Mine is just based on TheBackyardScientist, a YouTube channel I’m not even subscribed to. I just flipped “backyard” to “frontyard” and tada! my username was born. It’s topical because iNat is a citizen science platform, and at this point I don’t see myself changing it even if I have better ideas
Imo, the best usernames are those that contain puns or good wordplay, the most socially acceptable those that are simply derived from first and lastnames, and the worst those that iNat automatically generates
I didn’t know what username I should use, so I wanted to go with my name, Maite, but it was already in use. So, I saw the suggestions and it offered me @maite39 and I went for it. It doesn’t mean anything special.
I have had usernames like that in the past, but I find that they eventually no longer fit. As time goes on, I find myself growing a deeper connection to the name given to me at birth. Exploring all sorts of strange places while searching for the Golden Fleece is a relatable metaphor. And what would it have been like to have been raised by the wisest of the centaurs?
Prior to iNats, I had two internet user names - Adelaide Orchid and Orchid Rose. Rose is an abbreviation of my birth name but my family always called me Rose - I didn’t let others (not even friends) call me by that name. By the time I was starting to have an internet presence, I was quite involved with orchids, and as the two words flowed well together, it was a natural choice. (Btw Adelaide is where I am from, hence the other user name.)
My icon image is one of our Australian endangered orchids - Metallic Sun Orchid. The image is of an atypical flower, with its quirky column, and being the odd one out, it appeals to me.
Mine is an old acronym that I created for myself as a child but the meaning has been lost to time. I have accepted it as my online persona and a second name per say. Not related to the spice, and the spelling is unique/its easy to pronounce so I just went with it :)
When I first saw your username I thought it was a play on words- natev = native. I thought that fit with the whole iNat theme so I never questioned it.
i like mushrooms and my name is Sean! ‘didn’t really want to have my last name in there, so I went with the fitting username that I currently possess! its equal parts silly and laidback and then semi-profesional (if you would even call it that)
My username (@wowokayyes) has caused some confusion in the past for being “cryptic”. It is descriptive (or a summary) of an experience while immersed in nature.
“Wow” (amazement / fun / aw / excitement/ wonder, etc.)
“Okay” ( content/ attempt to understand / appreciation / acknowledge moment)
“Yes” (exhilaration/ joy /gratitude / etc.)
Like something Owen Wilson might say if he started using iNaturalist “Wow…Okay…Yes!”
i’ve used supertiger since i was a teenager in the early 2000s, it was my first screen name for a computer game. Tigers were my favorite animal at the time, so i wanted to be Tiger - but, the font was really pixelated so i wanted to be able to quickly pick my screen name from the list of profiles (i had a lot of siblings) so i added the extra word to it to make it as long as possible. character limit was 10, super was the first word i came up with to go with tiger. its alliterative so it stuck :)
When I was in graduate school TAing entomology another entomologist by the name of Ray went on the class field trips. I do not like the formal “Raymond” so he got “Ray” and I was given “RayRay”. It also is more playful and gives me a less serious vibe which people often misread (I come across more serious than I am). I still am called that to this day, even though it’s been a while since I TAed!
I got the nickname Sedge Queen when working with mostly male colleagues who shared my interest. I think the name partly complimented me on my knowledge of sedges, partly acknowledged that I was a leader in the group, and perhaps partly rebuked my tendency to be, as a relative has commented, an annoying know-it-all. In any case, I get occasional mail addressed to Sedge Queen. It seemed an obvious choice.
Obvious, perhaps, but not actually a good choice. People think I know sedges better than I do, so I get requests to identify African Cyperus (no clue!) and eastern Carex that I kind of almost know but not quite. (Fortunately, one of the things I do know is the e-mail address of the Carex guru of North America.)
I’m not going to change the name, though. sedgequeen is microfamous now. Young person looking in surprise at this dumpy old person: “Oh! You’re sedgequeen!” Yes, I think I’ll keep it.
Most of my friends and coworkers call me Nature Girl or Snake Girl. I tend to be fairly quiet unless the topic of animals or travel comes up. Nature Girl is also my trail name. Snake Girl came about at work because I am the only one (much less female) in the firehouse who likes snakes and owns them. They consider me very weird, but in my social circle its common place. When we get a snake call, I am automatically sent. My locker actually says “Snake” instead of my last name and my wildland helmet has a snake on it. The KH would be my initials.
It’s me! :) If I find anything very interesting like a new species or something I want to be properly credited lol! That hasn’t happened yet but maybe someday.
Boring…I use my own (rather unusual) name, and I use it across all social media. I have a lot of friends and acquaintances scattered around the world and I like them to be able to find and recognize my stuff. Sometimes this also helps me connect with long-lost colleagues and friends.
This has been my name for a really really long time. It’s my first internet username for my own independent account (I had other names for accounts I shared with my brother).
I didn’t realize until I saw someone on iNat with “bird” in their name who specialized in moths that maybe it would be jarring to some people that I have never observed or ID’d a squid. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a squid in real life outside of a dinner plate, so maybe it wasn’t the best choice of name for a nature app.
