At present, while we allow users on Fandom to modify their signatures to their liking so long as their actual Fandom username is still included, in full, in the signature, such a privilege is not currently granted on Wookieepedia's official Discord server.
The reason for this is for the most part three-fold. Firstly, following verification in the Discord server, a user's nickname is set to their Fandom nickname.
The second reason has to do with clarity on Discord for more or less telling just... who is who. It helps immensely in knowing who we're communicating with in respect to the wiki itself, and with administrators in particular on the Discord server it's more or less paramount that their nicknames match.
The third reason is just... general moderation. Letting people change their nicknames to whatever poses some minor security risks that I'm sure are apparent to most of us here.
However, I feel like there is some legroom to allow a degree of customization for nicknames in the Discord server—at the very least, in a similar vein to how signatures can be modified on the wiki. As such, I'd like make a rough proposal of the following changes to our Discord policy:
- After a user has been verified, they may request their server-side Discord nickname be changed by administration to one reflecting their personal preferences. However, the requested nickname must not violate Wookieepedia's policies, Fandom's Terms of Service, or Discord's Terms of Service. Furthermore, their Fandom username must still be included in the nickname, in full and unaltered, in some form.
- After successfully requesting a nickname change, users must wait six months (duration subject to change based on this SH) before requesting another nickname change. Exceptions are up to administrative discretion.
- Administrators are still required to have nicknames matching their Fandom usernames.
- Thannus (DFaceG) (he/him) (talk) 22:33, 8 May 2025 (UTC)
Discuss
- Not sure the last sentence is necessary. Admins are users still, so if it stands that all users can do something - like voting, commenting, or any sort of action onsite - then all users can just do it. As you said, the Fandom nickname (in full) still has to be present regardless for every user, so it'd be unnecessarily punitive to users that happen to be admins.—spookywillowwtalk 23:04, 8 May 2025 (UTC)
- I would much prefer if usernames on Discord include the Fandom username in full, unaltered, for ease of identification by anyone—at least in the format Nickname (Fandom username) OOM 224 17:30, 9 May 2025 (UTC)
- I like OOM's idea if we are to allow it. Bonzane10
05:39, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
- I like OOM's idea if we are to allow it. Bonzane10
- I don't personally have any issue with nicknames being different from Fandom usernames. To help ease any concerns about it, though, if that was to be allowed, we could consider saying that if server nicknames are different enough than Fandom usernames, then the per-server bio should state the person's on-site username at the top of the bio. That way, it's immediately visible if you click someone's name. - Brandon Rhea(talk)(he/him/his) 17:53, 9 May 2025 (UTC)
- Maybe I'm alone here, but moderating the Discord is already enough work, and I just don't have the mental capacity to have to rememorize a bazillion nicknames. Is it really hurting anyone to just keep it at their Fandom username? Master Fredcerique
(talk) (he/him) 21:15, 9 May 2025 (UTC)
- And yes I understand that the Fandom username will still be there, but can we at least make it "Fandom username (nickname)"? The purpose of the discord is, after all, to discuss the wiki. There are so few people who actually comments on on-site forums, so it's easy to remember those. There are over 800 people in the server, though. Master Fredcerique(talk) (he/him) 21:18, 9 May 2025 (UTC)
- Kinda on the same boat as Fred. Not only it'll be hard to keep up with everyone's nickname, but also actively maintaining the 6 month duration for so many users can be cumbersome. Bonzane10
05:39, 10 May 2025 (UTC) - Per Fred, I think this is kinda more effort than it's worth. Tommy-Macaroni (he/they) 11:40, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
- And yes I understand that the Fandom username will still be there, but can we at least make it "Fandom username (nickname)"? The purpose of the discord is, after all, to discuss the wiki. There are so few people who actually comments on on-site forums, so it's easy to remember those. There are over 800 people in the server, though. Master Fredcerique
