What's in a Name?

I was reading the fashionplanet blog today and the post by Feles Seitan really struck a cord with me. The skin she was reviewing was absolutely beautiful but what caught me was her comment about her RL name, she says, "I have a boring name RL, don’t ask me, and was secretly jealous of girls who had unique names." I totally understand what she is talking about! I have the most common first name for the year I was born, and it continued to be the most popular or in the top 5 for years after. My maiden last name is also the 2nd most common in the US, so my RL maiden name was definitely boring and un-unique, not only that but I have met 4 people in my lifetime that shared my first AND last name, as well as someone famous. It's no wonder I married a guy that has a very unique last name, no one can pronounce it or spell it, which I secretly love.

This brings me to the subject of SL names.
When I first discovered SL over 2 years ago I'm not sure how long it took me to choose my name, but I knew I wanted it to be unique. Sometimes in RL people call me Mariah, like Mariah Carey, because I can sing and back in the 90s I had full long curly hair like hers. But I wanted something special, so I added the "A," Awe-muh-rye-ah . . . rolls off the tongue like butta, doesn't it? Francis? Well, I just picked one from the list that seemed to sound good after it.

Names in SL crack me up, I have a friend that has the longest name ever. I'm not going to write it here but I've seen this technique used by others. The technique is to make your name be a conglomeration of everything you love, like this: Kittenglitterstarberry Fox. Now this technique can end up with an undoubtedly unique name but I'm not sure it's ideal. I mean, who is going to type all that in when they say hi to you, you'll probably end up going by a nickname, which isn't bad allot of people call me Am or Ama. I see others with risque names and some downright offensive. I guess it really all depends on your personality and what you plan to do in SL. I've been (somewhat) paying attention to the modeling world and I find that models with simple elegant names are the ones that are the most successful, so if that is your goal, keep this in mind. And if you mess up the first time around? No biggie, just create an alt! :)

Tip! If you find yourself not knowing what to name your avie or your alt, here's a great article that will help:
http://www.vintfalken.com/how-to-choose-a-second-life-avatar-name-10-tips/

Picture Info:
Swimsuit: Boho Beach Babe, by Nicanor Millions
Hair: 69, Still
Shoes: Beige Real Toe Wedge Sandals, by J's Main Shop
Pose: Zeb&Sly Sit Z14