Choosing a Nickname
June 14th, 2007 | This article was viewed 7,937 times so far...
The Internet is a place where you wouldn’t want to expose your REAL name unless necessary, that’s why almost all users of the Internet will have a nickname.
Nicknames are self-explanatory – they are your alternate names, just like how Jonathan Barnes could nickname himself JoBarn or just like how my nickname is goldfries. 
Before we proceed any further, you must know that regardless of how your choose a nickname, it’s NEVER wrong. It’s your right to choose how to identify yourself. In this article, I’ll be writing about the flaws of various nickname types and how it could affect others that interact with you.
You must identify the purpose of your nickname. If your nickname is just for random chats and all that, it shouldn’t be a problem even if you have a horrible nick. However if you intend to participate in any online community for a long time, your reputation actually hangs on your nickname – do consider choosing a nickname that you DON’T REGRET using, and WON’T make you feel like changing it. 
I mean seriously, you wouldn’t want to establish a good reputation somewhere and then someday decide to change the nick at the expense of re-registering an account and start almost all over again.
Now, let’s have an overview of the possibilities when it comes to picking nicknames.
Problematic Nicknames
Loyalty based
Examples – AMDisdabest, nVidiaSux, IntelInside, ATiMATi, Proton4Eva, BritneySpears, BClintonRawks……
The problem with loyalty-based nickname is that while it promotes the brand, the person or whatever you strongly support, it will also portray you as a “fanboy”. So what happens if one day AMD is not the best anymore? Or one day AMD ceases to exist? Or so happen you decide to make a jump to Intel processors?
Product based
Examples – FordGT, nVidia_FX5200, Nokia3310, ToshibaRegza, AcerInspire1200, CamryLover……
While similar to Loyalty based nicknames, product based nicknames could make you look great for a while then after that you’re just a representative of and old and obsolete product. It’s like Nokia 3310 – wow it looks nice then but if you look at it now you’ll find it thick and bulky.
If you want to name yourself as an obsolete item, you could’ve gone for some decade old products straightaway.
Sure, if you use AthlonXP1700 in a tech community – it’s a high chance that people might be aware that you’re naming yourself after one of most well known processors ever produced but what about people who didn’t know of such product? Such as people from a non-tech community or people who weren’t around when the item was produced?
Numeric based
Examples – Amanda7, Nicky88, John0215, a1098113……
Although such nicknames seem fine, one should take note that numeric nicknames tend to reveal details about you. Usually nicks with a single number indicates a person’s favorite number, usually a birth date. Regardless of how many digits, it reveals something. It’s usually quite obvious to see that those numbers is made out of someone’s date of birth, month of birth, year of birth, car number, and so on so forth. The possibilities are always there, you can almost always pick up something from numeric nicknames. In fact, some of them could end up being a product name.
Not that it’s such a bad thing, it depends on whether you would like people to get to know any tiny bit of your details without having to work for it.
As if that was not bad enough, I’ve come by people with nicknames such as “a1098113″ – I mean really, remembering this would be as touch as remembering a phone number. Of course, on the phone you could identify yourself as “a109″ but such nicks are horrible if people thought of contacting you. It’s like “what’s that guy’s nick again?”. You get what I mean, it’s not wrong to use such nick. If you need your nick to be remembered or identified easily, please avoid using such a nick.
Leet based
Examples – t3chn0m4nc3r, phr34k3rz01d, g4rf13ld……
What is Leet? Find out more by clicking here.
While Leet based nicks make you look cool, it makes you look like a techie or an awesome gamer – yes BUT have you ever considered how hard it is to remember such a nick? People who don’t understand leet wouldn’t even know how to identify you.
I mean think about it, if you were to call up someone and “Hello, I’m g4rf13ld at X2Z forums.”, they might even need you to tell them that you are “gee four are eff one three el dee” instead.
Odd Mix
Examples : jrr410, tbh79……
While such nicknames are fine (Loyalty / Product based nicknames come in similar format), just make sure you don’t over do it. Do you really need to have a nick like yth4430fun?
How to choose a proper nickname?
1. Easy to remember, or at least have better chance for people to remember.
2. You can pronounce without having to mention a bunch of numbers or separate alphabets.
3. Not tied to any product, brand, people or anything – unless you really intend to stick to it regardless of how bad the situation your “idol” is in.
June 14th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Interesting topic! It is very useful article.
June 15th, 2007 at 12:31 am
So how about my nick here?
June 15th, 2007 at 4:57 am
What about your nick? Made up of actual words, therefore easy to remember, easy to pronounce.
June 18th, 2007 at 10:06 am
so, can i deduce that your real life name is Goldilocks, and your surname is Fries?! lol lol.
nice article.
June 18th, 2007 at 10:14 am
haha. nice try.
real life name is at “about goldfries” section. 
June 21st, 2007 at 2:37 am
3 nicks of mine
Antabax = From the anti-bacterial soap
Ataris = From the famed emo-punk band
eZek1eL = From the clothing brand
June 21st, 2007 at 3:17 am
I like your 1st and 2nd nick. i used to have a few other nicks but i’m sticking to goldfries.
In online games like Ragnarok Online – you get to create a few characters, funny thing was the character goldfries was not the one i played most often.
Well, same goes to my Battlefield 2142 outings. the soldier with the nick goldfries was not the one I played the most.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:48 pm
I guess mine is unique and quite easy to remember.
June 27th, 2007 at 2:42 am
i think my name is most common 1 =p
June 29th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Oh, how about mine then? Is c9 kewl enough? :LOL:
Normally, if a forum doesn’t allow me a nickname any shorter than 3 chars. I’d go for cn9ne or cnine.
