My username on Github and everywhere else I can get is simse. It's a nickname from my childhood I'm very fond of. The only problem is that it wasn't available on Github.
I was devastated... I think. This was 9 years ago. What was a 13 year old lad to do?
I reached out to Github Support, hat in hand, and I asked if I could have the username. The owner at the time did not seem to be using his Github profile, so I thought maybe there was a chance.
They said they couldn't give it to me outright, because it didn't meet the inactivity requirements. However, they would forward exactly one message from me if I was interested.
And I was interested. So I crafted a message, pleading for the username. And it worked! The guy who had it before me, wished me luck and hoped I would publish lots of projects.
It's a short and relatively straightforward story. But it's one I cherish. Not only because I succeeded, but because of Github Support.
It's rare to reach real humans that aren't just responding using a script. At least that's what it feels like to me. Maybe Github is the same nowadays? I don't know, I haven't needed help since then.