Let the other person know that you would prefer to be known by the handle you use or even better, you could tel the person to cal you a pet name but let the person know that it is indeed a pet name, because at a later date, if the relationship real y blossoms it doesn’t look nice if you have to say something like, “Gee, I’m sorry, but my name isn’t real y Janice, it is Heptul ah, I guess I lied to you. ”
The best thing in this case would be to let your self be known by the name of some celebrity. You could cal yourself Cinderel a or Pocahontas or Archie, or Betty or Veronica. The chatting has now begun and you can start exchanging information. Keep to the general and stay away from the specific.