How important is your geocaching username? Would you change it?
I’ve rediscovered geocaching in the last year and a half and have had some great times logging finds when I’ve been travelling (fortunately for me, in England, Bermuda, BC and the Northwest Territories). It has added a new dynamic to my travels and has given me a great excuse to get out exercising at home. And when I take my Scouts out for a hike, it makes my life a lot easier: it’s no longer “7 km to our campsite” but rather “1.5 km to the next geocache” and then “2.2 km to the one after that.”
The thing is, when I was first told about geocaching by another Scout leader and signed up almost 3 years ago, I did it in a hurry and actually didn’t log a cache for the first 6 months. And when I created my account, I feel that I picked a rather dull geocaching username. It is, after all, just my name with “tree” added on the end. Probably so named because I found a cache in a tree. Lame.
Lately, I have been thinking about changing my geocaching nickname. I don’t know anyone who has done it before, although I know it can be done. But I see some great nicknames in my local community and I wonder if I shouldn’t change to something more interesting as well.
So, what say you? Anyone change their nickname before? Should your nickname include your real name? Do you think it matters? Anyone pick a short nickname just so that it’s easier to sign the logs (ahem – Zor?)? Would changing add confusion where I would have signed some logs with the old name and others with the new one?
I’ve been using or since I logged onto my first BBS back in the late 1980’s. I’ve had it a LONG time so no, I didn’t pick it to sign logs easier 😉
I don’t think there’s any issue with changing a username. It’s entirely up to you. I think if a lot of people in the caching community know your old name, they will likely still call you that, but it all depends. I think for the most part, if you don’t like the name you have, change it to something you do like and just roll with it.
Heathtree: I actually think your geocaching name is kinda cool… Don’t forget that we are often our own worse critic and tend to overscrutinize how others see us… For signing logbooks you could maybe shorten it to heath3 or even H3 (if you put H3, maybe indicate in your log entry that you signed as H3). Or go to Staples and get a stamp done wuth your GC name so you don’t have to write it out in full on every find.
If you’ve already thought it through beyond this and still want to change it, I say change it. Just let everyone know. Cheers.
I like it when cachers pick names that can easily said, and is not a bunch of initials. It is also good if the name can be easily shortened. That way it is easier to address or person or refer to them.
For example, everyone knows who we are talking about if we mention nemo, zor, jim, rusty, dan, ma, zonker, rev, pa, critter, sporty, didi, etc.
But even if names are not as above, it is still easy to mention E.B.E. , cableguy, tiger tracker, heavymetals, etc, but not as easy to call out their name when you see them.
Heathtree is a good name, as it is original and you would soon have people calling you by your first name at events, etc.
Heathtree. What’s wrong with that. It’s the name you originally picked. It’s the geocaching name you christened yourself with. You don’t change the name your parents gave you because you can think of something better.
Some cachers like Zor and Rev Slippery have names that go back to before they were geocaching so they have other meanings. Others like myself have a name they picked spur of the moment when we signed up at geocaching.com. What the heck does E.B.E 51 mean.
I know of one or two cachers that have changed their GC name recently for different reasons. But if I remember it was just a shorter version or variation of what they were already using. When I saw that I thought of maybe changing mine to a few cooler names I thought of. But I decided to keep using the one I had picked, because I could always think of something I thought was different and better and didn’t want to change it every few weeks. It’s the name I picked and the name other cachers know me as. I don’t want to be the “cacher formerly known as”, like the musician Prince. Hey, maybe I can use a symbol instead of a name.
But really, the final decision is yours. My opinion, keep it. It is just a geocaching name and not a life altering change. And we don’t want other cachers jumping on the bandwagon and everyone changing theirs. It seems to me cachers sometimes follow trends and fads. There are way more important things in life to worry about than your geocaching name. Heathtree is the name you picked. I’d stick with it. And remember, most caches are in trees.
yeah i agree with all the afore mentioned opinions and my username existed almost 10 years before it became my geocaching username also so it is kinda stuck on me. whatever you decide it’s yours to make but remember we all know you by one name why change that?
heathtree is a fine name, I don’t think that is lame. I would keep it.
I am keeping my name, what would you pick?
SuperHeath
Heathtastic
Heathalicious
Heathdiddy
TheBigHeath
Heathshrub
HairlessHeath
Heathmebabyonemoretime
hailtotheheath
theressomethingaboutheath
Iheath2
Heathbookpro
supercalifragilisticexpialidociousheath
H
Maybe some other people will have some better suggestions?
