what's in a name?

Last night Sarah Stewart tweeted about a comment she'd made on a blog post about choosing names for second life, and it's kicked me into writing down a thought that has been a mental half post for a little while. I was a bit disappointed that Google wouldn't let me have my own name for my google wave account, when I use it for my main google account, so I used my SL name instead of any of the random number suffixes google helpfully suggested. The only thing that bothers me about this is that it would be fvery difficult to find me if google wave became ubiquitous and you didn't know me in SL. But to a certain extent I will answer to whichever name, I guess, which is interesting, and makes me rethink conversations with Francis. Bert. Him, anyway (more later). In answer to Sarah's question, I created my avatar a long time ago when there were many fewer choices of surname; Hurnung is almost honey in Swedish, seemed more appealing than the others. Why didn't I use my English first name? I have no idea. But back then there mainly randomly odd names appearing and no real sensation of expecting to use this professionally and thus be helpfully more or less identifiable - which Sarah says she would do if creating her account now. Anyway, my first name is my Swedish diminutive, rather than my English one, which probably accounts for why I will answer to it when Angela calls me by it.

My main avatar is me. I've managed accidentally (whether you believe that or not) now to turn up to give a paper on SL dressed the same as her, which probably tells you how much I identify with her that despite her having almost as many evening gowns as I do irl, she never really wears anything I wouldn't. In fact, I'd go so far as to say she's a very useful way of deciding whether I'd like to buy a particular style irl. Some chat last night and recently between UK educators, especially with some of those newer to the party, have included considering your avatar as a way to play dress-up dolls. Or to unleash your inner fantasies (which is a whole research topic on its own, of course) - we were meaning the entirely innocent princess-type at the time. Kattan has evening gowns, sure, and a couple of things for fancy dress events, but she's too me to do anything much else that I wouldn't see myself/be seen being/doing/wearing. That's what alts are for! Some people sit more lightly to their avs than I - I can only be one person at once (again, much to unpick that I'm saving for somewhere else). I don't feel 'me' in an alt, I kind of view from a slightly out-of-body (more-out-of-body-than-usual) experience.

Anyway, part of Sarah's reminding me was that I realised a while ago that I have, if not changed, grown beyond the sense I used to have about identities. Once, I was surprised that Francis Strand wasn't, when I'd met him face to face (there was a post with comments about this, but I can't find it anymore). I suppose that reaction was because he could possibly have been Francis Strand, whereas unless you look hippychick or rock child, I wouldn't expect someone to introduce themselves to me irl as Petal Stransky and believe them. So my distress in the recollection of the rl engagement with Francis remains slightly separate, but his explanation of how used he was to being it and being referred to as it, and even sometimes called it, that it was just also him and didn't occur to him to correct people - that I now understand. I guess in some ways I always did - as I have never seen it as anything but generally amusing that we call Elliott, Elliott and his colleagues call him Steve, and people who cross circles mostly know we mean the same person (even though it took Jonty a while to sort that out). So be warned, Peter Miller, if and when I ever come face to face with you, I shall be guaranteed to call you Graham for at least a year :)