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I am a user of Stack Overflow. It is perfectly appropriate to refer to me as a SO user.

However, I am not a "stacker".

I do not stack anything, unstack anything, or restack anything as a career. I don't stack anything unstacked or restacked, or unstack anything stacked or restacked, or restack anything stacked, unstacked, or restacked, or repair anything stacked, unstacked, or restacked. As a career, I do not do that.

And really, cutesy names for the users of a web site just reek of boosterism. Is it too much to ask that we just not go there?

My thanks go out to Shog9 for bringing the relevant discussion thread to my attention. Please see also my response. (Note: both have been deleted)

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  • 3
    Thanks for pointing me to that question so I can vote to close it as not programming related.
    – Welbog
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:31
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    You GUYYYYSSS, don't close my question please.... cries :'-(
    – Kyle Cronin
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:36
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    I'm going to delete it, too. Get your meta questions off of SO, Stacker!
    – Welbog
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:38
  • Hooray! It was migrated! I'm very, very disappointed in you, Kyle. You should have known better. What should the users of Stack Overflow be called?
    – Welbog
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:45
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    I don't like the term Stacker either but just wondering... you have to drive as a career to be called a driver? You have to play games for a career to be a gamer? I don't think the term Stacker was meant to reflect what the person does professionally.
    – Travis
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:54
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    I hope you're kidding. That was posted 9 months before Meta even existed.
    – Kyle Cronin
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:54
  • I guess there was really no hope that I wouldn't have to explain that. The entire paragraph you're referring to is a cultural reference intended for amusement value, not a formal argument regarding terminological sources. cf. imdb.com/title/tt0098258/quotes#qt0367508
    – chaos
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:56
  • Previous comment was @T Pops. And yes, @Kyle Cronin, he is busting your chops.
    – chaos
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:58
  • Since when can stackers just come here and post? Sheesh!
    – JP Alioto
    Jul 16, 2009 at 21:05
  • 1
    Call me anything but late to supper.
    – Mike Jones
    Sep 3, 2011 at 21:46
  • Related: Is there a name for Stack Overflow users as a whole?.
    – Sebastian Simon
    Nov 26, 2019 at 11:16

5 Answers 5

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I didn't know we were being called "Stackers" now. This is the first I've heard of it, and I hate it, too. On the subject, though, what are people calling themselves over on SF? Serverers?

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    Faulters .
    – Kyle Cronin
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:28
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    The sort of people who put forum boilerplate hello-and-goodbye noise in their questions sometimes start them with "Hey Stackers" or like nonsense. It's... it's bad. As to SF, the mind boggles... if we're lucky, no one has started anything, but I imagine these same sorts of people would come up with "Faulters", the concept of which is right now, at this moment, making my teeth hurt.
    – chaos
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:28
  • @Kyle Cronin: Owwwwww.
    – chaos
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:29
  • @Kyle & chaos: Okay, in that case, what about the people on SU? Superers? Userers?
    – Hilarious Comedy Pesto
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:31
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    I imagine they will be addressed as "Superusers", which is certainly the least offensive of the batch.
    – chaos
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:32
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    @chaos: Yes, but also potentially very, very false.
    – Hilarious Comedy Pesto
    Jul 16, 2009 at 19:43
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For better or for worse, the word "Stackoverflow" does not lend itself to any moniker easily. Everyone I've talked to has said "Oh you use Stackoverflow?" not "You're a stacker!".

Star Wars does not lend itself to a moniker either, and after 30 years there's still no common name for fans of Star Wars.

So my point is, don't worry about, no one says Stacker. And the few people who do are in the minority. You'll be called a Stacker as often as you'll be called any other name you don't like: "dude", "hun", "chick", "bro", or "buddy".

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    Well, in my youth, the names I didn't like were the ones people liked to refer to me as... Yay for growing up geek... Although Stacker doesn't bother me much. And I've worked as a Stocker.
    – Paul Nathan
    Jul 16, 2009 at 21:06
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According to @Catija, the term is now used by many Stack Overflow employees to refer to themselves:

It's become the term for people who work for Stack Overflow. It was informally used until recently. ... As far as I'm aware, it's not been used regularly to refer to users of the network.

source

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I don't see any problem with this moniker. If I'm a 'trekkie' does that mean I go on 'treks'?

No. It's just for fun.

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    Okay. Well, if being labeled with cutesy diminutives that infantilize and vaguely ridicule your activities is your idea of fun, then hey, more power to ya.
    – chaos
    Jul 16, 2009 at 20:03
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    I'm sorry to hear that you feel ridiculed by the fact that someone might think you are "stacking" something. But if getting offended by such trivial things is your idea of fun then more power to you.
    – Kevin Laity
    Jul 16, 2009 at 20:13
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I hadn't heard that, but it is kind of catchy. When it comes to monikers and the like, I'm sure that we could end up with something far worse. I really don't find this offensive.

I guess that would make me part of the "stacker" community.

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