Why is my livedot name reserved or taken?
Updated
Taken means someone has the name, or it’s held for 90 days after a change or a release. Reserved names belong to livedot’s pages, our names, races and their organisers, clubs, brands and sport bodies, or are offensive. Organising the race? Get your event live at livedot.me/organisers. To claim at all, you need a confirmed email and your first and last name.
What the check says
As you type a name under Your livedot link in Account at runfast.tech/app, RunFast checks it:
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Available | You can claim it. |
| Taken | Someone has it, or it’s in its 90-day hold. |
| This is your link | It’s already yours. |
| Held for you: take it back | Your own old or released name, in its 90 days. You can claim it back. |
| Not allowed: and a reason | It breaks a name rule, or it’s reserved. |
The name rules: 3 to 30 characters, only the letters a to z, numbers and hyphens, starting with a letter and ending with a letter or a number, with no double hyphens. See your livedot link.
Reserved names, and why
| The reason you see | What’s kept | Why |
|---|---|---|
| “That address is part of livedot.” | livedot’s own pages and words, such as guides, organisers, help, terms, privacy, live, search and app | So livedot’s pages keep their addresses. |
| “That name is ours: livedot, Windline, RunFast and ProLend.” | Our names, anywhere in the name: runfast-fan isn’t allowed | So nobody seems to speak for us. |
| “Reserved for event organisers. Organising it? Get your event live.” | Well-known races and events worldwide, also with a year or a word such as live, official or team added. Words such as marathon, parkrun, comrades and ironman, anywhere in the name | The name is kept for the race’s organiser. |
| “That’s a brand’s, a race’s or a sport body’s name.” | Brands and sport’s governing bodies, such as garmin, strava, nike and usatf | So nobody seems to be them. |
| “A club or organiser has this address.” | A club on RunFast, or a club or organiser page on Windline | Clubs and livedot links share one set of names at livedot.me. |
| “Please choose another name.” | Offensive words, and names made to look like them | So nobody meets them in a link. |
Hyphens don’t change the answer: two-oceans is twooceans. And because some words count anywhere in a name, thandi-marathon isn’t allowed either. Choose a name that’s yours, such as thandi-m or thandi-mokoena. We may add names to the list at any time.
Organising the race?
If the name is your race’s, your club’s or your organisation’s, it’s kept for you. Tap Get your event live in the message, or fill in the form at livedot.me/organisers. A real person replies by email and sets up your page with you. For a running club, see getting your club on RunFast.
“Taken”
Someone has the name, or it’s held. A name is held for 90 days after its owner changes it, releases it or deletes their account, so nobody else can claim it while its owner might want it back. For the first 30 days after a change, the old link still takes people to its owner’s new one.
After 90 days, unless its owner took it back, anyone can claim it. Names can’t be bought, sold or passed on. Try a variation with your last name or initial.
“Confirm your email first”
A livedot link needs a confirmed email address. If you signed up with your email, enter the code RunFast sent you. See confirmation codes.
“Add your first and last name to your account first”
A livedot link needs both a first and a last name on your account: the name runners see when you follow them or race. Add them in Account under First name and Last name, or in the app under You, then Edit, and claim again. See how you sign in.
The claim limits
So that nobody grabs names to hold or sell, new livedot links are limited, for RunFast and Windline together:
- 2 new links per device in 30 days: “This device has claimed 2 new livedot links in 30 days. You can claim again on” and the date.
- 10 new links per internet connection in 30 days, such as a home or office network: “Too many new handles from this connection. You can claim again on” and the date.
A first claim and every change count. Taking back your own held name doesn’t. The date in the message is the real day you can claim again.
“You can change your livedot link once every 30 days”
You’ve claimed or changed your link in the last 30 days. The message gives the day of your next change. Releasing doesn’t reset the clock: a new claim after a release also waits until 30 days after your last change.
“Couldn’t check just now” or “Couldn’t reach livedot just now”
RunFast couldn’t reach the check. Wait a moment and type the name again.
You choose your livedot link in Account at runfast.tech/app now, and under You in the iPhone and Android apps from their next update. The check and its answers are the same everywhere, in RunFast and Windline.