What Does Your Username Mean To You?
I was checking out my feed today and ran across an excellent post from Steemian @kaerpediem who was considering changing her username.
Passing "The phone test" or "The Identity Test"
If I were to give my opinion on whether someone should change their username, I'd first invoke what I've dubbed "The Phone Test." Which is: If you can't say the name over the phone without the listener asking how its spelled, It's failed the test and should be changed. Now, that only comes into effect with me if a name does not have some deep, heartfelt meaning where changing it would be like losing a part of yourself. This is what I call: "The Identity Test." When a person becomes so identified with a moniker so that they cannot imagine being known as anything else, in that case the name should be kept.
We can't help at times wondering about the origin of some online usernames. For instance, why is @themanwithnoname The man with no name? I can see a post being written about that. Where did @meesterboom come from and who let him out? :) What's the story behind @exyle and can anyone here imagine him being known as anything else? It just fits.
When a Real Name isn't...
Not long ago Facebook began shutting down accounts for not following their Real Names policy. Everyone was suddenly required to post their actual name, after years of being known by a fitting persona. They never thought about how this might affect survivors of domestic violence, and members of the transgender community, for example. A number of well known personalities were ordered to change their names or lose their accounts.
As a child, I was known for questioning everything and having an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I always wanted to know why things were the way they were and always noticed little things that others missed. On Facebook, I'd been "EverNoticeThat" for years with no problem, then suddenly found my account locked when another user complained after having to change their name. I'd never heard of this when I joined. What they didn't understand is that online, I am EverNoticeThat and after many emails I finally gave up and let Facebook go. Knowing how they use your personal information as "you are the product" made the decision much easier.
So this begs the question: How did you choose your online name and what does it mean to you?
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Yeah, I can relate, I still have a Facebook account, but I'm virtually never there. The less info they have about me the happier I am. I don't trust them as far as I could throw the Grand Canyon.
My Steemit user name is the name of our mini organic farm in Tennessee.
My husband actually came up with the name, years ago, for a river cabin in Inverness, Florida, that belonged to friends of ours, and that at one point we were seriously considering buying.
Ultimately we decided to leave the state, and would up midway between Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, which if nothing else has given us dark skies and fabulous stargazing at night. The name is still fitting, as our place is eminently peaceful, borders a river, and is lovely in all seasons.
I went with it as my username as I've always been a peacemaker since childhood, have as my motto my desire to make my corner of the world better than I found it, and hope to spread peace through my writing, through sharing knowledge, and otherwise. And through sharing music: a true crescendo of peace.
Thanks for your post, and have a wonderful weekend!
You know, that's exactly what I'm talking about. That name gives us a slice of you that maybe "Jane Doe" wouldn't. Sort of how Native American names tend to be descriptive of the person. I like how crescendoofpeace ties everything together and represents the person as well as the place.
Thanks! I like it as well.
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Now you have me hooked to know what are the things you post about :D
I always thought Carpe Diem was common until I found out it wasn't
So it was pleasant to the comments on my post where they mentioned "Seize the Day"...
Guess, with my age (I am making myself sound much older than I am... though I am old enough for adults to call me aunty... gahhhh) I better be Seizing each day and making the most of it :D
ps: The name I was going to change it to is my actual name... and that would have failed The Phone Test ;/
Ahhhh... but I'll bet it passed "The Identity Test" :) What I like about your post are the conversations that it sparked. It even had me wondering about my own username! It also caused me to stop being lazy and write instead of reaching for my tablet and watching Grand Designs on Netflix. (and believe me, Netflix was calling, lol).
When I was thinking about your choice, those scenes from The Matrix films came to me where Neo goes to visit The Oracle. It made me think that you would do exactly what you needed to when you made your decision.
That darn Netflix!!
hahaha
Fun post. Usernames are curious things. Picking the wrong one can lock you in a corner or make you too difficult to bother searching for.
@jnetsworld was created because I sign out simply as JNET. People usually misspell my real name, Jeannette, even though I say double N, double T. I’ve been Ginette, Jeanette, Janet, and even Jennifer 😣. “JNET” seemed like a cool modern way to claim myself. My blogs are reflections of what comes across my life, hence, jnetsworld. It’s not as poetic as others. It’s been practical and enduring for me 😬 cheers!
J
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I like it, it sounds "internety" :)