What Should Be in Your USERNAME?

My mission for the past few years is to get more of the weak hearted as well as the overbearing non-tech business people online.  Why? Well, on the most part they need to be and secondly YOU need them online.

The TWO issues most of the newbies to La-La-Land have with taking their first step into the unknown is dealing with privacy and promotion.  Some have already been told more than they understand about the internet.  Many have previously been online but left due to nothing they were told by a professional Social Media Expert Guru worked.

First Impression ONLINE is Your Name

The first thing the unknowing deal with has to do with identity.  The people who are scared of being stalked or scammed or any of the other things they heard goes on in the ‘Darkside of the Internet’ do not want to use their real name.  For the overly zealous who have been told misleading information insist they have to put their name and business all in their online name..or username.

So, you can see, my work is cut out for me on this dealing with issue, but it needs to be dealt with since so many people online think they are doing well with their online presence when in FACT they are losing ground to how well they could be doing if they moved to how the internet is forming up in today’s economy.

Viewers to the internet first do not have a lot of time so they do not want to deal with others who do not take themselves serious enough to post their real name.  The tide is turning rapidly online.  People who use strange names as their identity quickly appear to viewers as being part of the growing number of Scammers who love to use fake names.

In a recent conversation I had with a Gamer Friend he said..

If someone contacts me today using some absurd name I usually do not react to them or in most cases click on their message.  Even some of the people I know in real life I mistakenly skip over their message due to my negative reaction to the high level of absurdity online.

Real Name vs Pseudo

There are some very legitimate concerns and issues behind why someone would not want to use their REAL name in their business or personal endeavor.  However, statistically, those who use their real name fair professionally much better than the ‘ElviOnes’ of La-La-Land.  There are some who do take on a pseudo name but usually it is in the form of a near Real Name making the first impression someone would have with them online on even keel.

For the weak hearted, using their real name online just is not comfortable.  These people take a little more persuasion to understand the change in the mood of consumers and friends who use the internet for business or social.  Trust is the name of the game now and showing a fake name or identity online tends to get viewer’s index finger on the mouse itching to clicking to the next listing.

Statistically, someone listing their real name get clicked on or viewed 88% more than the cute ‘CheckMeOut’ people.  Its your choice, but if you are out to meet REAL people and do Real business you have to get Real with the name you list.

Gotta-Make-A-Buck

Many of the first timers have read or been told they need to use their business name in their name or some other absurd form of phrase in their listed name that provides promotion to their business.  The ones I see on a daily bases are the PGA professional who feel their membership into the PGA is like being designated a Doctor.  True, some of the PGA members I know are doctors of the game, but being known as ‘Larry PGATrainer Smith’ is not taken seriously by most people looking for a golf instructor.

I visit with these guys and gals and ask them frequently why they chose to butcher their name and profession with combining them in the name field.  Over 90% of them say they do this to promote their membership and profession.  This same group also mentions they have heard placing the PGA name in their username also improves their SEO.

This same issue exists with other industries.  Financial advisor and real estate agents fill LinkedIn with all their titles when all a viewer is wanting is their REAL NAME.

Once I explain to them the image they are producing online and provide comments from the people they are trying to hook to do business with… who overwhelmingly say they would move on if they saw the name..they usually change to using a more Web 2.0 way of name identity.

Many of these diehards of the dying SEO era insist on doing what they feel is right and rebuke the notions of the importance of a professional image since they are getting substantial hits to their names.  The remark I usually hear from the more closed minded of these people is..

I am only online to get business.  Smiley faces and idiots who are only wanting me to buy what they have to offer are of no interest to me.  I have plenty of friends and don’t need anymore people wanting to be my friend.  I Gotta Make A Buck and that is all that matters.

Yaw..I want to do business with people like that..don’t you?

Get Real with your online name and you will get Real busy connecting to Real people wanting to know more about you.  The more a Real person knows about the Real you the more Real business will come your way.  It is working for me, it is working for those I train and it will work for you if you just stay with being a Real person.

Let me know how I can help.