On @Usernames

Usernames: they are like gold in this vast land of internet accounts. Some people, likely some of the ones who are reading this piece, are the ones that sign up for every little service that pops up on the web just to get a certian username. Heck, even I am one of those people; I signed up here on Svbtle just so I could reserve the username “Edwin”.

I signed up for Instagram way back when they were just starting out and got the same @Edwin username there. (Although, this was admittedly by accident; I thought “I wonder if @Edwin is available?” and, to my advantage, it sure was.) I wish I would have been smart enough, or, I guess, quick enough when I signed up for Twitter way back when. Though, in case you are wondering, I wouldn’t have been able to get @Edwin anyway: the user that has that handle has owned it since 2006, whereas I signed up in 2008.

That’s not to say these “vanity”...