Best Practices for SL Avatar Name Selection/Creation?

[Ann Otoole]

This is a parallel thread to the other discussion to focus on what one should think about before creating a persona in Secondlife. I.e..; What should new residents consider before creating a name.

I'll start:

I did not research rl names before I created Ann Otoole. I wanted to create a certain type of avatar (which did not last long with my personality). A good Irish girl. Heh. Sadly, much later after I had established a brand, I found out some real life Ann O'tooles did not appreciate the SL Ann Otoole.

So a recommendation would be not to create a real life named avatar unless it is your real life name.

[PeterCanessa Oh]

Take notice: whatever name you eventurally choose will always be viewable by anyone who cares to look, even if you change your display name (the brand-new, female, avatar fukMeHarder disappeared very quickly when I pointed that out)

[Perrie Juran]

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PeterCanessa Oh wrote:

Take notice: whatever name you eventurally choose will

always

 be viewable

by anyone

 who cares to look, even if you change your display name (the brand-new, female, avatar fukMeHarder disappeared very quickly when I pointed that out)

---

but we all realized very quickly that fukMeHarder was usemedaddy's alt.  i have always wondered though what ever happened to ilurve2suk.

[Deltango Vale]

An avatar name is like a Tattoo. Be damn sure you can live with it forever. Some suggestions:

• make it memorable (or you will be forgotten)
• be original (there are a billion Janes and Daves)
• avoid media names (do you really want to steal Mike Tyson's tiger?)
• keep it short (you will soon get sick of typing Doodleflowerinmygardenohwow Schnignofferscope)
• Capitalize (unless you want to be considered a sexual submissive)
• avoid numbers (unless you are a clock)

[Imnotgoing Sideways]

SL names are serious business. ()

 

 

[161488303349]

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Deltango Vale wrote:

avoid numbers (unless you are a clock)

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tick tock tick tock

jejejeejjeje (:

[Porky Gorky]

Make sure your SL name rhythms. It makes it much easier for people when they want to write songs about you to honour your greatness.

oooh Porky Gorky, he likes to talk on his walkie talkie, whilst eating dinner with his forky, and draws a picture with his chalky......

 

[Darren Scorpio]

Don't make a name like xXCrazychick12345Xx, because I will go out of my way to ignore your display name which is probably something like ®(>'.'<)xtïñä ®ülë§(>'.'<)® anyway to call you xXCrazychick12345Xx everytime I talk to you.

[161488303349]

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Darren Scorpio wrote:

Don't make a name like xXCrazychick12345Xx, because I will go out of my way to ignore your display name which is probably something like 

®(>'.'<)xtïñä ®ülë§(>'.'<)® anyway to call you xXCrazychick12345Xx everytime I talk to you.

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they probably made like that bc Crazychick12345 was already taken ;p

[Pussycat Catnap]

I suspect almost -everyone- reading this thread already has an SL account, making the topic largely blowing into the wind. BUT, that said, I'm going to put up my thoughts, and then once its run its course for a bit, edit some of the ideas here into getting started blog. I've already got a short piece on name selection there, but there's some notes here that I didn't consider.

 

Research it, yes. Also be willing to abandon an account if the name doesn't suit you. So you've spent $2,000 linden already? /shrug. What is $8US compared to a name you'll be stuck with.

Consider how your name can be read an interpreted by others - and decide ahead of time if this will bother you if that is done in ways that might be done to annoy.

There's a goldmine of opportunities with mine, so I had to settle myself ahead of time with how it could be used or abused. Often having a name that can be easily twisted to either be cute with you or slander you can be a blessing in what it reveals about those who do so. I can find myself feeling greater affection towards people who 'alter' my name at the right moments, and realising a person is arguing me rather than my points when they do it at the wrong moments.

 

One thing you can't really anticipate is how you yourself might change over time, and a name chosen for one purpose might not fit you are later - you can try, but you might just have to accept some baggage on the other end of that change.

 

[Ann Otoole]

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Pussycat Catnap wrote:

I suspect almost -everyone- reading this thread already has an SL account, making the topic largely blowing into the wind. 

