Nicknames for Online Dating Profile: Picking a User Name
by Gloria Liven

An important part of your online dating profile is your nickname or username. It's what people will call you and know you as, and it needs to reflect your personality and you. People can be instantly turned off by your nickname, or intrigued and attracted by it!

First of all, take your time. Have a "brainstorming" session where you scribble down a list of words that describe you.

Things to think about:
Your Hobbies -- Your Interests -- Your Skills -- Your Personality -- Your Opinions

Ask yourself: What are my good qualities? What do my family/friends like best about me? What do I want a stranger to know about me? What's important to me?

Also, try a website like Thesaurus.com to give you more ideas for the words you have.

You want your user name to reflect who you are, so be descriptive: GreenEyes may describe you, but it only tells about one feature; GreenTango if you're into dancing, or GreenEyedScribe if you're a writer might be a better username choice.

Think of what qualities you want in another person, too. You name might want to reflect that.

Think of your hobbies and interests. Write words down that relate to those. For example, if you're a geologist, words like "geode", "basalt", "stone" etc... if you're a horseback rider, maybe "western", "dressage, "palomino" etc.

Consider words or things that you like too; it doesn't just have to be your hobbies/qualities: "Driftwood", "Panda", "Poe", "Secret" "Seaglass", "Sushi", "Enigma", "Enchanted","Gypsy", "Laughter" , "Mystic", "Hero", "Rainforest", "Truth" "Whirl", etc... make a list of words that you like!

Now that you have a huge list of words, try mixing and matching them.

Some Examples:

Maybe your word list -- of qualities, hobbies, opinions-- looks like this:

tall, smart, creative, ambitious, passionate, caring, nature, volcanoes, cooking, prolife, truth, freedom, silly, happy, optimistic, horses, fishing, bikes, nerdy, blue eyes, writing, dancing, literature, hiking, computer programming, bull mastiffs, photography, iguanas

Now you take them and look for synonyms. So for "optimistic", we have "hopeful", "joy" and "rosy".
For "programming" we can also have "design", "creator", "code".
If you're a female, "RosyDesigner", or a guy "CodeWordOptimism" would be two names made from those!

You might combine your first name or nickname with these words too, like "JoyfulEmily" or "BobScribbles". Combining your love of bike riding and writing, you might get "BikeWriter"; fishing and your intelligence, "FishyIQ".

Some other names you might have made from the above list: BigSmile, LoveAdventurer, FreeatHeart, ProudNerd, EquineAddict, IguanaGuy, ConsciousAffection, OnlyTruth, DigitalDreamer, Splendid_Thoughts..... your list can be as long as you want; include the words and also synonyms you found.

Now, circle your top picks. Go through them and see how they sound out loud; see what kind of message they convey about you, and from those whittle the list down into smaller words.

It's OK to be silly if that's your personality type. If you're laid back, choose a less formal nickname; if you're more the type to be formal and organized, then a more serious name might suit you.

Things to avoid:

• Sexy Nicknames - You might want a sexy nickname for online dating, but beware that it will turn a lot of people off of your profile. It makes you sound shallow, not interesting. This is especially true if you're a guy-- you'll turn a lot of women off by picking a sexy nickname like "Sexyboy31" or "Rockhard4U". The best way to be sexy online is by showing why you really are sexy-- your attractive, positive qualities -- not using a silly nickname that comes off as immature.
  
• Negative nickname- Being positive attracts people. Choosing a nickname like "lonely_tears" or "DarkSoul" will make people avoid you. People like fun people-- not negative ones!

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