First Names and First Impressions.

wonder how I score in this debate

sometimes names create images in my mind..feelings...emotions..this name makes me a little sad....the singer is nice but it is totally offset by the nothingness and blackness of the word 'void". Therefore i think of someone trying to sing and nothing coming coming out.

But thats just me

~Lana Tomba

I started using Angel online when a friend gave me the nickname about 5 years ago in another forum. When I created Angel's SL account in late 2003, it was in search of a more creative online "game". Now over four years later, Angel has become an extension of me and I still use the name in other forums. I picked the last name partly because I was in a rush and had no clue at the time it couldn't be changed and partly because I enjoy a bit of alliteration.

I've played with alliteration in naming my alt accounts as well. I often say the name aloud to determine how it sounds and feels coming off the tongue. *shrugs* I can be odd, I know.

But to get to your question, my RL fiance (Alexin Bismark in SL) met me in SL as Angel. We both very much identify with our avatars and each other's avatars. We both also answer to either name without thinking much about it, especially since we chat in voice with some of our SL friends. We've even introduced some of our RL friends to SL which reinforces our avatar name identity. So some friends know are RL names and some only our SL, but regardless our names get used interchangeably when talking to other SLers.

We don't spend as much time in SL as we once did, but it's still a part of our lives and one we enjoy very much.

Angel

Thank you for both.

I like your name for the rich images it creates. It also reminds me of the song, "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkle. I used to love the song when I was a kid (and I still do), but it always made me feel so somber and serious.

Angel

Initially in choosing my name i wanted to use my rl name.. "Lana Lane" but it was taken.

Yes that's my rl name..i've heard the jokes about Superman all my life.

Well the name was taken...so I decided to use lana and searched for a last name that made the name sort've bounce off the tongue.

"Lana Tomba" seemed to be the natural choice but since then i've heard people on Voice try to pronouce the name and usually they get it wrong..making the "a' in lana flat and drawn out rather than "ahh" (nice and soft) and the "o" in Tomba sortve like the "o" in Tom rather than what i imgained it being ( the o in Zoom).

Recently though..some Italian friends asked me why I chose the name "Tomba'..in italian it means grave or place of burial so..they all sort've had a mental image attached to that..thinking maybe i was goth or something because of that last name.

~Lana Tomba

A very wise man said to me once that people make too much of an issue of making judgment of others. It's perfectly natural he said. We're only human. He proceeded to tell me that he judged me and everyone that walked in the door that evening. He then added that character came from having the knowledge that your judgment could be wrong and not acting upon it.

I saw Henhouse as a last name, and well, this was a given,

I used a name from COH of a Superhero called THE TEGG!
Who is a fascimile of another Hero called The Tick which due to copyright permissions I wasn't allowed to use to let my fruity sence of Justice, Truth and Double Justice pounding the micreants of evil doers with my big plue pounding mits of rightchessess then come of to the kitchen to deal with the baking stench of evil doers and people with loud doof doof car stereos, fiendish indespensing coffee machines and a whole lot of not nice people who don't scare me in a bit because I'm on the side of Truth, Justice, and Double Truth pounding the micreants of evil doers with my big plue pounding mits of rightchessess then come of to the kitchen to deal with the baking stench of evil doers and people with loud doof doof car stereos, fiendish indespensing coffee machines and a whole lot of not nice people who don't scare me in a bit because I'm on the side of Justice, Truth and Double Justice pounding the micreants of evil doers with my big plue pounding mits of rightchessess then come of to the kitchen to deal with the baking stench of evil doers and people with loud doof doof car stereos, fiendish indespensing coffee machines and a whole lot of not nice people who don't scare me in a bit because I'm on the side of Truth, Justice, and Double Truth pounding the micreants of evil doers with my big plue pounding mits of rightchessess then come of to the kitchen to deal with the baking stench of evil doers and people with loud doof doof car stereos, fiendish indespensing coffee machines and a whole lot of not nice people who don't scare me in a bit because I'm on the side of cheese, but no you can't quite trust cheese.......

not bad, it is sort of an empty name, or rather a name about singing into nothingness, filling the void with song, adding something to the emptiness that is the net.


funny enough, I can remember my mother playing that and Mrs Robinson

there's actually lots of meaning packed in there, and a personal joke or two (I can't sing, and my advice is often ignored)

since you were both nice enough to humor me, I'll return the favor.
Lana Tomba seems like a a very grounded name, someone that could easily be your sister, or your friend, with a muted creativity, like someone with a dark streak, yet very upbeat overall

Angel Coral, reminds me of the sea, not just because of the last name, but because of Angel fish, and has a very protective sound to, with a caring nature, but not quite your average sort, more like a stranger hiding in a conservative crowd...

cool I think its always good to get obvjective opinions on your choice in names etc..sortve gives you insight on how people might perceive you initially.Thanx

~Lana Tomba

Merryman is a funny name..........or is that another name for Homosexual men? heeh

QFT

Everyone of us make judgments about others every day, it is a basic component of survival.

