Email and Professionalism

I have a dilemma. Perhaps I am a little forward thinking, but clearly not enough.

My current email address is rebecca.mysurname@gmail.com
when I happen to acquire a new last name in January (Ignore the hogwash in the Age that says women should keep their old last names… I’m quite glad to get rid of it’s horrible spelling) I will theoretically need/want a new email address that reflects it.

BUT

being a slightly more common surname,

rebecca.newsurname@gmail.com  and rebeccanewsurname@gmail.com are TAKEN.

This is somewhat devastating. I’d like something professional, none of this imahotchick@hotmail business.

I could go for rebecca@allsaid… or rebecca@geoffandbec… but I don’t know how ‘valid’ professionally they are?

What do you think? Do you have any suggestions?

9 Comments

  1. said:

    rebecca@allsaid etc still sounds professional, in my opinion.

    September 10, 2007
    Reply
  2. said:

    What about putting your middle initial in there (rebeccaxnewsurname@gmail.com) or just having your initials and surname? (rx.newsurname@gmail.com)What about reversing the order? (newsurname.rebecca@gmail.com)

    September 10, 2007
    Reply
  3. said:

    yes I have come along this problem. It was solved with Rodneys suggestion. You may have noticed with my email address.

    September 10, 2007
    Reply
  4. said:

    Poor Bec.

    Make Geoff take your name. 😛

    Alternatively, brand yourself. If you want to go professional, then perhaps having an email address @yourblogdomain isn’t necessarily the direction you want to go in. Register another domain for yourself. You could even put up a site with some folio pieces.

    There’s also nothing stopping you from having one email address for the professional stuff and one for more cuddly things. I do that. In fact, I’ve almost got one for each circle of people I move amongst. Right down to the hotmail account that I don’t care about that I give to Junior Camp kids so that they can spam me with chain mail.

    September 10, 2007
    Reply
  5. said:

    hahahahahahah
    bimbo indeed

    September 10, 2007
    Reply
  6. melinda said:

    Bec,
    What about just becnewsurname@ gmail or is that one already taken too?
    mum

    September 10, 2007
    Reply
  7. said:

    erm. yes It is taken now ‘by me’ however, it is not very professional.

    September 10, 2007
    Reply
  8. katie said:

    I don’t think having ‘Bec’ rather than ‘Rebecca’ makes you any less professional. If potential employers/other professional people see a resumee, or whatever of you, and see that your name is Rebecca but you have an email address of Bec, I’m sure they won’t think twice of it – most people can understand that Bec is a normal shortened version of Rebecca.

    So, I’d go with that, or the middle initial suggestion. I used that one as well.

    September 16, 2007
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