A rose by any other name... what's your online dating screenname?

No matter what dating site you choose, you'll need a screenname or username. For a couple sites, this name will never see the light of day (other than on the login screen), but for most, it will have a prominent place in your profile. What can you do to make sure it speaks volumes about who you are?

Things to Avoid

Do not use your real name as your screenname. This opens you up to being stalked by those crazy people who can't handle rejection. The last thing you need is for these folks to show up at your front door, or worse yet, your place of employment.

Don't end your screenname with a bunch of numbers. This has become a popular theme with spammer recently (especially on Twitter), so unless you want to be thought a spammer or robot, don't use names like John122483 or Suzie32801.

Avoid sexual innuendo unless your profile is on a site that caters to casual encounters.

The Screenname Formula

Can't think of a cool screenname? Try this little writing game. Grab a piece of paper and write down 5-10 adjectives that describe you. Make a second column and write 5-10 nouns that describe you or things you like.

So for example, I might have:

Adjectives: Curvy, geeky, friendly, purple, goofy

Nouns: Cat, dragon, writer, iced tea, blogger

Now, put those adjectives and nouns together in as many combinations as you can. So, I'd have CurvyCat, CurvyDragon, CurvyWriter, CurvyIcedTea (lame!), CurvyBlogger, GeekyCat, GeekyDragon, GeekyWriter, GeekyIcedTea, GeekyBlogger... etc, etc.

You're going to end up with more lame ones than good ones. However, you'll either find a perfect one, or you'll get the inspiration for the perfect one! Whatever you do, be creative and fun - your screenname is one of the first things noticed about your profile, so make it remarkable!