The X-Men books in the 70s (when they were still awesome and made sense not like the garbage Marvel is publishing today), had tons of awesome superhero names. Back in the 80s, each G.I. Joe member had a cool, pithy "codename" (my favorites were Barbecue, Captain Grid Iron and Quick Kick). In the 1990s, I flew along with other Wing Commander (circa 1990) pilots with impressive "callsigns" like Paladin, Spirit and Angel.
The Masters of the Universe were so awesome they didn't need any callsigns or codenames. Screenshot of the Sorceress, He-Man, Teela, Buzz-Off and Mekaneck from the mini comic He-Man and the Insect People (published circa 1985).
In this day and age of free web services and multiple logins, everyone gets to have their own "codename/callsign/pen name/superhero name" and multiple ones at that. My cooler older brother took up the name Quicksilvr back in the day of BBS and stuck to it since. Me? I signed up for a Yahoo account circa 1997 with the word Liar - and I've received skeptical looks online and in person ever since.
Pen name. Nom du plume.
Usernames are often overlooked in articles about online security mostly because it's hard enough thinking of a rock-solid password. But it is part of your online safety. Your online banking username, for example, should be as private as your password. E-mail addresses that double as account names, XBOX360 usernames, Amazon and e-commerce logins, Apple Me accounts and every other account name you use can be classified as either public or private. Regardless if the account name is public or private, however, a lot of thought should be given before you think up of one that fits you personally and in every other practical way.
I envy those who stick to one username for their online accounts. It certainly makes things easier. However, I can't shake the feeling that your chosen name says more about you than your own name. In 2004, a girl I met at a career seminar gave me her e-mail address - Ladycroft3. Her e-mail address immediately revealed her favorite pastime and game. In her defense, her username is certainly easy to remember and even helped me recall what she looked like (ahem).
Having committed to a very small online footprint, I avoid signing up for new services whenever possible. I finally conceded to signing up for Flipboard when I found out one of my articles was featured. I launched Flipboard on my iPad and was ready to sign up when I stopped dead, wondering what username I should use. I don't have a Facebook account and I'm tired of receiving odd looks and comments when they see Liar53. I have long dropped my nickname and my real name is just about as interesting as unwashed socks (and triggers plenty of online discrimination to boot).
I realize that not everyone thinks twice before whipping up a username but if the username you're about to invent is one that is public, it's a good idea to use a name that's halfway decent and professional - not just cool and available. "Junkinmytrunk" and "sexyman" may elicit smiles and laughter but isn't going to impress headhunters, ladies or devoted readers. It's like Superman deciding he should switch his superhero name to "Real Man".
Mr. Awesome. Screenshot from Chuck Season 1 Episode 3.
I would love to have some cool and doubly secure username like Yggdrasil or Gjallahorn (Mjolnir is too obvious) but realize most people not acquainted with Norse mythology would think I was a pervert of some sort. Plus, I'd probably misspell it anyway.
What's in a Username?
What's in a username? A lot. It's a digital version of a nametag, those annoying cardboard placards or stickers you get stuck with in kindergarten or while attending corporate meetings. If you aren't careful enough with associating your accounts, one username can be linked to a horribly embarrassing or incriminating username / web service.
When I was a technical trainer, one of the more annoying aspects of the job was assisting employees sign up for a company account. One out of five employees had fat fingers, which gave me conniptions when they lock out their account. Three out of ten trainees, on the other hand, were overly clever and decided to forgo the system generated username and opt for a customized one (e.g. "Cooldude75", "Yeahbaby69").
Some services, like Ubuntu One, use usernames and e-mail addresses interchangeably, which takes a load off of people like me who have trouble identifying themselves with a digital name. I'd still like the ability to customize a name but more than a decade of the Internet still hasn't made me any more creative when it comes to thinking up usernames. Indy-Jones or Jbond sure is tempting, but I think I'll be sticking to my real name for now.
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