In the online world you could say you only get one chance to get it right. Most online services/communities let you choose a name to go by sort of a handle of types. Some of the names you see online for individuals were created back more than 20 years ago and they stick with us. Since I have been online in one way or another since the early 90’s, doing this for so long I wanted to help those new to the game of online social networking/media. So I wrote this short post as a way to help this ever growing online community.
- To use a nick name or not?
- Do you want people to call you by the name you make up 5, 10 or 20 years from now?
- Does the name help or hurt your cause?
- Will you want to change the name in the future?
- You infomation will be indexed by Google, Yahoo & others are you ready for that?
To use a nick name or not?
Most people who use a nick name do so because they want to conseal their real name. Online communites and communications can be a bear. Especially when things get heated people start to take things personally. Consealing your real name can be a important part of your online life. **Women especially need to be cautions when using their own names, safety first**
Do you want people to call you by the name you make up 5, 10 or 20 years from now?
Sometimes a decison today could follow you around the internet for years to come. What ever name you come up with people will always refer to you with that name for a long time. As the years go by just remember first impressions always stick. It’s kind of hard to change perception down the road, but not impossible.
Does the name help or hurt your cause?
This is a good question because people can come up with some very innovative and thought provoking names. Over time you may always be explaining how the name kind of stuck even when it is no longer relevant. For example if you become a financial planner with a name like @fasteddie or @stickycheeks it might not be the best for the new business.
Will you want to change the name in the future?
Later down the road will you want to keep using the name you first started with on your social sites Today you could be using twitter or some other service for fun, but tomorrow you could be wanting to use it for something else. It’s a lot of work to try and recreate your following. Depending on how long you have been on the net this could take months to rejust to the changes.
You information will be indexed by Google, Yahoo & others are you ready for that?
Social sites are getting enourmous traffic infact so much traffic the search engines are jumping on board and indexing your post almost hourly. That means that everything you say can and will probably be indexed for anyone to look at in the future. This trail you put down over time is important to you, but if you change your name frequently or just once that trail may be lost and those links back to you will no longer apply. So you really have to think about changing your name when you have established so much online traction.
No matter what you do, taking catuion when thinking about this thing takes only a moment. It’s better to do the thinking upfront than redirecting in the future.
Leave me your comments on this issue.
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Great tips…I’ve changed my online name several times in the past, but never really thought about these things. Thanks.