I thought DNA posted about this recently but I can't find the topic. I guess he deleted it. Instead here is a chat log dump. I think we got to the bottom of it. I cut some stuff out and replaced some names/dates/numbers.
Sep 04 20:20:11 <Rex> DNA, i think the only difference (that i've noticed) between the non/bold names is the amount of time they've been on the forum
Sep 04 20:20:27 <DNA> That isn't it either I don't think
Sep 04 20:20:37 <DNA> I've seen non-bold people that are older than bolded people
Sep 04 20:20:57 <DNA> I don't think it's post count either
Sep 04 20:21:08 <DNA> I seriously couldn't figure it out
Sep 04 20:21:18 <Rex> hm
Sep 04 20:21:23 <Rex> psybucks, maybe?
*cut*
Sep 04 20:23:08 <Rex> nope, not psybucks either
Sep 04 20:23:34 <Rex> or age... huh
*cut*
Sep 04 20:35:53 <&NinjaBlack> So what is the difference (if any) between a bold name and a non-bold one? / *I* don't even know the answer to this >_>
Sep 04 20:38:51 <C_G> joined after the forums last moved -> non-bold
Sep 04 20:39:09 <Rex> ^that makes a lot of sense
Sep 04 20:39:21 <DNA> I think [user] is non-bold and rex09 is bold
Sep 04 20:39:29 <DNA> and [user] joined in 09, and rex in 10
Sep 04 20:39:31 <Rex> yeat
Sep 04 20:39:35 <Rex> what
Sep 04 20:39:38 <Rex> huh
Sep 04 20:40:25 <Rex> [user]:Joined: [sometime in the summer of 2011]
Sep 04 20:40:31 <Rex> not quite :p
Sep 04 20:40:46 <Rex>
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=[numbers] if you want to look...
Sep 04 20:40:47 <DNA> huh.
Sep 04 20:41:26 <DNA> weird, I remember some non-bold name joining in 09 and it threw my reasoning off completely
Sep 04 20:41:32 <Rex> hm
Sep 04 20:41:49 <Rex> maybe # of times logged in?
Sep 04 20:42:16 <Rex> either way, i need to log out for a minute to install the shtuff for my tablet
Sep 04 20:42:18 <Rex> brb
*cut*
Sep 04 20:51:35 <C_G>
memberlist.php?start=14950 bold turns non-bold on feb 27
Sep 04 20:52:37 <DNA> okay this makes so much sense
Sep 04 20:52:41 <DNA> obviously I was seeing things
_________________And what it all comes down to
is that everything's gonna be quite all right