What’s in a [user]name?

[CauseISaidSo]

I’ve seen a thread like this in just about every online forum I’ve ever browsed, and since it’s been relatively quiet around here lately, I thought this might be a good time to start one here.

So, how’d you come up with your forums and/or Fark username? What’s it mean?

For me, when I finally signed up on Fark some 8 years ago, I was in a particularly snarky mood at the time, all 3 kids were still at home and were of the “testing the boundaries” age, and my dad’s favorite answer to us kids’ questions of “Why?” or “How come?” suddenly made a lot of sense. If I had it to do over again, I’d probably pick a less snarkly name.

When I first signed up on the forums, I used BecauseISaidSo but evidently mistyped my email address and never got the confirmation. I waited awhile hoping that that name might reset if never confirmed, but when it didn’t happen, I rejoined using the shorter version.

[Farktographer]

I signed up on Fark for the sole purpose of farktography, so figured it’d be a fitting name

[Kestrana]

This is the username I’ve had since I was 12 years old and my parents got AOL in the early ’90s. It’s a combination of “kestrel” and “star” with a feminine “-a”.

And Kes was mine before Star Trek: Voyager absconded with it.

[ravnostic]

The nutshell: RAV (me) met STC (he) back in 1994, while working at AT&T. They were intro’ing the first personalized calling cards, and RAV snatched RAVNSTC because it was easy to remember. The relationship, when it ended, ended badly (as in DOA). RAV changed the card to RAVNOSTC, and started using it when he went online in 1996 (his Yahoo is still that.) After a bit of counseling (‘ended badly’ meant very badly, but this is just the nutshell version), he ‘refound’ himself, and resolving to never lose his identity in a relationship again, added an I–right in the middle of STC–as a reminder. RAVNOSTIC.

The long version made a good blog, once.

[sleeping]

I was on something of a Beatles kick when I signed up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETO3YfDKEI4

[CauseISaidSo]

I was on something of a Beatles kick when I signed up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETO3YfDKEI4

Awesome. Revolver’s probably my favorite Beatle’s album.

[chupathingie]

heh… my stepson and I were watching Red vs Blue… and I larfed at “chupathingie”. So I stole it.

(rav, you and I shared an employer….)

[ravnostic]

And Kes was mine before Star Trek: Voyager absconded with it.

LOL at that. I’d nearly forgotten that character; now you’ve reminded me.

But should I watch the reruns, I’ll still be reminded of you when I see her. 😉

[orionid]

I’ve always been obsessed with the constellation Orion and felt a weird sort of connection to it. Since the Orionid meteor shower (or any other whatever-id) means “From Orion,” I ran with it. It’s been my most consistently used name out of dozens since middle school in the early 90’s.

[Yugoboy]

When I was a pizza driver in the mid-90s the store owner had a Nintendo system set up for slow days/nights. Our favorite game was Uniracers. I was out on a delivery when they set up my username, and due to the fact that I was driving a Yugo at the time, they gave me the name Yugoboy. I really liked the way it rolled off the tongue, and it’s been my name ever since.
It’s so much a part of my on-line identity, that I’d probably respond if someone called me Yugoboy off-line in the real world.

On those occasions when “Yugoboy” is taken (like on Last.fm) I go with Yugoboy99. I guarantee there’s not 99 of us, and that way it’s either one or the other, and I don’t have to remember a ton of different ones.

Somewhere I’ve got a photo of that old car. I gotta find it and scan it. It seriously had the best radio of any car I ever owned. I could turn it way up and hear it 50 feet away with the windows shut. If it hadn’t nickle and dimed me to pieces, I’d probably still have it.

[zincprincess]

I’m a geologist who wrote my thesis on zinc. Well specifically sphalerite (ZnS if you are into chemical formulas) and the sulfur isotope ratios blah, blah, blah . . . don’t make me talk about that. Also, I have been told that I’m a bit of a princess/diva from time to time when I don’t get my way. Princess Poopy Pants is my full nickname bestowed on me when I was slowly losing my mind in grad school. So I combined the two and became zincprincess.

If I had it to do over again, I think I would choose something more clever. Although right now I don’t know what that would be.

[Kestrana]

<3 me some geology!

[ravnostic]

It’s so much a part of my on-line identity, that I’d probably respond if someone called me Yugoboy off-line in the real world.

I thought it was as “you go, boy!” 😆

Because I’ve met so many people in person who knew me only as ‘ravnostic’, I am often called ‘rav’ (rhyming with ‘have’) and respond to it as second nature. I’m contemplating petitioning G+ for the use of the name.

//one hot (straight) guy whom I swooned over online incessantly (hey–he encouraged me) calls me ‘Ravvy baby’. Such a tease…but a really good sport, and even nicer in person.

[clouddancer]

Back in high school, in the group I was hanging out with, there was some D&D going on, only I hadn’t really been introduced to it very well (I was rather naive at the time of many things going on, rather oblivious). Anyway, I had also been taking dance lessons every year since I was like 5. By just-then-ex-boyfriend, who I was still friends with, gave my nickname, Cloud Dancer. He’s shortened to Dancer on many occasions. He gave me the nickname because he said I danced like I was on clouds. Probably because I really enjoyed it, even if I wasn’t that good at it. Just tap, really. There was ballet for a couple of years, and then jazz dancing. Anyway, the name stuck. Weird thing happened though after high school for us. We remained friends (still are friends) only now he’s my brother-in-law. I haven’t really danced in years, and I’m not nearly as graceful as I once was, not that I was too terribly graceful to begin with, actually.

[nobigdeal]

I really don’t remember why I chose “I’m no big deal“, but I do remeber shortening it to NoBigDeal here. Kinda wish we could change usernames on Fark. I would change it to NBD there too.

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