Thanks Fadhli,

I assume that for anything to be searchable, it needs to be added to the database. I just made this field searchable and hoped the usernames would be added but this doesn't seem to have happened (I reindexed the smart search db).

Seems like I still can't search for users by username.

Hi David,

Seems like you did not enable the setting yet. I've enable the setting and its working fine now https://www.screencast.com/t/ir2rGmnYR

Ok, great, thanks Fadhli!

Final q: Can we show the username in the drop down when you search by username? Ie. can we make it the default? If someone searches for "leafplayer" and the user's real name shows, the searcher may not know it's the same person.

Whilst I will leave the technical answers to the Stackideas support team, I would advise you to think carefully before deciding on an option (username vs realname) for use on the site.

Username is more practical because its unique to each member.
However, if you want to have the "Login by Facebook" registration ability, you will have to use the real name option.
Also, if you integrate other systems (eg Cometchat, Appcarvers etc) most are based on the premise that you chose realname as the display option, not the username
The realname option is also better if you want to use the email address as the username (ala Facebook type login)

We have used both options and both work equally well, having started out with the username option and then converting to realnames because of the above.

Hi Marc,

Thanks for your input. Yes, this is a big issue for me at the moment and one I've put a bit of thought into. I've already started using StackIdea's url application which enables users to use their username as their profile id: eg. website.com/username becomes the default user profile. This is pretty handy but has its own issues (ie. if a user's username conflicts with an existing url, it will override, this means that you need to reserve all currently and potential future urls - eg. with Easyblog a category name becomes the url so this is quite important to rule out all current and future categories).

As you say, real names can be duplicated whereas uernames are unique. I won't be using any social login registrations so this is not a factor. With my site, some users may want the added privacy of using only a username but I think most aren't fazed by using their real name. Having usernames only will make it harder to find people, as users will probably already have existing Instagram or Twitter usernames and often pick a unique username to use on my site. So to find a friend, you'll have to remember an additional username, something that will make interaction more difficult. Maybe this is not a big deal.

Perhaps more important is the credibility factor of using real names. If people are going to engage in discussion, using real names could be more conducive to genuine, authentic and open dialogue. So maybe for the moment, I'll keep both. Am considering changing the profile title to the real name (it's currently set as username) but users can now search for others based on either real names or username.

Also, having a username is useful for brands/businesses (website.com/brand). I use Easyblog and prefer that businesses or organisations create an Easyblog page but if they redirect to business pages, this will remove some functionality (eg. you can't message an Easyblog page).

Some things to think about.

Cheers, David

Hi David and Marc,

Kindly find my response for your inquiries below:

Final q: Can we show the username in the drop down when you search by username? Ie. can we make it the default? If someone searches for "leafplayer" and the user's real name shows, the searcher may not know it's the same person.

There is no setting for this currently.

Whilst I will leave the technical answers to the Stackideas support team, I would advise you to think carefully before deciding on an option (username vs realname) for use on the site.

Username is more practical because its unique to each member.
However, if you want to have the "Login by Facebook" registration ability, you will have to use the real name option.
Also, if you integrate other systems (eg Cometchat, Appcarvers etc) most are based on the premise that you chose realname as the display option, not the username
The realname option is also better if you want to use the email address as the username (ala Facebook type login)

We have used both options and both work equally well, having started out with the username option and then converting to realnames because of the above.

I see Thanks for your input Marc.