Think of the reverse.

What if you had joined FlyerTalk while working your way through college as a bartender and registered with the handle of "Bartender," then (years later) eventually accepting a post as a professor? On FlyerTalk, you may be known as Bartender, but you might be less-than-thrilled about your current employer finding out that you maintain an identity as "Bartender" (especially if you haven't yet achieved tenure ).

Allowing one to rid himself or herself of a title connoting youth, inexperience, or participation in what might be viewed by others as a "lower" level of employment can only serve to increase participation in the FlyerTalk community, thus benefiting the community.

At this point, too, most people would realize and think twice before choosing another handle that ties them to a specific profession, knowing that a similar change may happen in the future. This proposal does not advocate that someone be able to change their handle every time they change jobs; the single change restriction takes care of that concern.

Rather, it encourages someone who may initially choose a handle that may encourage others to take them less seriously (such as a handle indicating they're still in school when they've long since graduated, leading to people to assume things such as a limited budget or lack of flexibility with travel dates when such things may no longer be true) to choose a handle with a more permanent attachment to the person.

For example, someone who signs up with "PoorCheapoHighSchoolTraveler" may choose a name next time such as "PhotographyLover" after they've graduated and achieved success in life, someone who signs up with "SLC DL Traveler" may change to "TechnoGeek" after they've moved away from SLC and quit flying DL, and someone who signs up with "IAmALawyer" may change to "LiverAndOnions" if they want to quit being bombarded by PMs from people wanting legal advice.

If we do not allow them to overcome the problems caused by their initial handle choices, we end up simply driving them away, which is a detriment to the FlyerTalk community.

If someone feels that their handle has become a part of their identity on FlyerTalk and the tie they have to the community through that handle is stronger than any negative connotations or out-of-date assumptions brought by their no-longer-representative handle, then they are, of course, welcome to keep it. For example, a certain Hot Saucy Dude (who also serves on TalkBoard) no longer has any affiliation to said Company Of Hot Sauciness, and although I'm sure many people see his handle and assume otherwise (and probably blast him with PMs asking for free samples ), his handle is enough a part of his identity and the FlyerTalk community that he would never desire to change it.

If the Community Director is going to have to review and approve these changes anyway, we might as well codify that, since the purpose of this proposal is to codify existing practice.