Record account continuity with the right public identifier after a rename

Separate the stable identifier from the changeable label

A rename changes what people see, not necessarily the underlying account record. Steam treats the SteamID as a unique account identifier and notes that neither the SteamID nor the Steam Account Name can be changed, while the player display name can. Bluesky describes a stable account DID, an updatable human-readable handle, and mutable profile details such as display name and avatar. YouTube Help explains that ID-based, handle, custom and legacy username URLs can all point to one channel, and that the ID-based URL uses the channel ID while handle URLs use the chosen handle. Your comparison row should therefore hold the identifier apart from the name or link that might shift. [Steam Support: SteamID and account names]

Build one minimal comparison row

Keep the row small enough that it records only what a public page or a voluntarily shared link showed. Put the stable identifier in one field, the current mutable handle or link beside it, and add the observation date, the host where you saw it, and any limits in plain words. Do not add activity logs, login attempts, private-account checks or a running commentary. The goal is a dated snapshot of a public record, not a trace of what someone does.

Write the source and the limits into the row

An identifier that later appears with a new handle supports a narrow claim: the same public account identifier was shown, or the host indicated the two labels refer to one channel. Bluesky's materials frame the DID as supporting account continuity, not proof of a person's offline identity or of who sent a separate message. A SteamID likewise sits apart from a custom profile URL and from a match's private sign-in name. Treat a badge, status or matching picture as a label, not as identity proof. Paraphrase page text rather than copying it, and note that public username or image inputs can lead to public-social-profile clues without guaranteeing coverage, owner identification or proof of current activity. [Bluesky Protocol Services: resolving identities]

Respect the access boundary

Where the documented public control or artifact is not available, write the word unavailable and stop. Do not ask for credentials, do not attempt private-account access, and do not treat a similarity between names or photos as confirmation. If a consenting owner chooses to share a current public link, place it in the mutable field and keep the earlier observation as a separate dated entry. This protects both the note-taker and the person being described.

• Prefer the host's own public identifier page over a third-party guess
• Ask only for a voluntary current public link when the owner offers it
• Leave private accounts, credentials and covert methods out of the row
• Close the note once the identifier, date, host and limits are recorded

A hypothetical worked comparison

Suppose a hypothetical public Bluesky profile is seen in March with a handle, and in May the same account DID appears under a different handle. The row could record: stable DID, old handle and date, new handle and date, the host, and the limit that the account continued but the operator is unverified. For a hypothetical YouTube channel, the ID-based URL would sit beside the current handle, with the note that both can refer to one channel. For a hypothetical Steam profile, the SteamID would sit beside the current display name and custom URL, with no claim about private sign-in details. These are invented illustrations, not reports of platform behavior. [YouTube Help: Understand channel URLs]

A couple more questions