Anyway, nice entry. Bring smiles upon my face.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:04 am
glad to see you guys enjoyed the article!
remember : it’s just my thoughts on nicknames, i don’t recall an official nickname guide anywhere though.
just for the record, i’m not a nickname judge!!
July 3rd, 2007 at 11:22 am
there;s too many nickname for me, i dunno which 1 i wan to stick wit?
July 5th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Hello,uncle Goldfries…
AceCombat reporting in,cover my six.
see ya bro!
July 5th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
roger, beta one! over and out! (and snipes you from your six haha).
July 9th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
How’s n305er?
Hehe… I have exactly the same problem as you described in Leet based nicknames. Good if you’re the type of person who don’t like people to remember you too much… XD
I have another one which is simpler which I use with my friends. Gulengz.
July 9th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Gulengz <=– nice and funny! more easy to remember if you’re familiar with Hokkien.
July 9th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
milk..hehehe
July 10th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
ZzZzZz…..ahbenggay suppose to be ahbeng happy rite =.=
LoL…later i tio accuse of being gay lou @@”
July 14th, 2007 at 1:37 am
lol! totally shared the same thoughts about this matter. There is someone at some forum, using a nickname tied to her ex, and then sometimes later she hated being tied to the ex, then requested for the name change, the admin obliged and then after sometime, she used her old nick again. -_-”
And one thing i hate most is when people pliagarized someone’s nick. Its like someone very popular, and that person just use that nick in somewhere else… very ‘duh’ one !
July 14th, 2007 at 8:49 am
@Ahbeng – yeah, most people know the word GAY as male + male relationship only la these days.
@chilicandy – that’s a sick case!! imagine having to be reminded about that person (that you break of out of either displeasure or not) but going back to old nick again?
and yeah, “plagiarizing” game! too bad there’s no way to stop anyone from doing so. first come, first served. 
July 23rd, 2007 at 4:43 am
I have a couple few good nick but i dont think i shud mention it since i read about the “plagiarizing”, dont want ppl steal my nick except for this one. Its quite common and ppl keep asking if i were in the clan or team, haha.
I never met the same exact one but ppl usually called me either “der” or “red” as i usually write it as “deR | Red” or “der | red” in-game. Ppl always confuse n think im a german gamer or sumthing haha. (they enter game and suddenly speak or type in german and later on was like, “bokvvx cizc deR | Red ?” while i was like, “err.. i dont understand” then they will like, “oh u english? no german?”, i was like whatever.
-the red-
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:23 am
Haha. interestingly, I was mistaken as a german too.
It was in an online game called hattrick where my team name was Vollkommen SV.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:28 am
phew… i guess, mine (sniper69) should be easy to remember…
July 25th, 2007 at 5:46 am
hehe. i’m tempted to ask but i think i won’t.
August 10th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
my nick is jayhan, actually is based on my own name.. had been using this since year 2000, during Kemahiran Hidup class, we need to set up a shop and i give my shop name “Jayhan”.
Well, my nick does not tied to anything, product or person, just me. Maybe u think i copy that Jay chou name, but hey, i got my nick before he get popular!
haha.
August 11th, 2007 at 12:41 am
Well people may think that way but not me.
my nick was inspired by the thought of McD’s french fries.
August 11th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
fries yummm….lol
my nick is only this…been using it since form5 (2005) lol
August 26th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Made your point clear, having to choose me as an example. I am honored.
August 26th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
LOL. you’re a good example.
till today i still can’t write out your full nickname without having a reference some where.
October 7th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
What kind of impression does my nick give?
i feel its over-ego kind of thing..
For the record, nice stuffs.
October 7th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Thanks!
As to your nick. It doesn’t leave any EGO related impression on me, thought you might be naming yourself after come character.
October 30th, 2007 at 11:25 am
my nickname is Shorty because i am very short so it suits me and thats what ppl remember me by and call me
:P
October 30th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Well, as long as you don’t find it degrading in anyway.
November 23rd, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I m impressed! I don’t even know there is such thing until I saw your post… Thank you for sharing such useful info yet it brings out some laughter… Great work I must say… Your site will be one of my stops’ from now on… Hope you don’t mind…
November 29th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
i got my nickname(TOLANIC) from dream
POYOZER plak means Poyo + Poser
December 1st, 2007 at 8:05 am
@smileyface : why would I mind?
I love it when people enjoy my articles.
@POYOZER : “tolanic” from dream?
and what does Poyo mean?
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:36 pm
TOLANIC..i got it from my dream..the name keep repeating…thats why i take that name..haha..i also don’t know the real meaning..poyo plak means poser..something like that
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:48 am
Looks like most of us have an inspiration of some sort. Have I revealed mine?
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:21 pm
off course lah..come share it with us
is it the name of food?
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Hehe alright. Well one day nearly 10 years ago, I was hungry and thought of McD’s french fries.
So there the name came.
December 5th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
french fries is gold for u
December 8th, 2007 at 4:25 am
Hehe, I do not accept payment in French Fries
However I’m more than delighted to have a meal or 2 and some fancy restaurant.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
awesome article! hope this comment isn’t two years too late. i signed up for twitter using bananagurl. unfortunately that name’s already taken.
more power goldfries
well if bananagurl’s not signing up, neither am i!
April 20th, 2009 at 12:59 am
I believe this article is valid for a really really really long time.
as long as nicknames are around.
December 27th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
i wan a nickname can help me choose??