Some people are simply more unasuming than others, making them less judgemental than many. I may have initial thought on someone, but those thoughts can be altered or even sometimes just fade into insignificnce. I'm not sure I need to be able to make judgements about others to survive.

I find its easier judging people by how ugly their avatar is.

Wow some very good comments.

I'd just like to add, that I do have a 'clothesluver' and a 'BARBIE' on my friends list. Both of whom are very nice people.

So despite my opinions on names, I don't let those names form my entire opinion of people.

Well not unless they are named 'BoogerEatingBarbie' or "1hOtcHicKbArBiE".

Then the non-judgemental among us can add them as friends, but I'd probably pass them both by without even peeking at their profile!

A lot of what we call judgements are really first impressions, which cause us to make descisions. A woman walking down a street at night sees two men approaching. Her first impression is that they may be dangerous, maybe on their dress, manner, ethnicity unfortunately, or just the fact they are men. She makes a judgement and a descision to walk on the other side of the street for her safety. If she were to see the same two men in a differernt situation she might act differently. So Chris is right. We all are jugemental at times. It's what we do afterwards that is important.

How do you decide how to trust if you don't judge? Are you just a sheep for the shearing? Do you assume all rattlesnakes won't bite? Or do you judge them based on knowledge you have? Do you trust that a tiger won't bite you? Or do you judge based on the things you have learned that avoidance might be the best action to take? When you see a man wearing a ski mask in July and he is holding a knife, do you judge him?

When I see someone with the name "LEeThAxOr" , I take it as a clue that it would be prudent to ban them from my land.

I've recently been building a parcel for a Girl who plans on running a freelance escort/strip wild west themed area. I don't dress "slutty" always...I wear clothes usually from gothicatz or the like however..while occasionaly the client will visit me half nude..nipples showing and the lot...and I also don't dress in a turtle neck all the time either..but the surrounding neighbors treated me quite abrublty and were rude to the point of shooting me with weapons.

I couldn't figure it out. Guy avatars walking in..ignoring my "hellos"..walking past me to inspect my build. I finally got a store owner from next door to acknowledge me and he started out with how he was going to have to sell his lot cause buisness wasn't as "good as mine". At first I wondered how he knew so much about being an architect...and then on a second thought i asked him to clairfy..

He replied that a girl like me...in the escort buisness...would always have clients in SL.

I corrected him immidiately teling him I was only the builder..nothing more..his response was "well..you're building it aren't you?"

It finally made sense..being ignored.shot at.....and simply cause an escort was a client of mine. And by the way one of the best clients i've ever had..kind..easy to work with...laid back..trusting..paid cash upfront...very undemanding. I've had worse times with bankers and land barons and real estate moguls in SL (all who were male avs) than I did with her.

~Lana Tomba

now are we talking ugly, no effort to make a nice av, or ugly, gone to great lengths to make a rather disgusting (but believable) av?

personally, I think the latter is awesome.

I decide who I can trust over time, my initial concious thought rarely seem to go one way or the other, although it's true my subconcience could be making all sorts of assumptions about people - I'm just not aware of it!

I try to 'live and let live' whilst knowing many are not the same, but people who are too judgemental can get on with it - I see no reason why I should stress about the things I can't change!

Most certainly I wouldn't ban someone from my land purely on their name - they have to be rude/ignorant or upsetting to me and/or my friends first, but again, we're all different, thankfully!

...and well - if anyone is daft enough to get too close to a wild animal, then they probably deserve to get bitten!

I often ask people I happen to meet, that have numbers in their names such as XXX21, Do you happen to know where the other 20 XXX's are?

I met a guy once long ago whose first name was "KidKiller." If that's not enough to make you stop and think twice, I dunno what is.

Yeah that's true enough - with examples like that then you have to stop and think...I can't begin to imagine what woulkd 'inspre' someone to go with a name such as that and hope I never get to understand either!