Today I logged in to find more information about SL user names. I will just quote a note card I received: "Some of you may have already noticed this, but I found out just tonight that Linden Lab has finally done away with last names for avatars. Only single names are now allowed for usernames.
(Going off on a tangent: if you still really want a last name, it might be possible through one of the portals listed here: http://slnamewatch.com/portals.php)
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→ Why should business owners take note of this?
Stores with one-word names especially should take note.
I created a new avatar named POSEUR, which is also the name of my pose store. After I registered the new name/avatar, I did a search in-world for the term "poseur" and was surprised to see that my new avatar's profile was the very FIRST search result.
It's unfortunate, but there are some unscrupulous people out there who might see this as an opportunity to "smear" existing businesses by creating an avatar with a name identical to their stores. :( Because of this, I think it's a good idea to protect your business, and register a new avatar with your store's name. This way you retain control over what is written in that profile.
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→ How to create an avatar named after your store?
Simple, you're just basically creating a new alt account. Go to the secondlife.com website and go to the Join Now page (you may need to log out first). You'll be prompted to choose a name, and it will NOT give you the option to select a last name. Last names are now a thing of the past!
Choose your store name for your new alt, and go through the usual process of creating a new avatar. That's it!
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→ Are there some limitations?
Yes. You cannot put a space in your name, and your name must be 2 to 31 characters long.
Also, this might seem obvious, but you can't register a name if it already belongs to someone as their full name. For example, if you own a store named Chocolate Chip Mint and intend to register ChocolateChipMint, you're out of luck: there's already an avatar with the name ChocolateChip Mint."
So I'm really not sure I need to worry about this, but some people might. I have enough alts/names for a while I think. More information on names and how to use them to log in to different viewers now that thing have changed can be found here:
SLNamesHere. or use this: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Usernames
One other point, older viewers and third party viewers may not work with a new, single word Avatar name. They are looking for two names and if you enter only one name in either first or last name blamks on sign-in, they tell you to enter a second name.
ReplyDeleteI figured out the one name problem with older viewers. You enter your one name in First Name blank, then Resident in Last Name.
ReplyDeleteif you have an older name and trying to use it on a Newer viewer that has only a the Name and Password box, you enter your name in (say your SL name is John Soderstrom) as John.Soderstrom and then the password.
ReplyDeleteSo with the new avatars will there be 4000 John Resident avatars running around? I am not sure I get all this yet.
ReplyDelete