves. Please don't do this. If you create an account with a username that matches your unknown company or group, it will almost certainly be blocked if you engage in promotional activity. Editing with a conflict-of-interest (such as a user editing about the company they own or work for) is not categorically disallowed: you may be allowed to make such edits if you learn the relevant Wikipedia policies first. However, even in such cases, it can be a problem if you choose to use your company or group name as your username, because even the use of that name can be seen as raising visibility for yourself.

Also, it is frowned upon in general for any company or group to have an account that represents the group. Wikipedia accounts are expected to be individual accounts.

Deleting your account

Accounts with contributions cannot be deleted since this would allow another user to create the account, and claim authorship of those edits. It is not possible for your edits to be removed entirely; for this reason, removing the account would potentially violate copyrights by allowing for such authorship claims.

However, you may request your user and talk page to be deleted, as explained at WP:USER.

Sharing accounts

For reasons of attribution and accountability, you are not allowed to share your account or password with others. If you do, and this becomes known, your account will be blocked. Please also note that "role accounts" associated with an office, position, or task are currently prohibited with the following exceptions:

• Roles that directly represent the Wikimedia Foundation and internal Wikipedia committees

Role accounts for the purposes of conducting public relations or marketing via the encyclopedia are strongly discouraged and will be blocked for violations of the Wikipedia:Conflict of interest guidelines.

Using multiple accounts

See also: Wikipedia:Sock puppetry

It is recommended that users not edit under multiple usernames, except with good reason. For example, prominent users might create a new account in order to experience how the community functions for new users, or users editing under their real name may want an alternate pseudonymous account for editing articles they would not want their real name associated with. Also, users running a bot are expected to run this under an alternative account. If you use multiple accounts, it is recommended that you explain this on your user page. Templates such as {{User Alternate Acct|main account}} and {{User Alt Acct Master}} can be used for this purpose.

Policies apply per person, not per account. Using a second account for policy violations will cause any penalties to be applied to both accounts. Users who are banned or blocked from editing may not use sock puppets to circumvent this. Evading a block or ban causes the timer on the block to restart, and may further lengthen it.

Sockpuppetry

You are not allowed to create multiple accounts in order to make your opinion seem more prevalent than it actually is. This is known as sockpuppetry. Examples of such policy violations include attempting to vote twice in a poll, agreeing with your other account in a deletion discussion, and engaging in revert wars using multiple accounts.

In rare cases, users with a particular point of view have created sockpuppets to act as if they held the opposite point of view. Generally such sockpuppets behave badly in order to make "their" POV look bad, or make straw man arguments that the puppeteer can easily refute with his main account. These are known as "straw man sockpuppets" and are likewise prohibited.

Dealing with violations

Sock puppet accounts operating in violation of this policy should be blocked indefinitely; the main account may be blocked at the discretion of any administrator. Non-administrators may list the accounts at Wikipedia:Suspected sock puppets or Wikipedia:Administrator intervention against vandalism. Difficult cases where the nature and extent of sockpuppetry is unclear and where there is an ongoing problem may be listed at Wikipedia:Requests for checkuser for investigation.

Single-purpose accounts

A single-purpose account is an account that only does one particular thing on Wikipedia, or only exists to push a single opinion (as opposed to regular editors, that tend to edit and discuss in a variety of areas). Such accounts are not forbidden, and indeed may be novice editors who will grow interested in other topics over time. Still, a single-purpose account may be a red flag for sockpuppetry. Experienced users are expected to assume good faith and be nice to these. See also Wikipedia:Single-purpose account.

Checkuser

Where it is unclear whether or not sock puppetry is in progress, server log information can be consulted. To comply with Wikimedia Foundation privacy policy, this is limited to a handful of users and only done in serious cases, with reasonable cause, to check if user A is the same as user B based upon some evidence. "Fishing" – or general trawling of users in a debate for possible sockpuppets – is not supported and requests for such checks are unlikely to be agreed to. Requests may be made at Request for CheckUser.

Tagging identified sock puppets

If an account has been shown to be a sock puppet used for policy violations, then it may be identified as such, by adding {{SockpuppetProven}} to the user page and {{sockblock}} to the talk page of the sock puppet account. There are four tags available, one for violations confirmed by Checkuser, another for other forms of confirmed sockpuppet use, a third for suspected violations, and the fourth is the suspected IP addresses:

• {{SockpuppetCheckuser|Username|Optional name of CheckUser case (what is after Wikipedia:Requests for checkuser/Case/)}}
• {{SockpuppetProven|1=Username|evidence=[[EvidenceLink]]}}. "EvidenceLink" can be replaced with something such as "[[Wikipedia:Suspected sock puppets/Username]]":
• {{Sockpuppet|1=Username|evidence=[[EvidenceLink]]}}
• {{IPsock|1=Username|evidence=[[EvidenceLink]]}}

The original or best-known account of a user that operates sock puppets may be tagged with {{Sockpuppeteer}}. Note that this tag is intended for abusive sock puppets and should not be used on the pages of people whose legitimate multiple accounts have not been blocked.

Meatpuppets

Sometimes, multiple individuals create new accounts specifically to participate in, or influence, a particular discussion. This is common in deletion discussions or controversial articles. These may be friends of another editor or article subject, or may have been solicited by someone to support a specific angle in a debate. This practice of external solicitation is considered unacceptable.

Such accounts are known as "meatpuppets". Since they are hard to distinguish from sockpuppets, they are treated similarly. When there is uncertainty whether a party is one user with sockpuppets, or several users acting as meatpuppets, they may be treated as one individual.

Doppelganger accounts

"WP:DOPPEL" redirects here. For our sockpuppetry policy, see WP:SOCK
It is acceptable to pre-emptively create another account with a username similar to one's own, with the purpose of preventing impersonation by vandals. Such accounts are called doppelganger accounts. They should be marked with the {{doppelganger}} or {{doppelganger-other}} tag, or simply redirected to one's own userpage. Such accounts should not be used for editing.

See also

• Wikipedia:Changing usernames
• Wikipedia:Bureaucrat
• Internet sock puppet
• Help:Logging in
• Wikipedia:Usernames for administrator attention
• Wikipedia:Requests for comment/User names
• Wikipedia:User page

External links

• UseRealNames at MeatballWiki