 DataLoungers may insert any name into the username field when they create a post, often to comedic effect—for example, "Mrs.Patsy Ramsey, Formerly of Boulder, CO."

Posters used to have the choice to be totally anonymous, post under any name of their choosing as per above, or be "authenticated" (registered with a unique email address).Authenticated users were distinguished by "(authenticated)" after their usernames in posts, setting them apart from any trolls who used the same names.