[rsnor]

> You aren’t special and no-one really cares.

Come on now.

If someone uses the same username in multiple places, and another site has a user with the same name, it’s easy to assume they are the same person. If there is a risk of impersonation or confusion with another account, it’s fair to try to protect your reputation by registering an account in that name and not posting, especially if you are well-known in some internet circles.

[munmaek]

> and another site has a user with the same name, it’s easy to assume they are the same person.

No, no it is not. Not at all... You are one of the lucky people who managed to get your chosen handle on those sites.

My preferred handle (givennamesurname) got registered in 2008 on twitter and hasn't done anything since (no tweets, no profile, etc).

On instagram, both (givennamesurname) and (givenname_surname) are taken, so I went with (surname_givenname).

The only real way to get around this is to just list your social media / accounts on your personal website. Then prove that you own it on keybase with gpg or whatever.

> it’s fair to try to protect your reputation by registering an account in that name and not posting,

If you stay on top of / are aware of every new service. I was 12 in 2008 and wasn't concerned about name squatting.

[semiotagonal]

If you want a short-and-simple username, you need to do what it takes to defend it, even if that means logging into twitter once in a while. Even registered trademarks require active defense, or they lapse[0]. Why should it be as easy as just grabbing it first, especially if that pollutes the platform in a way that hurts the platform company?

If you want an easily defended but unique identity, pick something that isn't short-and-simple, and you'll have less competition.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laches_(equity)

[StuffedParrot]

> it’s easy to assume they are the same person.

Easy, sure, but you’re probably wrong.