Greg, this a.m., my avatar switched to the name marywhite. So, I logged off, & when I logged back on, my correct avatar, southerbl, returned.

Thanks for working on this problem.Someone else would be able to retrieve PM's,etc.

Thanks for your helpful report. Thanks to you, it turns out you were the first case we were able to zero in on for detailed log data on what happened under these strange conditions.

From that data, we've learned that your usage of the site not only appeared to come from a different user as you reported. But for the time it occurred, it appeared to our servers as though you were coming in from that other user's entirely different Internet address. In mobile phone terms, this is as if you not only were mistaken for someone else when you called, but as though the caller ID for your phone also appeared to be from that other person. Very strange indeed, but it does suggest the problem is in the network wiring upstream of our servers.

We've fed this detailed data back to our data center provider this morning, and we are working with them to implement another approach to address it. Thanks again for your help (and patience!). Some of us have never seen something this odd before, but we're narrowing it down.

Thank you Greg for working on this problem. There are so many signals traveling in space it is amazing more do not knock each other out. As for me I do not worry about it. I come on this site for fun and learning. I was whitemanatou one day and choose not to read his pm's. I do not post anything personal in pm's so for me no problem. Good luck.

I would like to add to Greg’s explanations. This technical mystery has the full attention of everyone in our company. Thank you for your understanding and help in solving this.

We have set up a hotline in addition to feedback@tbd.com. If you experience the identity glitch, please email privacy@tbd.com with as many details as you have, and know that it will get Betty’s and my attention as soon as we are awake.

Thanks very much, Greg, Robin, and BettyRay, for responding quickly and getting at the root of this tbd identity glitch. It IS very weird. I think that it would probably be a good idea, just in case this happens again, not to put anything in a PM that one would not want others to read. Merci!

I just experienced a change from Bluefish to "witchy". I was going to check my groups, the page failed to load, I clicked on the back arrow to get back to my profile, and "witchy" came up. I immediately signed out and signed back in as Bluefish.

OK, its 45 minutes later and I just became "witchy" again. I was going to send a message to another member when I notices I had been abducted by the space aliens again. :>)