The Art of creating a User (Screen) Name

[fffred]

What are some good ideas for creating a "username" for forums, such as this AARP forum?

I've participated in (or at least registered for) a number of forums over the past 25 years...since my dial-up modem days. It occurs to me now as I want to create a nice new name for a travel forum that perhaps there is some art and science to creating a good user name and I wonder if y'all have any good suggestions.

I use a couple different sites to automatically generate passwords. In fact, sometimes I use these to generate a jumbled-up user name as well, but typically this would be for some account name, not a screen name. [edit:  Mrs. Smif does not like these when she has to log in to some utility account, etc]

A Google search showed me that I'm on the right track, picking a good user is important!

This site (https://www.dragonblogger.com/7-benefits-choosing-random-username-online-forums/) mentions "Choosing a username is serious business. It sounds funny, but yes. You need to put in some thought before selecting one. People will form a perception of you through this name. This is similar to how much your clothes matter during an interview."

(I can't even begin to imagine what a "dragon blogger" is, lol)

And this site provides links to tools that will generate user names:
https://www.techwhoop.com/random-username-generator/

Certainly some people on the AARP forum have created some nice, imaginative screen names. Others, perhaps hiding under the cloak of anonymity, stick with what they were assigned in the beginning (it's been so long for me, I imagine there are default names assigned here). This may be a generational thing, too, and also related to how much experience one has with internet forums.

Okay, please toss out your ideas and suggestions for creating forum screen names! (could just as well be Twitter names, etc)

edit:  while Googling something entirely and totally unrelated I came across this name generator

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/thai-names.php

[retiredtraveler]

A number of people, including myself, have a username of a major hobby or interest. Not creative, but indicative of who I am and where my interests lay.

It depends if you want something creative, or representative. There are some creative names on the political forum, such as 'ManicProgressive'.

[fffred]

To date, I have just been making up names that are (in my mind) somewhat humorous for one reason or another. This time for the travel website is the first time that I have been (or will be) giving much actual thought.

Your approach, Traveler, is a good one.    ...now, where's the "handshake" icon?

[retiredtraveler]

[Epster]

I think user names can be tricky. I try never to create one that says too much about me.  For instance, if I were a scuba diving instructor, here on AARP I'd probably never mention that, and my screen name would be totally unrelated to scuba diving. But then, I'm a female who has been stalked before, so maybe that's just me.

Oh, and PS: I've been criticized here for giving away too much information in my posts ... and that's certainly a concern with any online account. Still, what those people didn't know was that outside of my Senior Games competitions, the info I've used to tell a story here was some tidbit that is no longer germane to my life. But anyway the point is that information posted online can be used to harass, defraud and othewise abuse you.  So good on ya for careful consideration.