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Not if LL accepts the fact there needs to be some info like this available on the signup page via a recommended link.

[Pussycat Catnap]

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Ann Otoole wrote:

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Pussycat Catnap wrote:

I suspect almost -everyone- reading this thread already has an SL account, making the topic largely blowing into the wind. 

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Not if LL accepts the fact there needs to be some info like this available on the signup page via a recommended link.

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That's why I said the thread. The thread is not the same thing as the signup page.

 

[Canoro Philipp]

dont choose a name very focused in characteristics, like TallMexicanBoy because you may want to change your characteristics down the road, it would be better to have a name that will adapt to all kinds of situations, what if later you want to be smaller? or older? or to not represent a country?

[Amethyst Jetaime]

No matter how great the name is that you chose,  it won't do you a bit of good if  it becomes well known for the wrong reasons.  Always treat others the way you want to be treated keep your standards high. 

[Ceka Cianci]

i used to love the ones that made those goofy names..then later realized ..wow i really like it here..i'm gonna see if i can get my name changed from Fartsnare Biggelo to something more SL'ish LOL

[Marcus Hancroft]

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Canoro Philipp wrote:

dont choose a name very focused in characteristics, like TallMexicanBoy because you may want to change your characteristics down the road, it would be better to have a name that will adapt to all kinds of situations, what if later you want to be smaller? or older? or to not represent a country?

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Yes, I hate those descriptor names too.  "TallMexicanBoy," "Subboi," etc.  I never once met anybody in the real word with a name like that.  I know a lot of Jeremys, Mikes, Melissas, and Sarahs, but I've never once had to say "Howdy, TallMexicanBoy!" in real life.  So MY suggestion is to use a normal name (maybe one that is your favorite name) and then pick a last name from the dropdown list that goes with it. 

No numbers, no ASCII characters and no AOL handles.  Ugh. 

[Deltango Vale]

You are so right. In addition to the current signup process being misleading in terms of avatar name, there is huge temptation for new residents to choose something like TotalMoronInYourFace as a bit of a laugh. It works great for a couple days at the sludgepool of Ahern, but, gee, that great looking guy in Miramare (who could really help me and, ahem, maybe take me dancing) ignores me completely.

[Ceka Cianci]

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Deltango Vale wrote:

You are so right. In addition to the current signup process being misleading in terms of avatar name, there is huge temptation for new residents to choose something like TotalMoronInYourFace as a bit of a laugh. It works great for a couple days at the sludgepool of Ahern, but, gee, that great looking guy in Miramare (who could really help me and, ahem, maybe take me dancing) ignores me completely.

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well really those names have been getting made up since i could remember in here..

i don't really see where the confusion is as far as making a user name..

i mean in just about anything we do on the net we create a user name that is used to communicate with in whatever that place is..yah00 or a!m  or forums or anywhere really..

log in information may change..but user name to me says pretty much what it is..

the name we will be using..no place does it say create an avatar name..but it does say create a user name right above where it tells you that you will be using your user name to log in..so don't forget it hehehehe

[Deltango Vale]

The confusion is that 'username' implies an 'under the hood' tag totally disconnected from avatar name (which one presumes can be chosen later in the signup process). So, someone goes to sign up and types gagaga123 as a username (perhaps this is a username he uses regularly for bank accounts or online shopping accounts etc. where username is invisible to everyone except himself). Needless to say, the message not to forget your username makes perfect sense. Who forgets his online banking username and password? He is so used to this way of doing things that it never occurs to him that his username will become his avatar name. He expects instead something like this:

Username: gagaga123

Password: *******

First Name: David

Last Name: Johnson

Imagine his surprise when he logs inworld to discover, horror or horrors, his username floating above his head in big bright letters. Not only is it the last thing he expected, but now the whole world knows his private username. Worse, someone walks up to him and says, "S'up gaga? Welcome to SL."

[Dillon Levenque]

Think about choosing a name (or a first name, if they actually do go back to: create first name, choose from list for last name) that has some meaning for you. Maybe even one with a little backstory (real or imagined) to go with it. That can add a little more seasoning to your existence here.

