What's in a name?

[kerravonsen]

a rose, they say, would smell as sweet...

I am wondering whether I should take Kerr Avonsen as my nom-de-net everywhere, instead of my real name. I've been pondering this on and off ever since I discovered, due to the tasteless, thoughtless remark of someone whom I was helping with software stuff, that there happens to be a porn star whose name is very similar to my own. Her first name is the same as mine, and her last name is the more common variation of my own last name. So, despite the fact that if you do a google search on my own, proper name, practically all the first page is references to me (yes, I'm well-googled), if one does a typo of my name -- which people are always doing, because they suffer from selective dyslexia regarding the spelling of my surname, then the third entry comes up with the porn star. (sigh)

Wheras if you search for "Kerr Avonsen", the list is much shorter, and they all refer to me.

But... I've been using my real name on the net since 1988. That's a lot of history, history that would be wiped out if I changed my use-name. And there's nothing there that I've done that I'm ashamed of -- if "prospective employers" don't like gen fanfic, then I probably wouldn't want to work for them anyway. And, more importantly from the "prospective employer" point of view, there are some Free Software projects that I'm associated with that would only do me good if my real name was still on them.
But it was my Free Software that put me in correspondence with the guy who made the remark about me and the "naughty nude pictures". (sigh)

What am I going to dooooo? (wails)

Am I going to have to spend the rest of my life explaining that NO I AM NOT THAT PERSON!
Even though it is not my fault that people can't spell my name correctly.

And then I think, look, I've been on the net for sixteen years, it's a bit late to stop using my real name now. (sigh)

Comments

[grumpoldusenaut.livejournal.com]

Not a lot you *can* do about it. Using a fannish-based nick does carry the risk that someone else will think "hey, what a cool idea" and use it.

I havn't had anything quite *that* disconcerting, but I regularly explain to people that no, I am not the tv script writer - and I've recently discovered that there is a well-known-to-other-people singer with the same name as me. I discovered this because someone started talking about my next tour, in the middle of an email conversation with me about writing sf. You'd think that people would have learnt by now that names are not unique.

[kerravonsen]

You'd think that people would have learnt by now that names are not unique.

If they can't remember that the internet is international, expecting them to realize that names are not unique is probably a lost cause.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I'm always surprised by how many people on LJ don't use their real name in any form (even you don't). I must admit that I'm drifting in the opposite direction. I started with watervole, went to Judith and have now got to Judith P.

My main aim is to stop my father ever falling across my page by accident as my mother would probably freak out if she looked at everything I read/post, but then I can do friends' filters now, and if she's shocked by my interest list - well, maybe that's her problem.

I vote for you keeping your real name. You've got more entries than the porn star. Annoy her by having your name come up on Google and making people unable to find her...

[kerravonsen]

You've got more entries than the porn star. Annoy her by having your name come up on Google and making people unable to find her...

Hmmm, success is the best revenge, huh? Though my high rating depends on people spelling my surname correctly, I'm not sure I'd be able to zap her in the misspelled arena.
Unless I add something to my .sig, like
AndersEn not AndersOn, demmit!

[hawkeye7.livejournal.com]

Imagine how she feels! I did a quick Google, and I don't think she is a porn star either. The Internet Movie database points to someone with a number of minor film roles who works as a stuntwoman.

[kerravonsen]

What, you mean she's being stalked? Ugh!

[hawkeye7.livejournal.com]

It would be kind of silly in your case, given that your LJ is linked to a web page with your name in full!

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Yes, but it isn't linked backwards. If you put my name into Google, it wouldn't currently show my LJ. I'm not bothered if my LJ friends have my full name - they presumably read my page because they share my interests or like reading my ramblings about garden ponds.

What I have mixed feelings about is having family members look me up on Google and finding things other than the web site.

[kerravonsen]

What's wrong with your family reading about your ramblings about garden ponds?

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Because there may sometimes be things other than garden ponds.

Because I don't want my mother freaking out at what communitites I choose to belong to.

Because I don't want any of my family to approve/disapprove of my choice of friends.

There are two members of my family I'd feel happy to have wandering round my journal - one already knows where to find it and the other is dying.

The rest, on the whole, I would prefer to be unaware of it.

[kerravonsen]

*hugs*

Guess I'm lucky; my family already knows I'm an SF nut and they don't care.

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

::shrug:: In all honesty, I have to say that I think you are worried about nothing. It's come up once in sixteen years. Maybe if it starts coming up every week, then you can worry. Any name you use is probably going to be similar to something else, and you won't always like the something else. Once in a while I have to explain that no, I'm not the Mistral who writes B7 slash. So what?

Look at it this way. At least your name isn't John Smith. ;-)

[kerravonsen]

But everybody knows that "John Smith" is a common name.

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

So common that it's often used as a false name, and people who are really named John Smith generally get looked at askance and asked to prove it.

Everybody in the English-speaking world knows that Anderson's a common name, too. So if they mess up the spelling of Andersen, all you have to do is point out the 'e'. It's not that big a deal; I have to spell my first name every time I give it out, because there are, like, three people in the world with that spelling.

Nobody that knows you for more than ten minutes is going to think you are a porn star, unless their brain is in the gutter, anyway. Those people, you can't help.