In an effort to be more professional, I've asked Jon Raiker to change my username from SimonOHart to this one, which is my actual name. It's something I've been considering for some time, and after reading Jason England's post, I've decided to go forward with it.
Username Change
- Thread starter WitchDocIsIn
- Start date
Yeah I was thinking of doing the same. i went from shadowmaster808 to blakehensley
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If anyone else would like to change your username (per Jason's post), simply shoot me a PM! Word. 
May I ask which post this is? Could somebody point me in the direction of said post, sil vous plait?
You know, it's funny...the whole time I was writing those posts trying to convince people why they should do this, for some reason it never occurred to me to use that word.
But yeah, I guess when you get right down to it, that's all it is: professionalism.
Thanks for pointing out the most concise way of putting it.
Jason
PS: Those of you who wish to eschew professionalism for zaniness, please understand that no one will think less of you as a person, or even as a magician if you do so. But they might think less of you as a professional magician, if that's what you're aspiring to be. By the way, I'm using "professional" here to mean polished and mature/sophisticated. I'm not referring to whether or not you make your living doing magic.
http://forums.theory11.com/showpost.php?p=294001&postcount=135
Read the post in context of the rest of the thread. My inbox is always open!
If I saw that name I would assume it was yours.
Here's the thing. 'It's just an internet forum' is very short sighted. The internet is part of your identity now. It's becoming common practice to do a Google search on any potential employees before a company hires them. It's also pretty common for your boss to occasionally search your name. I know of people that have gotten fired because of what they said about their company on their blogs.
Some people find that out and then make sure their internet presence is zero. They have nothing associated with their real name so nothing comes up in Google. This is good for someone that wants to be anonymous.
I do not want to be anonymous. I want my name to be recognized. In this case having no web presence effectively means you don't exist, or that you are completely new to this. That means you have to prove yourself to your potential clients every single time. But if they are just searching for various names they've been given and see that you're an established, respected member of the magic fraternity, that respect will transfer somewhat to them. Brian Brushwood talks about this in his South by Southwest performance episode of Scam School. It's the fixed action pattern of authority.
If you search my name (Christopher Thisse) you'll find out that I'm on Facebook, I was an extra in a low-budget horror film, I share a name with a published economist and that Matt Sconce thinks I'm a card whiz (Thanks Matt!).)
That last bit is really the crux of my point. No one cares what SimonOHart has to say, or what people think of him. Someone might care what Christopher has to say, and what people think of him, though.
So this is the beginning of creating a presence. I'm nowhere near ready to be a full time professional entertainer, but a few years down the road when I am, I hope to have built up a solid, respected web presence so that potential employers can look for my name and be shown that I am an authority.
Get it?
http://forums.theory11.com/showpost.php?p=294001&postcount=135
Read the post in context of the rest of the thread. My inbox is always open!
Ah, thanks
I don't think it's a matter of if you're serious. I think it's a matter of "Do you want to be known?"
Or rather, "Under what name would you like to be known as?"
I say that because David Copperfield is just a stage name. Which brings up the question: How different is a stage name from a username? Ignoring the fact that usernames are often weird (include numbers, for example), do they not both stand in for a person's real name, replacing it under certain circumstances? This is something very popular among musicians, as well as some writers, and even actors (Dwayne Johnson originally even using his stage name of The Rock (carried over from wrestling) while performing in movies for the longest time, comes to mind).
I suppose the difference is that with musicians and actors (and even David Copperfield), the stage name is still tied to the person--they aren't anonymous, as their face is tied to the name (at the very least).
Thus, the real issue seems more to be the anonymity. Which brings up yet another question: Is using your name not only necessary, but also sufficient? I'd definitely say that using a name that you would like to be known as is necessary (it doesn't have to be your real name, as a stage name would work just fine). However, I'd say it's far from sufficient. What does it matter if I'm John Smith or That Canadian Guy (which is actually a real comedian's stage name, who is fairly well known--can you guess why he chose that stage name? (answer: Because that's the thing that sticks with most people, so he just adopted it as his stage name))? Unless you can tie a real person in with the name, then it's just a name. It could just be random numbers and letters, it serves the same person--it identifies the speaker. It still doesn't say anything about the speaker though. It doesn't give any substance to the speaker (well, typer). The speaker is still an anonymous person, even if using their real name, the only difference is that their name sounds more...real.
So where could one go from there? Possibly adding a picture of the real person (dressed up in whatever it is their character wears; Draven (I hope I spelled that correctly, or got his name right, rather, heh) would be a good example) as their display picture. Having a face to go with a name makes it a little bit more of a...human interaction. And takes away a bit of the anonymity, which is what I would target as the real culprit that should be addressed.
But yeah, going by one's real name (or stage name) is definitely a good start (keyword: start).
To comment on this post:
For actors, the "stage" names you see might not have been created by themselves. There are a couple of reasons one might use a different name than their real one.
1. As part of S.A.G. (Screen Actor's Guild), one must register their name within the database. If a name is already taken, then a new name must be given to put you in the database. (I was a member of S.A.G. for many years)
2. Your agent feels that your name doesn't flow very well and thinks that by changing one's name, it would help with their star power.
David Copperfield is actually the title of a Charles Dickens novel. His real name being David Seth Kotkin. I don't think the later rolls off the tongue as well.
Mr. England has given some very helpful insight that I think each and every one of you should really take to heart. For those of you who have, then I give you kudos.
Something else that Mr. England hasn't brought to anyone's attention as of yet: Your avatar.
That is all from me. I now return you to your regularly scheduled browsing.
Mike
I can't actually tell if you're disagreeing with me.
I'm also growing tired of this increasingly circular discussion.
Whether someone agrees with me or not, I have expressed my motivations at length. I will give one more shot at it, and then I'm done.
By starting to use my name now, long before I plan to do anything professional, I am beginning to build a reputation. I am creating that tie between what I say and myself. In 8 or 9 years when people are thinking about hiring me, they may search my name on Google and find that I have been getting complimented on my skills for all this time. That gives me credibility and respect. It may not be the linch pin of the decision to hire me over someone else, but it certainly can do nothing but help.
So. To sum up. I feel it is far more professional to post under my real name, and since I want to be a professional, I will do so.
You are encouraged to do as you please and I really don't care if you agree with me or not.
I'm also growing tired of this increasingly circular discussion.
Whether someone agrees with me or not, I have expressed my motivations at length. I will give one more shot at it, and then I'm done.
By starting to use my name now, long before I plan to do anything professional, I am beginning to build a reputation. I am creating that tie between what I say and myself. In 8 or 9 years when people are thinking about hiring me, they may search my name on Google and find that I have been getting complimented on my skills for all this time. That gives me credibility and respect. It may not be the linch pin of the decision to hire me over someone else, but it certainly can do nothing but help.
So. To sum up. I feel it is far more professional to post under my real name, and since I want to be a professional, I will do so.
You are encouraged to do as you please and I really don't care if you agree with me or not.
And here I thought I was about to watch a video of your new color change titled "The Username Change"
I am sad now.
~Zach
I am sad now.
~Zach
Well we already know that most people here already either respect me or hate my guts, so I don't see it making a difference. But mostly, I just don't want my clients googling my name and finding this place among the search results.
And to some extent I don't want the previously mentioned "hate my guts" crowd to have an easier time finding me and keying my car.