Jesus_marley
First Post
when I first saw Mycanid's screen name I thought he was a fun guy.
everyone else I figured was a fatbeard (even the girls)
everyone else I figured was a fatbeard (even the girls)
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Screen names and first impressions
- Thread starter Bullgrit
- Start date
Dog Moon
Adventurer
Really, the only time screen names make an impression on me is if they sound really cool and I'm like 'I really like that name'. It MAY make me a little more willing to read what they have to say, but it really doesn't affect me much.
What DOES make an impression is if they have some stupid name like 'IRStupid' or 'negibdfgjnsoifh'. Stupid names make me not desire to see what they have to say at all.
What DOES make an impression is if they have some stupid name like 'IRStupid' or 'negibdfgjnsoifh'. Stupid names make me not desire to see what they have to say at all.
Nyaricus
First Post
But really, some names immediately evoke a sense of something. I remember when Sound of Azure first started posting here and I thought to myself "what a peaceful sounding name." Or back before the crash there was another poster named 5-foot Step and I thought to myself "heh, that guy has to be funny."
On a psychological level, I think that screen names (and display icons) tend to influence us quite a bit - when we first meet people in real life, their faces are the first thing we look at, and we humans tend to judge books by their covers, whether we like it or not. So yes, I think screen names do influence us.
Bullgrit, your name makes me think of a more rough-and-tumble sorta guy; an almost Indiana Jones style guy. No offence, I hope
cheers,
--N
Thornir Alekeg
Albatross!
I didn't think screen name usually influenced much, but I have found recently that the screen name of a poster I've not read before along with early posts do somtimes combine to create an impression. Recently I noticed some posting by a couple of people with screen names that were in the style of texting speak. That, combined with posts that had poor typing and an almost frenzied way of writing gave me the impression of someone much younger than the majority of EN World members. The name itself didn't create the impression, but it reinforced it combined with the posts.
My screen name is of course a D&D character of mine. Back in the old days of 2400 baud modems where IRC was one of the major communication tools, Thornir was my IRC name because I never found it was being used by someone else and my friends could easily recognize when I entered a crowded channel.
My screen name is of course a D&D character of mine. Back in the old days of 2400 baud modems where IRC was one of the major communication tools, Thornir was my IRC name because I never found it was being used by someone else and my friends could easily recognize when I entered a crowded channel.
stevelabny
Explorer
Screen names can help with gender. Reading the names in this thread, I'd assume everyone is a guy except Jeysie and Pixie. (of course, pixie is a guy and a married one at that...but as he explained, the name comes from his wife.)
Screen names from pop culture can give a clue as to the age. I would assume Mycanid has been playing for a pretty long time. Some of these work better than others depending on the overall popularity.
I'll also jump to a conclusion of who is funny or clever, who is trying to hard to be "kewl" who is scared to let anyone know anything about them on the internet, and who is just lazy.
By name and this one post alone, I assume Bullgrit is a 30-something guy from middle-america (I would guess texas, but as a NYer, anything west of Philly and east of LA is midde-america) with some sort of outdoorsy manly hobby besides d&d. Of course, MOST people on EN World are 30-something male americans, so this isn't going out on a limb at all.
Oddly enough the image that pops into my head is of a guy chewing tobacco.
Most people assume that my name is Steve Labny or that my name is steve and i work in a lab in new york. When people think you are using your real name, they are less likely to think youre trolling or lying. They would also assume I'm lazy and not trying to be kewl. I have a very generic name, and athough its the fault of one of my idiot friends, I kept it because its simple.
Screen names from pop culture can give a clue as to the age. I would assume Mycanid has been playing for a pretty long time. Some of these work better than others depending on the overall popularity.
I'll also jump to a conclusion of who is funny or clever, who is trying to hard to be "kewl" who is scared to let anyone know anything about them on the internet, and who is just lazy.
By name and this one post alone, I assume Bullgrit is a 30-something guy from middle-america (I would guess texas, but as a NYer, anything west of Philly and east of LA is midde-america) with some sort of outdoorsy manly hobby besides d&d. Of course, MOST people on EN World are 30-something male americans, so this isn't going out on a limb at all.
Oddly enough the image that pops into my head is of a guy chewing tobacco.
Most people assume that my name is Steve Labny or that my name is steve and i work in a lab in new york. When people think you are using your real name, they are less likely to think youre trolling or lying. They would also assume I'm lazy and not trying to be kewl. I have a very generic name, and athough its the fault of one of my idiot friends, I kept it because its simple.
papastebu
First Post
papastebu comes from a conversation I had with a friend about my impending fatherhood, eight years ago. My name is, in fact, Steve, and I'm not worried about who knows who I am, because I don't have anything that anyone can take away, except maybe financial standing, and I don't use credit.
As to how I react to usernames and the like, I generally gloss over all of it, unless I'm trying to have a conversation with someone specific, which seldom happens, for some reason. If I do catch myself reading the names/scanning the avatars, it's because I am amused by one, and I just keep going from there. I don't really see them as indicative of the person, unless something they've posted kind of resonates with the name or picture in my mind. At times like that, I feel that I have actually come to know that person a bit, if only infinitessimally.
As to how I react to usernames and the like, I generally gloss over all of it, unless I'm trying to have a conversation with someone specific, which seldom happens, for some reason. If I do catch myself reading the names/scanning the avatars, it's because I am amused by one, and I just keep going from there. I don't really see them as indicative of the person, unless something they've posted kind of resonates with the name or picture in my mind. At times like that, I feel that I have actually come to know that person a bit, if only infinitessimally.
