Back when I was a baby the traditional gift for the offspring of friends or family was a case of port, to be laid down until the little blighter's 21st. Nowadays it seems that presents related to TCP Ports would be more appropriate.
The news has been full of high-tech babies stories of late from the Chinese couple that wanted to name their baby "@" to expectant parents deciding bump's moniker on how Google-able it is.
Although a lot of these reports are in the wider media, enjoying some "crikey, it's a sign of the times" stories to get them though the quiet summer "silly" news season, it's an interesting issue.
With a fairly unusual name, I've never personally struggled from internet anonymity (Google me – I google like a champ, the entire first page is just me, me, me) but for the Sarah Browns, Mike Smiths and Dave Anything's of this world such an instant ego surf must be beyond their plain-named wildest dreams.
Although I think the reports of the Australian couple setting up their unborn foetus, "Bubba Waring", (another good Googler no doubt) with a Facebook page, complete with ultrasound pic, seems a step too far to (child-less) me, I do think such tech-savvy thinking should generally be applauded.
Although the Googling aspect is perhaps more an exercise in vanity than practicality, there are reports of other parents who have shown remarkable foresight in ensuring that their children's online future is secure. After all, the future is going to be more and more digital, and more and more online, not less.
One mother set up Hotmail accounts for her two young children before they were old enough to type. I would imagine they will appreciate this, and not having to pre- or suffix their name with numbers or cringe-inducing nicknames, will mean they won't mind sharing their personal email address even with future business contacts.
Parents that make sure the domain is available for their unborn child, and then purchasing it, before deciding a name are also along the right lines. Apart from a university savings fund I can't think of a better, or more useful, present to gift your little one with than the guaranteed safeguarding of their future digital persona.
