Identity

[eregyrn]

[Poll #1744451]


I'm kind of mulling over changing the name of my LJ (and DW) to match the name I've been using fannishly elsewhere. And while I will always love my little-red-orca icon, I've similarly been mulling over changing the default to a piece of art I did myself. It annoys me a bit that if you change you default icon, all past uses of it will be replaced with the new one, I believe; but ehn.

Still, I know that just as a lot of you are indelibly in my head as your LJ names, while my current one is less like a "real" name, it's the name under which I did a lot of fannish participation (in SG-1 fandom in particular). I also know there are a few people on my flist who changed their names and to be honest, I still see posts from them and hesitate, trying to remind myself who they were "before" and what my connection to them is. So I'm just curious if people would care at all. (I'm not sure I won't do it anyway, no matter the results of the poll; but I'm curious.)

Comments

[m0usegrrl.livejournal.com]

I have felt that urge myself on many occasions, as you know. XD I say go for it! ^_^

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

You've done it on occasion, even, I think. But I don't get confused with you. Probably because I knew you as you before any of your LJ handles.

[discodiva76.livejournal.com]

Do what you feel is right for you and your journal hon...as long as I can see your wonderful photography then I'll be happy whatever you decide to call yourself!..


Deeds xx

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

The photography will still be here. :) (oh god I'm so behind on posting...)

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

Do what feels best for you I say. *hugs*

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

That is very existential. ;-)

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

Heh heh heh....a little bit of the existential helps now and then. ;)

PS. Did you see my owl photos!? ::::bounces::::

[wadjet-theperv.livejournal.com]

I have a soft spot for orcas in general and you in particular, so it would take a little transition time, but you have to do what feels right to you :)

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

I still have the soft spot for orcas! I wonder sometimes if it seems weirdly specific, given that I do not, you know, have almost any opportunities to talk about orcas. Alas.

[okojosan.livejournal.com]

I ticked the middle two choices but really, do what you want! I'll adjust. :D

I use different user icons for different things, myself.

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

I actually do use different icons for different things, too; I have a variety of icons for Many Occasions, ready to be deployed. So I don't even use my default icon that much any more.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

You could always use the LJ format to have "the artist formerly known as orca_girl" right under your (new?) default icon and new handle for a while.

I went to DW with my handle and dropped the underscores, though, and really felt no need to do this, however.

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

You could always use the LJ format to have "the artist formerly known as orca_girl" right under your (new?) default icon and new handle for a while.

This. :-) Maybe a transition period of old default icon with new name, or a new default icon that has a Salish look? (Icons really do get associated with users!)

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that seems like a good strategy.

Part of the trouble is that one of the reasons I want to replace the old default icon, yet not adopt a new PNW-style one, is that while I do love that style, I think we're all more sensitive today about appropriation than when I started up the account and picked that.

But yeah, particularly because I am visually-oriented, I know how very much default icons get associated with users. I went to a con once and carefully printed out a copy of my red-orca icon and put it on my badge, figuring that would be more useful than anything in identifying Me.

Also of note, the thing that I would use as my new default icon, I already use in some other places... and a couple of students from work have already managed to identify that it's me posting by my using that. Whoops! I would definitely have to be a bit more careful about what I lock down in this LJ. (I'm a little bit careful now.)

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

What an awesome idea! I would have picked you out of the crowd, for sure. I should stick this icon on my Dragon*Con badge this year. :D

I never ever ever use LJ/DW icons outside LJ/DW! Crossing the streams--eek!

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

That's probably a really good idea; it would be feasible, and helpful.

I wonder how many people ever really noticed your underscores, or mentally incorporated them into your name? I don't know how you'd pronounce an underscore. I've never heard that it has any helpful sound associated with it, like "BANG" for ! and "interrobang" for ?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Personally, I feel underscores emphasize my amazingness. In my head, my handle is pronounced "(the amazing!) minxy" or, "minxy, the amazing", depending on your preference (that's why there are underscores at the beginning *and* the end, see? I totally thought that through out of consideration for other people.)

I will say, more seriously, that I haven't maintained a consistent default image. When I had a lot of icons at LJ, I didn't use them all that much, so I went with a default that matched how I was generally feeling at that time. Now I'm down to five random icons and I use a pretty generic one as default. So I'm curious to see other people so committed to their defaults... (Love the owl icon, though.)

[barkley.livejournal.com]

A bunch of people changed their names to ___girl and ____girl and I still struggle to remember who they were. You are actually the only ____girl that is indelibly in my head! Also, it is linked to your real name to distinguish among the other ____'s in fandom. You are orca_girl_____. That is your real name.

[eregyrn.livejournal.com]

:) I know, I dig that. Just like in f2f interactions, elishavah is just Eli at least half the time, even though we don't actually know anyone else with her real first name so it's not even all that necessary. And you are Barkley, of course. Although... Sal is Sal in person and in conversation, not Troyswann, which kind of interesting when you think about it.

I suspect that amongst the folks for whom I need to be orca_girl______ to distinguish me from the other fandom ______'s, I would just continue to be orca_girl______, without any fuss, and it wouldn't be confusing. I mean, in conversation.

I'm more concerned that people would know who it was when a post scrolled by on their flist. Maybe I'm predictable enough in what I post about that it wouldn't make a difference.