Topic: How much do you relate to your Handle? (Read 5397 times)

Kayin · « **on:** July 07, 2010, 01:12:27 AM »

This sort of got spawned by my conversations with people about the RealID thing in battlenet. A lot of people are really attached to their internet handles! So I'm wondering, how attached are you guys to these names of yours? Also feel free to talk about how you came to your name or any other sort of bullshit that could be vaguely considered a conversation on the subject.

jsnlxndrlv · « **Reply #1 on:** July 07, 2010, 01:20:15 AM »

Every few years I get embarrassed by whatever I've been calling myself and promptly adopt something arguably worse. This particular handle (a stupid knee-jerk reaction to Thad's newbie guide on the 7DF) is actually one of the longest-running ones I've kept; every time we switch boards or something, I think about changing, but just keeping it is easier than explaining who I am every other month when somebody forgets.

The only other place I still use a handle is the selectbutton.net forums, where I've been going by "Intentionally Wrong" for almost as long as I've been posting here—but most of the people I actually talk with over there just call me Jason.

Bongo Bill · « **Reply #2 on:** July 07, 2010, 01:58:43 AM »

I keep a well-defined separation between my internet-recreational life and my personal and professional lives. I don't keep my real name hidden from the internet, nor do I keep my handle hidden from real life, but pretty much nobody who knows me in person also knows me online, and vice versa, so it doesn't really come up.

I have a handle because it is the done thing to have a handle in the recreational parts of the internet. My identity in any location is my real name.

I've never used a different handle, except where no suitable permutations of it were available. I have a barely-used backup handle that I could switch to if I wanted to establish a new online identity. It could be traced back to Bongo Bill, but then again, so can my real name, which I don't hide.

Fortinbras · « **Reply #3 on:** July 07, 2010, 02:15:42 AM »

I was Fortinbras in high school Hamlet. People started calling me Fortinbras in reality, then I adopted it on the internet. It goes through phases of use and disuse depending who I'm seeing more of in meatspace, but is so consistent online that people end up calling me Fortinbras in games where I've never used the handle. Just slips out and sticks to me.

Lobst · « **Reply #4 on:** July 07, 2010, 03:50:35 AM »

I use Lobst nearly everywhere I want to be recognized; if it's not available in an online social service I want to use, I sigh and use one of my other go-to aliases (smedric [now deprecated], svet/svetlana, wings in motion, madtron).

I don't usually go by it in real life (I rarely meet up with Internet friends), but I do routinely associate myself with it! Which is good, because it's almost always available. I even have lobst.com registered in case I ever want to make use of it for professional reasons.

Büge · « **Reply #5 on:** July 07, 2010, 04:24:17 AM »

I think I've said before that this was my nickname up to high school graduation. For better or for worse.

Royal☭ · « **Reply #6 on:** July 07, 2010, 04:42:12 AM »

I'm so attached to my username that it is in fact my last name. But everyone just calls me Soup because of Clutch.

Quote from: Fortinbras on July 07, 2010, 02:15:42 AM

Just slips out and sticks to me.

That's what she sa-

Joxam · « **Reply #7 on:** July 07, 2010, 05:46:14 AM »

I prefer my own name, but would understand if I met ya'll and you only knew me as Joxam.

Mongrel · « **Reply #8 on:** July 07, 2010, 07:52:28 AM »

I'm kind of in between option 2 and option 3. It's descriptive of my genetic and social makeup. I don't mind if people call me it in real life, but I'm perfectly fine with people using my real name too.

Niku · « **Reply #9 on:** July 07, 2010, 08:29:51 AM »

Nobody actually calls me Niku in real life outside of the occasional internet how-do-you-do, but I would have no problems if people did.

Burrito Al Pastor · « **Reply #10 on:** July 07, 2010, 08:46:31 AM »

Same. I would be totally cool with people addressing me as Burrito, but nobody actually does that in meatspace.

I kinda wish they would, in fact.

Crouton · « **Reply #11 on:** July 07, 2010, 08:52:00 AM »

My handle began as a backyard wrestling moniker and we had our whole high school calling us by our character names, so for a few years it wasn't all that odd for people on the street to call me crouton.

R^2 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 07, 2010, 10:43:41 AM »

People can't seem to come to a consensus on whether it's pronounced "are too" or "are squared". That was mostly at GameTap though, where I'd sign emails R2. I do e.g. initial contracts and forms with R2 instead of RR though.

JDigital · « **Reply #13 on:** July 07, 2010, 11:51:59 AM »

My real name is Dicks Oak.

Lottel · « **Reply #14 on:** July 08, 2010, 02:30:35 AM »

Well, a lot of people don't even call me by my handle anymore. Only you guys. Most other places shorten it to either "Lot" or just "L." My old job at the comic store called me Lottel, though. So that's fine.

Honestly, I introduced myself to some guy the other day and I paused. I couldn't figure out what name to give him. I had to check my company and then squeaked out my name. I introduce myself so much as Sunshine anymore that it's become a habit. I spend 30 hours a week as Sunshine, and the rest of the time as Lottel. Anymore there are only 12 non-relatives that I talk to that actually call me my name. I don't really care what they call me though.

Beat Bandit · « **Reply #15 on:** July 08, 2010, 05:36:56 AM »

Like all the names before it, Rygaron is slowly dying and becoming Beat Bandit. A process started like three years ago.

It doesn't matter though because anyone that learns it online or off just calls me by my full name.

Joxam · « **Reply #16 on:** July 08, 2010, 08:40:26 AM »

Quote from: Lottel on July 08, 2010, 02:30:35 AM

I introduce myself so much as Sunshine anymore that it's become a habit.

I... um. I. :D

HAHAHAHAHA

:D

François · « **Reply #17 on:** July 08, 2010, 08:46:19 AM »

My handle sounds way too ridiculous to be used in real life for anything. Wish I had thought of that before I made it up, but I was like eight years old at the time.

I keep thinking I should probably just start to use my real name online, but inertia.

Misha · « **Reply #18 on:** July 08, 2010, 09:06:47 AM »

what zedpower said. I'd feel really weird being called drethelin all the time but I've been using drethelin online forever.

Lottel · « **Reply #19 on:** July 08, 2010, 10:50:23 AM »

Quote from: Joxam on July 08, 2010, 08:40:26 AM

Quote from: Lottel on July 08, 2010, 02:30:35 AM
I introduce myself so much as Sunshine anymore that it's become a habit.

I... um. I. :D

HAHAHAHAHA

:D

I didn't tell you guys that did I?

But yeah. They call me Sunshine at work. Which is fine, honestly. It get's people laughing and it's an easy name to remember.

News:

Poll

Well, HOW MUCH?

Author Topic: How much do you relate to your Handle? (Read 5397 times)