“H” is already under copyright by CSI: Miami. 🙂
I think Rev Slipperier would be good.
Better than having a girl name in it. booyah
Slipperier. Stacey. Sorry, I mean Paul. Play nice.
facepalm for Rev
I am guilty of the same thing. My original name (for my first 200 or so of my finds) was “MarkWild_Bio”. I am wildlife biologist as my career, and my first name is Mark-not creative at all. I decided to change it to “forestfauna”. I find it is much more inclusive of my family who are often out with me, and still reflects my love of the outdoors and my career path. My wife and I met in the UNB forestry program; she is currently a PhD student studying tree mortality and forest growth and yield, and she chose the name “forestflora” for the infrequent times she logs a cache on her own.
I don’t see anything wrong with the name, when I first started myself and the wife had different usernames, and by our 10th one we decided to create a team name. I almost always shorten it to TNT these days, altho it all depends on the size of the log. I can’t change it now as someone already has TNT =D
Keep your name! I like it.
Your name is awesome and it’s how we know you. But like a lot about caching, it’s how you see it that’s important. Unfortunately for you, should you decide to change, the coolest most original awesome name is already taken: Nemodidi of course. 🙂
You mean the second coolest name. \nn/ -o-o- \nn/
we rarely get called chignecto duo, actually never, we’re CD or Ms and Mr CD. Logs are signed with the full name, chig.duo, or CD depending on the size of the log sheet. I actually like heathtree, and nothing wrong with shortening it to h.tree if needed for signatures. There are those who have changed their caching name but somehow it’s hard to think of them as anything but what you first met them as.
I tend to agree. KD_Cachers is a good example of that. He changed his name for his own reasons but I will always know him as shepody.
I actually changed my name back in December of 09. From ^Zor^ to Zor 🙂
If it aint broke, don’t fix it… I’ve used the name Critter because that has been my nickname for a long time. It was always said that I was not quite an animal, so I have been known as “Critter”. Even my mail comes addressed to that name. The only good thing about a nickname or caching handle is the anonymity it provides, but even that does not always work…
used to be stickman7546, everyone called me stick and after getting a blackberry phone decided to shotenthe bname to make it faster and eeasier to A) login to GC, B)faster to sign in the logbook and micro friendly.
Well I sure didn’t expect this kind of a positive response! Thanks for all the great comments everyone. I was on the fence about whether to change my username or not and based on these comments, I think I will just leave things as they are. I had been considering changing to another name that I have used with caching – Wanderluster – that I’ve used as my team name for Race for Cache for the last 3 years. I’m still quite fond of that name, so if I ever get bored of heathtree (or move someplace new where no one knows me) I may change then.
For now, heathtree is here to stay.
Nice to see you stuck with your original name. I think heathtree is better than Wanderluster. But that is just my opinion.
It also sounds better when it’s shortened to heath, rather than Wander. Cachers always shorten the cacher name when talking to, or about them. So you will be referred to as just heath.
But then, some cachers my be referred to by names I can’t say here on a family site. Rev, Nemo, Paul, please stay away from this one!!!
Interesting chatter…
Pa does make a good point. He knows me as Cableguy1, but not by the name I use among friends, the initials “TC”. I’ve been known as TC since the 80s. Maybe I’ll change my GC handle to TCCableguy1, or TCTomCableguy1, or TCCG1….Oh, never mind.
Actually, this is a really interesting topic that applies to me specifically.
when I first started Caching (not long ago), I didn’t grasp the importance of logging your name in a cache and just registered the name I typically use on everything, which is TokingMonkey. Incidentally, I realize that anyone who spots my name for the first time is thinking, “There’s a pothead if I ever saw one.” Funny thing is, I’m not lol It was a name I came up with in college that I thought sounded pretty clever and just stuck with it. I debated on changing it, but then figured I’d just set anyone straight that asked me, that it wasn’t a big deal. I think it’s up to the person if they really feel the need to change it.
I realize the picture of a monkey smoking above my name doesn’t help my case…lol
you have to realize that everyone tries to use a short form of the user name when they talk to you. So I assume we will call you monkey
Sounds good to me 😀
My GC name is a baked good. I chose it because one of my hobbies / passion is baking. No one would probably ever guess that, but It’s kind of grown on me. Also, there is an 8 instead of and A simply because cupcake was already taken. Weird, but it suits me =)