That’s a good point, especially for start-ups. I’ve seen so many companies start with first names and then have to append things later, often inconsistently. Having a plan up-front is a good bet, since it won’t be too long before you have two John’s (or Mike’s or Pete’s, for that matter). Not that there are hard, fast rules, but it’s something people need to be aware of.
Think Before the At-Sign
By Mike Maddaloni on Thursday, June 21, 2007 at 08:47 AM with 6 comments
So you picked the perfect domain name for yourself or your business and you’re ready to apply it to your new Web site. That’s it, right? Wrong. People often don’t think about email addresses for their business or themselves ahead of time, and a little forethought will help in managing your business and the image it presents.
First of all, if you have a domain name, use it for your email – don’t use an address of your Internet provider. By doing so you have the right side of the at-sign in place, but what about the left-side, the email name? First recall that there is a difference between an email mailbox and an alias, and think about which is which after you come up with the names.
There are two types of email names – people and roles, and in this post I will talk about people. You will want a naming standard for how people’s names will be structured. In thinking of how names will be used, take in mind the current size of the business, anticipated size about a year from now, multiple people with the same name and how formal you want to be.
If it’s just you and you want to be personal, then using just first name is fine. So if your name is Mike, then using “mike” as the email address is fine. But what if you have another Mike? And what if their last name starts with the same few letters or even is the same? You may want to opt for something like “mikem” or “mikelastname” or “mike.q.lastname.” As for formality, this will drive whether you want to use “Mike” or “Michael” or just a first name and initial or a first and last name. Some people may want their choice on this – for example, I am “Mike” not “Michael” as the latter name is used only when someone is yelling at me!
Note that in the email names I have used a period – it or an underscore are the only punctuation you can use in an email name.
Next I will talk about what to keep in mind regarding roles, and how they can be used in conjunction with or in place of people’s names.
Domain Names • Technology • (6) Comments • PermalinkComments
Comment by I spent about an hour debating with myself when I wanted to setup my sendjoeanemail.com domain for email. If I picked joe@, it was rather redundant. If I picked me@, it was a little too quirky. And bob@ was just rediculous. In the end, though, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) was the most logical choice for my email address, and I’m glad I picked it!
Comment by Hi there, should my company ever grow big enough to worry about the left side of the @ sign, I will keep the “Peter” sans last name. This is because I am “The Peter” and will ever thus be so. (at least in my own mind) Any other Peters that come along can add their last names as differentiators. But I agree on the careful thinking on domain names and such. I once used “PeachyPete” and was complimented by some and ridiculed by others. Sorry Mum. Mike, I’m glad you got rid of “ViennaBeefyBoy.com” as your handle! Heehee.
Comment by Yes Peter… I am glad we have gone beyond Peachy. :)
mp/m
Comment by I still struggle with the proper name on email on http://www.nextgooglceo.com
Comment by I agree with you Mike that you need think about your domain structure before you create emails. From a personal branding perspective, I recommend, if it is available, to buy your own domain name. Hopefully, you can purchase your last name dot com. If not, then buy your first and last name dot com (if it is not too long). The key to using a good email is to make it easy for people to remember you. Also, make sure that it is professional. I can’t tell you how many people still use really bad email names. Some of these are still from college or very personal where most people don’t know what they mean. Make it simple. You want people to be able to easily connect with you.
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