How did you choose your name? What do you think are good and bad ideas fo names? Not individually, but ideas in general. Do you think that keeping only one name for all the forums you go to helps at all?
I don't know if I have to show you guys which names are really stupid... Aeolus has some listed in the "change your name" thread. Just adding "dark", or "shadow", or "killer" to your name doesn't make you sound cool, indeed it often has the opposite effect. Anime characters aren't good sources for names either, as there's a correlation between nerdiness and anime, and those kinds of names are also extremely common (which is a bad thing in itself, but more importantly, it forces you to add those beautiful numbers to the end of your name).
I think names that tie you down to one franchise/fad or another are a bad idea. For example, if you sign up on a forum where you can't change your name (like Smogon), and you name yourself something like "Marth" (your SSBB Main), your name will lose it's meaning if you change your main, or drop SSBB. Doing something like that is like... getting a tattoo of your girlfriend's name, and then dumping her.
Names from another language can often be cool (in my opinion), as they they have hidden meanings (that curious people can look up, or that others can use as a conversational tool or something). But from experience, don't choose Japanese. While it's a beautiful language, it's often associated with anime, and people who simply add Japanese honorifics to the end of their names thinking it sounds cute or cool.
Honestly, anything that has a backstory to it, or that's some sort of inside joke is a good idea, in my opinion. I guess it doesn't matter all that much, especially for existing members, since the posts define the user, not the name. I do still think that avoiding names like "dark-sasuke" is a good idea, and that people can be spared some prejudice by doing so.
I apologize if I offended anyone with this, I realize that my name is stupid, too. :P And I realize that anime isn't terrible, it's just that it's so often associated with wannabe Japanese preteens.
In conclusion, what do you think about choosing your internet name? Does it matter? Do you change it often? Do you agree with what I've said? Please share your opinions.
I don't know if I have to show you guys which names are really stupid... Aeolus has some listed in the "change your name" thread. Just adding "dark", or "shadow", or "killer" to your name doesn't make you sound cool, indeed it often has the opposite effect. Anime characters aren't good sources for names either, as there's a correlation between nerdiness and anime, and those kinds of names are also extremely common (which is a bad thing in itself, but more importantly, it forces you to add those beautiful numbers to the end of your name).
I think names that tie you down to one franchise/fad or another are a bad idea. For example, if you sign up on a forum where you can't change your name (like Smogon), and you name yourself something like "Marth" (your SSBB Main), your name will lose it's meaning if you change your main, or drop SSBB. Doing something like that is like... getting a tattoo of your girlfriend's name, and then dumping her.
Names from another language can often be cool (in my opinion), as they they have hidden meanings (that curious people can look up, or that others can use as a conversational tool or something). But from experience, don't choose Japanese. While it's a beautiful language, it's often associated with anime, and people who simply add Japanese honorifics to the end of their names thinking it sounds cute or cool.
Honestly, anything that has a backstory to it, or that's some sort of inside joke is a good idea, in my opinion. I guess it doesn't matter all that much, especially for existing members, since the posts define the user, not the name. I do still think that avoiding names like "dark-sasuke" is a good idea, and that people can be spared some prejudice by doing so.
I apologize if I offended anyone with this, I realize that my name is stupid, too. :P And I realize that anime isn't terrible, it's just that it's so often associated with wannabe Japanese preteens.
In conclusion, what do you think about choosing your internet name? Does it matter? Do you change it often? Do you agree with what I've said? Please share your opinions.
