Squidoo Tip #52: Choose a Good Name
Some people who sign up with Squidoo choose a nickname that means something to them. Some go with their real name. Some use their business name. Which practice is best?
Each has its advantages. I personally decided to use my real name because I’m trying to use Squidoo as a tool to build my online reputation. It’s part of a long-term strategy. Many people decide against that route because their real name is boring, or because they want to remain anonymous.
Most Squidoo lensmasters create nicknames for themselves. That’s cool, too. A cute or funny nickname is often more memorable than a mundane real-life name.
And then some lensmasters use a business name as their identity. While that makes sense if you’re mostly going to use Squidoo to promote your business, it’s easy to get addicted and start creating lenses on unrelated topics… which could start confusing people. If your Squidoo name is “BigBadMonsterTrucks” and you have some lenses that promote flower gardening or pink lingerie, well, it doesn’t quite work. (However, you can always create alternative accounts for other types of lenses.)
None of these choices are wrong. It all depends on what you want to get out of Squidoo.
So, how’d you decide on your Squidoo lensmaster name? Are you still happy with it?
7 Comments »
linda said :
July 16, 2008 at 3:56 am
LindaJM is my long-time online handle. Obviously, it is my first name and two initials. My name is Linda Jo Martin - but please call me just “Linda”. I use my full name on my writing website.
Susan Villas Lewis said :
July 16, 2008 at 9:03 am
I don’t even remember what possessed me to use my real name when I signed up last year. I’m usually lewister wherever I go online. I might have been thinking I was going to build an online reputation/presence with something professional, but I never did any lenses about marketing so … . Hmm. I really had no plan going into this.
Of course, now, I have an alternative persona I’m starting to promote, but it’s not so disconnected from my real persona that I have to be highly segregated. Baby Quilt Queen got its own blog and FriendFeed room and _might_ get its own Twitter account, but other than that, I think it’s going to just be me. So I didn’t set up another Squidoo account for that. Managing more than one persona is a pain.
treasuresbybrenda said :
July 16, 2008 at 10:54 am
My main reason for creating a lens on Squidoo was definitely to promote my eBay business Treasures By Brenda but, exactly as you said, it was “easy to get addicted and start creating lenses on unrelated topics.”
My latest lens, Your Life Sentence in Six Words has absolutely nothing to do with my business but is proving to be popular. So far, it is generating more traffic than the rest of my lenses.
I think this new lens has the potential to be a very interesting one, especially once some six-word sentences are entered and I hope it will continue to generate plenty of traffic — whether it helps my eBay business or not!
I think though that it was important to use my business name in order to promote my business — and I definitely would not want to manage two accounts! I hope that because my eBay business is very eclectic, the fact that this is not a business-related lens, will be okay. Maybe the fact that my business name is rather general will help – I am not, as shown in your example, Big Bad Monster Trucks selling pretty pink lingerie!
Brenda
victorianeely said :
July 16, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Hi Linda - OK, I’ll leave off the Jo.
Susan - Yup, I’m fast discovering just how much of a pain it is to maintain multiple accounts… and sites… and pen names… good way to go mad!
Brenda - Your business name seems versatile enough for delving into a wide variety of topics. There are different kinds of treasures, for sure.
John Dilbeck said :
August 8, 2008 at 6:21 am
I’m a full-time online marketer and I’ve been doing this for several years.
I made the decision to use my real name so I can stand behind what I say and build a reputation - hopefully a good one!
Some sites don’t allow me to use John Dilbeck, so I use johndilbeck in those situations. A search on Google for either will return thousands of results.
I believe in taking the long-term view of marketing and to weave a web of interlinking sites, blogs, lenses, and forums.
Now, I have hundreds of entry points to my marketing efforts based on my name, and many others based on keywords I’m targeting.
I’m very pleased with the decision to promote myself first.
Act on your dream!
JD
PS. I just found your blog today and I love it. Well done!
victorianeely said :
August 13, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Hi John - Yup, using your real name makes you think a little harder about what you recommend, what you say, etc. That’s not to say I don’t exercise the same caution when I use a pseudonym, but using your real name means putting more on the line.
And I agree, it’s pretty cool to see the long-term results build up!
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September 12, 2008 at 4:46 am
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