Jonathan Walther wrote:
On Tue, Jan 28, 2003 at 03:44:33PM -0800, Jimmy Wales wrote:
I concur, with the caveat that in all but a few shocking cases that only a twisted mind such as mine could think up anyway, ha ha, I don't think that someone coming in with an offensive nickname is enough to ban the *person*, particularly on a first offense. We can just tell them that they need to pick a more professional handle.
I am in favor of renaming them summarily. Or at least changing their "nickname" that shows up in recent changes, while leaving the actual login name itself alone.
I would at least notify a newbie that some Wikipedians consider the name to be offensive, and give him a day or two to choose something more suitable. I'm not personally offended by these names, but I do find them infantile. I would also advise the offender that even the most tolerant Wikipedians may consider that person's contributions unreliable, and subject to closer scrutiny.
Eclecticology