[Charolotte Caxton]

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Ceka Cianci wrote:

---

Deltango Vale wrote:

You are so right. In addition to the current signup process being misleading in terms of avatar name, there is huge temptation for new residents to choose something like TotalMoronInYourFace as a bit of a laugh. It works great for a couple days at the sludgepool of Ahern, but, gee, that great looking guy in Miramare (who could really help me and, ahem, maybe take me dancing) ignores me completely.

---

well really those names have been getting made up since i could remember in here..

i don't really see where the confusion is as far as making a user name..

i mean in just about anything we do on the net we create a user name that is used to communicate with in whatever that place is..yah00 or a!m  or forums or anywhere really..

log in information may change..but user name to me says pretty much what it is..

the name we will be using..no place does it say create an avatar name..but it does say create a user name right above where it tells you that you will be using your user name to log in..so don't forget it hehehehe

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Have you seen the names out there?

Obviously they do not realize that their user names will be their names, or they don't care. To further make me think that, are the display names they use. Often times, TexasMary1954 has chosen Susan as her display name.

What further adds to the confusion, I think, is that upon sign up, any decent normal one word name is taken, so they figure, well if Mary123 is taken, it must be fine to choose Mary1234.

Now, even if they realize that this will indeed be their user name displayed for all the virtual world to see, they must think it is the norm, and I suppose, in time, it will be.

[Marcus Hancroft]

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Have you seen the names out there?

Obviously they do not realize that their user names will be their names, or they don't care. To further make me think that, are the display names they use. Often times, TexasMary1954 has chosen Susan as her display name.

What further adds to the confusion, I think, is that upon sign up, any decent normal one word name is taken, so they figure, well if Mary123 is taken, it must be fine to choose Mary1234.

Now, even if they realize that this will indeed be their user name displayed for all the virtual world to see, they must think it is the norm, and I suppose, in time, it will be.

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^  I certainly hope not! 

[Charolotte Caxton]

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Marcus Hancroft wrote:

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Have you seen the names out there?

Obviously they do not realize that their user names will be their names, or they don't care. To further make me think that, are the display names they use. Often times, TexasMary1954 has chosen Susan as her display name.

What further adds to the confusion, I think, is that upon sign up, any decent normal one word name is taken, so they figure, well if Mary123 is taken, it must be fine to choose Mary1234.

Now, even if they realize that this will indeed be their user name displayed for all the virtual world to see, they must think it is the norm, and I suppose, in time, it will be.

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^  I certainly hope not! 

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Neither do I, Mr Hancroft, neither do I.

[ildiko Evergarden]

I actually miss having the old " give " a last name  system.  I actually like my last name. I don't see why they changed it, saddens me actually...:matte-motes-crying:

[Ceka Cianci]

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Deltango Vale wrote:

The confusion is that 'username' implies an 'under the hood' tag totally disconnected from avatar name (which one presumes can be chosen later in the signup process). So, someone goes to sign up and types gagaga123 as a username (perhaps this is a username he uses regularly for bank accounts or online shopping accounts etc. where username is invisible to everyone except himself). Needless to say, the message not to forget your username makes perfect sense. Who forgets his online banking username and password? He is so used to this way of doing things that it never occurs to him that his username will become his avatar name. He expects instead something like this:

Username: gagaga123

Password: *******

First Name: David

Last Name: Johnson

Imagine his surprise when he logs inworld to discover, horror or horrors, his username floating above his head in big bright letters. Not only is it the last thing he expected, but now the whole world knows his private username. Worse, someone walks up to him and says, "S'up gaga? Welcome to SL."

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i guess it might be for anyone that has never played an online game of anykind or they are new to the internet and hasn't used a lot of places that ask them to create a user name before..

it's pretty standard practice that just about anywhere you go on the net that your user name is what is displayed when places ask us to create one..and most times it is what you log on with unless they want us to use an email instead..

really the thing they should add to that area is..choose wisely because your user name will not be able to be changed later..