What's in a name?

[jmckeone]

As for me I got in the habit of a username being first initial followed by last name and suppose I stuck with it.

 

[Smitty]

as compared to say Bob Smith or David Jones

So you saying I have a "common" name there Truby?

Although I have never run into another "Chris Smith" or "Smitty" personally, try getting a "Smitty" username...It's nearly impossible.

I chose my user name because it's the name of the company I work for (although that association is growing tiresome), and unless you're trying to sign up for an AARP type site, not too many people choose that handle, so I pretty much use it for everything.

Look for it changing to "Smitty" pretty soon though.

 

[Greg Truby]

So you saying I have a "common" name there Truby?

Hmmm, let's just have us a looksie wooksie:

Google "Chris Smith" = 1½ million
Google "Christopher Smith" = ¾ million
Google "Greg Truby" = 2,340 = 12 (yup twelve) once google removes "like results", i.e. 2,328 are for threads here.

The defense rests, yer honor.

 

[VoG]

I'd just like to say that 'parsnip' made a really good job of hiding his real name - now that he has changed it one has to guess where the break between first and last names occurs

Personally I'm VoG (or variations on that) on several fora and I intend to keep it that way. It originally started as VeryOldG*t but having called-in image consultants at great expense it was suggested that I should shorten it and italicise it. I haven't figured out how to do the latter yet.

If anybody is really interested they can PM me and I'll tell them my real name - it is pretty common (like me) and I don't think that I have too much to fear.

 

[Smitty]

The defense rests, yer honor.

Fair 'nuf, hence the caveat:

Although I have never run into another "Chris Smith" or "Smitty" personally...

Then again I suppose that unlike Greg and his alter-ego in Kansas-ickstan, I can be fairly anonymous with my real name if I want to be...

 

[Andrew Fergus]

Real name all the way! That's much better Zack! My moniker used to be andrew93 (93? I dunno where it came from but it kinda stuck, a bit like joe 90) and I too changed to my real name. No harm done. Nothing to fear.....except fear itself.

 

[Richard Schollar]

I'd just like to say that 'parsnip' made a really good job of hiding his real name - now that he has changed it one has to guess where the break between first and last names occurs

Ah I left the space out just to confuse the old gits

 

[NateO]

I thought about changing mine... NateO is going to have to be close enough. Too many people are just used to it at this point.

I've actually had people ask me "What kind of a handle is NateO?" How big of a stretch is that my name is Nate, which is a fairly common name?

 

[Patience]

I don't think I have ever signed up for a forum etc with my real name. Certainly not my full name, anyway. My surname is too unusual and coupled with my first name I firmly believe I am the only person on the planet with my name. (When I get married next month and double barrel I WILL be the only one.) So I guess I am a bit paranoid.

Anyway I have had a couple of usernames in the past, three actually. I started with Medea, but changed it when the association was... reminding me too much of why I chose it. Hell hath no fury and all that stuff... Anyway, then for a time I was Rosepetal, but when I signed up for a Robin Hobb Forum I went with The Lady Patience as a character from her books. And it stuck.

I guess when I started here I counld't be bothered to type The Lady Patience, so just went with Patience. I like the name. It fits and won't ever pick up a bad connotation. Although I did have to tell a few people I was called Patience BEFORE the Take That song...

Sorry. I am totally rambling. Somewhere like here I don't necessarily thing you need a moniker, but I suppose you don't know that till you have signed up and stuck around a while. If I rejoined now I would be Bryony.

 

[erik.van.geit]

These last days it appeared to be useful that this is my real name.
Got some new contacts via internet and it made them trust me quickly.

Bryony, congratulations for your marriage !!!