Choosing a good Hubpages username
Thinking about usernames led me on a bit of a quest and I did some research into what other people were using as their usernames and how people defined themselves. Broadly speaking, hubbers and web users generally were splitting their usernames into three categories...
1. The name user name You simply put your first name and your surname together. These hubbers include: Aya Katz; Jerilee Wei; James A Watkins; Hope Alexander; Tom Rubenoff; Mark Knowles; Shirley Anderson.
This method could also be a combination of first name and surname initial - Rebecca E. - or first initial followed by surname - prgrundy. From reading these hubbers' profiles, names usernames seem to be used by the serious hubbers and professionals who have established their names in their industries - particularly writing, publishing, marketing and business among others. Their name carries gravitas and is what they are recognised by within their careers and HubPages helps to promote them.
2. The nick-name username
Fun and memorable, these are a mixed-bag. There are writers like Steve Andrews who uses the ironic Bard of Ely (Bard meaning Shakespeare and Ely a massive council estate in Cardiff). But generally, a lot of nickname user names are used by people who don't have a background in professional writing. These usernames can be obscure, fun and give an insight into people's personality. And these hubbers have just as many fans as those with professional user names. Some of my favourite nick name usernames on HubPages at the minute are: wannabwestern; Purple Perl; Viryabo; Gypsy Willow and frogdropping .
3. The topic or business user name
This kind of username describes the area of expertise the hubber has and what kind of hubs they'll be writing. For example, CMHypno is a hypnotherapist, lakeerieartists owns an art gallery, Storytellersrus specialises in fiction and people can tell that somebody called Singular Investor will specialise in money.
These usernames are useful for advertising a business or for those who will be mainly writing about one topic.
So there are the three main types of username. Yes, they're just a
name but I think they can make a big difference to an online presence.
And it's important to pick a fitting one given that HubPages don't
allow people to change their usernames.
And finally...
Which category will you choose for your username?
After much deliberation and questioning of my own identity I decided to stick with rickrideshorses
as my username.It's fun and catchy and I like it. It also reflects the
fact that HubPages is not an extension of my business or profession but
more connected with my hobbies and interests. But picking a username is just the first step in creating an identity on
HubPages - or any social networking site, forum, or Pay To Write (PTW)
site. The
- Writing a shimmering profile that gives others a stunning picture of you and your amazing personality
- Writing in a brilliantly disinctive and unforgettable tone
- Producing a frightening arsenal of content
- Networking (schmoozing) with the right people and marketing your work
