Lately I’ve seen a few Webmasters sharing, creating or using names of other Webmasters that have been around awhile. In the case where it is their actual name, that does make sense, but it can become confusing under other circumstances..Lately I’ve seen a few Webmasters sharing, creating or using names of other Webmasters that have been around awhile. In the case where it is their actual name, that does make sense, but it can become confusing under other circumstances.

I remember the case of sharkysr, who a lot of folks thought was Sharky and he told me this was usually a conversation starter to get past the fact that he wasn’t the same Sharky who does design work and who hosted the Sharky Live radio show. It prompted sharkysr to ultimately change his nickname to Showman when he started the Chicago Webmaster show, which went on to become the AWE.

Another example (and not to pick on this particular person as his real name might be this) but I didn’t know there were two “Ottos in the adult industry until recently. The Otto that I think of is part owner of YNOTMASTERS.com, and now there is a second one out there (see profile.) [Editor’s Note: Greg Geelan, AKA “Otto” in the Adult Internet since early 1999 states, “I didn’t know there was a second Otto until I saw a Van Halen autographed guitar given away at a past Internext show, and on the guitar was a card indicating that ‘Otto’ had won it. People had been telling me that I had won the guitar, so I went over to the booth to see for myself, and sure enough, there it was with ‘my’ name on it. When I went to claim the prize, a gentleman working the booth said, ‘You’re not Otto.’ I thought in disbelief, ‘What do you mean I’m not Otto?’ I showed him my convention name tag with ‘Otto’ printed prominently on it, and he said, ‘Well, you’re not my buddy Otto.'”]

I’ve also seen two different Webmasters going by Gunner lately circulating on the boards as well. I had a Gunner as a guest on the Script School radio show from cheapstreams.com, but there is a newer GUNNER name I saw (all in CAPS… I’m not yelling, kind reader).

This got me thinking about how many folks strive for a unique nickname when they created their nick, or those who just use(d) their own real name? (If you are looking for a good thread, by the way, which questions why folks use different nicknames, then check with Raven at Cozy Campus in this thread.

It is worthwhile for newer Webmasters to do some research before starting out with a nickname that is already in use and, established or “branded” if you will (even if the nick you want to use is your real name which is being used by someone else), or there is bound to be confusion. There might even be some uncomfortable tension.

Then again, maybe this extra attention grabber is a plan for some. I am not so cynical to think that everything that people do online comes with some sort of agenda, especially when folks are new. We are all new at something, and when the territory is foreign it can be easy to step into something without intention.

I’ve also noticed using the company name – or some variation – one works for in their nick. This is all well and good if that person owns the company, or the nick one uses is for sole marketing for that company. However, if one doesn’t fit these two criteria then he/she better pal up with the moderators on that particular chat board so if someday there is a job change (and that never happens in the adult industry right?), the Webmaster won’t have to “start over.”

Changing a name isn’t the end of the world, but ask Prince how easy it was going around saying: “Artist Formerly Known As Prince.” Of course that might be a bit enigmatic to add AFKA_TDavid in my case should I ever decide to go that route, but a well-established and branded name is hard to break, so choose wisely.

There aren’t so many visible, posting Webmasters that creating a unique Webmaster name should be difficult. In the past I’ve suggested some different ways that folks could brand their name when they create it in the following related article: “Can Your Customers Find You?”.

Your name is your identity and getting your identity confused with someone else could be problematic. As a newbie, is this really the kind of attention you want? A little research can go a long way… especially if you plan on sticking around the industry for a long time and plan to use your name and visibility as a marketing tool on chat boards.

TDavid is co-owner, programmer and Webmaster for several sites devoted to scripting including his own http://www.tdscripts.com. His current projects include a live weekly radio show and he’s written over 100 articles on Web-related business, created and hosted more than 100 live radio broadcasts and completed hundreds of original programming projects for clients spanning the globe.