A freind not yet on nationstates has tried to sign up...

[The Yautja race]

...only to be told 'this is the name of a former nation." What he wanted to know was this: he had never played before and if no nation about was calling itself 'the shee" they why couldn't he join under that name?

[Pythagosaurus]

The same reason you can't take an e-mail address that's been used before, even if the person isn't using it right now.

[Itinerate Tree Dweller]

As Pythagosaurus said, once a nation name is taken it cannot be registered again. Many of the nations that existed are inactive, if a nation is inactive for too long it vanishes, yet stays registered so that it could be revived at a later date. Your friend should register a different nation name, they can always role play the nation name they wanted. For instance, my nation is called Itinerate Tree Dweller, yet I recently re-branded my nation, for role playing purposes, as the United Roman Empire.

[Jovian Empire]

Also, your friend could use a similar name to what he wanted. For example, I tried several Jupiter-related names before finding Jovian Empire available.

[Markus Wolf]

The idea is that you cannot steal the person's identity. Say that Griffin Somerset or Oh My Days leaves NS. You could come on posing under that name, and assume power. This sort of manipulation would be pretty bad, even by NS standards.

[Poree]

While I understand the reasoning behind it, I still think it is foolish to maintain a hold on a name that was registered in 2006 (for example) and has not logged on sense. There has to be a point where we can assume a person is never coming back and to restrict a name forever just because we hope someday they may want to revive an old nation is silly IMO.

But I accept that it is what it is.

[Enn]

The Admins have been working on a way to release old names, but there are coding issues related to that. It will likely happen eventually, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

[Reploid Productions]

While I understand the reasoning behind it, I still think it is foolish to maintain a hold on a name that was registered in 2006 (for example) and has not logged on sense. There has to be a point where we can assume a person is never coming back and to restrict a name forever just because we hope someday they may want to revive an old nation is silly IMO.

But I accept that it is what it is.

You'd be surprised though; before the automated resurrect system, when you had to file a request with the mods to revive an old nation, my personal record for "longest dead" revival was a nation that had a last login listed over 1500 days ago

[Sarzonia]

While I understand the reasoning behind it, I still think it is foolish to maintain a hold on a name that was registered in 2006 (for example) and has not logged on sense.

I don't. Say I left tomorrow and another person out there who has the same last name I do and decides three years later for whatever reason to create a nation named Sarzonia.

Then lets say I decide one random day that I want to come back as Sarzonia. If the Mods or Admins released the name Sarzonia to this other person, I'd be up shit's creek without a paddle.

I've seen people come back years after they'd originally departed.

[E Fluxembourg]

yeah you gotta be original or add numbers like some people do

[Parthenon]

I myself am a product of coming back after a few years absence. Hell, my population should be nearly double what it is for my age.

[Poree]

I was thinking about what some of you said in regards to thoise who may someday want to return.

I realize there is no way to know for sure, but I would be curious after watching how many pupets have been made this month just so someone could post a silly comment on the WA or SC forums; what is the ratio of used names vs. one time pupets.

I then thought about the person who is accused of creating more then 200 pupets just to inflate his region on th elist and wonder how many of those exist and then die after the short lived fun is had.

Anyway, for those of you who did return after long leaves, I am glad you came back.