I agree, it seems a bit confusing. In the profile, the username is the URL link and the nickname is how the name appears on the website.

It would make more sense to make "nickname" the public name on the website and "username" the private login name.

More than one person can have the same nickname, but only one person can have a certain URL, so maybe "username" can be changed to something like "URL" or "Link Name".

Hi akraemer,

There's a few reasons why we have both a username and a nickname for accounts. Here's an explanation of what each one is used for:

Usernames

• Used to login to your account --- this is a critical feature for users without an email address or SSO options (such as teacher-created student accounts and learners that are under 13)
• Must be unique for all users, since it can be used as an account identifier
• Appears in your profile URL
• Cannot contain any special symbols

Nicknames

• This is the name shown to other users when viewing your profile, or when viewing any content that you create (discussion posts under the videos/articles, and programs in the computing courses)
• Multiple users can have the same nickname
• Nicknames can contain any characters, including special symbols and emojis

In summary, your username must be unique and is what you would use to login to your account. Your nickname (display name) is what's shown to other users and is what you would like them to call you.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions!