"Name changes are out of control. We are updating the policy for getting them. They simply take too much time away from actual development and the time/cost ratio isn't there. Below is the new policy and instructions on how to do it.
Pricing:
1) To change your name it costs 2,000 CCs when changing to a name that is not already taken.
2) If the name you want is already taken, we do allow it, but it costs 5,000 CC and the name must not have any activity for 2+ years. See below for how to find this out.
How To Request a Name
Send an email to guides@onverse.com with the following format:
Subject: Name Change
Current Name: XXXXX Desired Name: XXXXX
Then please note if this name is taken or not and authorize us to take either 2,000 or 5,000 CCs from your account. Example "Please take 2,000 CCs as this name is not taken."
Rules:
1) You must have the required amount of CCs in your account at the time the name change is being done, or it will fail and you will need to try again.
2) You must send the request via the email that is on the account being changed. If you don't have access to that email, you can't change your name unless you get the email changed first.
3) The name must be at least 3 characters long.
4) The name must not have any invalid characters in it.
How to Find a Name
A) Here at the forum, click on the "Community" tab on the top menu bar and select "Contacts and Friends"
B) Here you will find a field for "Add a member to your list".
C) Start typing the name that you want and a drop-down list will start showing all names that match your criteria. If you see it in this list, it's taken.
D) At this point you can search for a new name, or if you want to see when that user's last activity was, click "Add Contact".
E) The name will be added to the contacts list above. Click their name to go to their forum profile.
F) Their last activity will be at the top left right under "send message". If this is older than 2 years, the name is available. If there is no activity listed at all, it is also available and is older than the current website." -StevEO, late CEO and founder of Onverse, LLC.
Another way to do this is by typing /tell "desired username here" or /telh "desired username here", if it's invalid - it's available.