For what it is worth, if you are actively looking for work a more professional email address would be better. Ideally, it should be something like '[email protected]' (or zach.burt, zach, etc) where mydomain.com hosts your resume, professional blog, portfolio, etc.

If that isn't feasible, even your school email address would be pretty good (a free domain isn't a deal breaker, but would rank pretty low for me) - but the local-part should be more professional than 'zackster' or 'zackattack.'

Nothing wrong with using nicknames/handles for personal stuff, but I would shy away from doing so while actively asking for work.

I make an exception for Gmail addresses when it comes to non-professional. I know that you can get free Google Apps and all that, but I'll generally trust someone on Gmail. Doesn't mean you can get away without a live blog/portfolio site, however.

I would definitely agree. The 'gmail' part didn't strike me as out of place so much as the 'zackster' part. I believe Zackattack's name is 'Zachary Burt', which would make 'zackster' an informal (and, in my opinion, somewhat frat-ty) nickname.

The only situation I could imagine that would make 'zackster' appropriate for someone looking for a job would be if his first name were Zack (or Zachary, or some other derivative) and his last name were 'Ster.' Since I doubt that is the case, I suggested he set up some other address for soliciting business

Since Zack is just graduating it will be (relatively) easy for him to make the change now. It will likely be more difficult in a few years once his name/email get out there.

Agreed. I have a personal account and a professional Gmail account. My professional Gmail account isn't mapped to my URL; it's just my full name @ gmail.com; the personal is this username at Gmail. Not quite as informal, but still not business appropriate.

From the sound of it, he's the one offering work, not looking for it.

If so, I misinterpreted it. My impression was that:

1) Zackattack doubts that the labor market is good for LAMP hackers, and puts out feelers suggesting that he is looking for work in the field (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=614130)

2) Tptacek says that he has had the opposite experience and that it's hard to find good hackers (i.e., the market is good for a hacker). He suggests that the market's supply is outpaced by demand and that he is having trouble hiring a good HTML/CSS hacker (the statement might be ambiguous, but since he says his usual sources are 'booked up' it seems pretty clear that he looking to hire a hacker). http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=614135

3) Zackattack responds that he is a HTML/CSS hacker, and might be a good fit for Tptacek's project (i.e., Zackattack is trying to solicit business). He leaves the email address [email protected] (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=614143)

Did you have a different interpretation?