# Non-existent @'ed users get bolded
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/non-existent-ed-users-get-bolded/143573
**Category:** UX
**Created:** [March 7, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/non-existent-ed-users-get-bolded/143573 "2020-03-07T01:11:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@seanblue](https://meta.discourse.org/u/seanblue)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/non-existent-ed-users-get-bolded/143573/1 "2020-03-07T01:11:08Z")
Not sure if this was intentional, so I figured I’d bring it up. If you @ a non-existent user, the text is still bolded, though it doesn’t have the background and it’s not clickable. Obviously it doesn’t really matter, but 🤷♂️
Without @:
NotARealUser
With @:
@NotARealUser
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/non-existent-ed-users-get-bolded/143573/2 "2020-03-07T03:56:48Z")
Side effect of the recent “not mentionable” change @eviltrout? It is true the user isn’t mentionable, but that’s because they don’t exist…
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### Author:  [@JimPas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JimPas)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2020, 4:36am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/non-existent-ed-users-get-bolded/143573/3 "2020-03-07T04:36:00Z")
That is actually good for using as an example when teaching someone how to mention users - without actually pinging a real user. 🙂
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### Author:  [@seanblue](https://meta.discourse.org/u/seanblue)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2020, 5:15am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/non-existent-ed-users-get-bolded/143573/4 "2020-03-07T05:15:47Z")
I’d probably use a code block for that `@JimPas`.
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/non-existent-ed-users-get-bolded/143573/5 "2020-03-07T14:11:36Z")
Why? Bold makes it visually distinct automatically, without knowing or needing to use additional markdown.
That’s like using a saw to open a can with a ring pull.
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### Author:  [@Canapin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Canapin)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/non-existent-ed-users-get-bolded/143573/6 "2020-03-07T14:59:25Z")
That’s true, but the best example to teach someone how mention works is precisely mentioning this person itself, right? So they even see how they’re notified about it.
I also often use code block when I have to “teach” a feature without triggering it though.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/non-existent-ed-users-get-bolded/143573/7 "2020-03-08T03:25:27Z")
> [@Canapin](#):
>
> I also often use code block when I have to “teach” a feature without triggering it though.
This is definitely the `recommended` approach
```
This is definitely the `recommended` approach
```