diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index 2613eec..62db2a7 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ this is the base site
 <script>
     document.getElementById("btn_dunno").onclick = async function (e) {
         let text = document.getElementById("some_input").value;
-        let data = {"sessionid": text};
+        let data = {"username": text};
 
-        await fetch('api/join_session', {
+        await fetch('/newclient', {
             method: 'POST',
             body: JSON.stringify(data),
         })
diff --git a/main.py b/main.py
index 4c089c2..d1e507e 100644
--- a/main.py
+++ b/main.py
@@ -95,12 +95,19 @@ async def handler(request):
     return aiohttp.web.FileResponse('index.html')
 
 
-@routes.get('/newclient')
+@routes.post('/newclient')
 async def handler(request):
     model = request.app['model']
-
-    client = model.create_client()
-    raise aiohttp.web.HTTPFound(f"/{client}/")
+    data = await request.json()
+    username = data.get("username")
+    print(f"{username=}")
+    if username:
+        client = model.create_client(username)
+        print(f"werked?")
+        raise aiohttp.web.HTTPFound(f"/{client}/")
+        print(f"werked?")
+    else:
+        raise aiohttp.web.HTTPFound(f"/newclient")
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
diff --git a/model.py b/model.py
index e0a8946..7210928 100644
--- a/model.py
+++ b/model.py
@@ -77,7 +77,8 @@ class Model(object):
         if "session" in self.model["clients"][clientid]:
             session = self.model["clients"][clientid]["session"]
         allsessions = [ name for name in self.model["sessions"] ]
-        data = {"currentsession": session, "allsessions": allsessions}
+        username = self.model["clients"][clientid]["name"] if "name" in self.model["clients"][clientid] else "Joe"
+        data = {"currentsession": session, "allsessions": allsessions, "username": username}
         for socket in self.sockets[clientid]:
             await socket.send_json(data)
 
@@ -96,9 +97,9 @@ class Model(object):
     def exists_client(self, clientid: str) -> bool:
         return clientid in self.model["clients"]
 
-    def create_client(self) -> str:
+    def create_client(self, name="Joe") -> str:
         clientname = generate_random_id()
-        newclient = {"id": clientname}
+        newclient = {"id": clientname, "name": name}
         self.model["clients"][clientname] = newclient
         return clientname
 
diff --git a/static/renderer.js b/static/renderer.js
index 9595eb7..dd1ab31 100644
--- a/static/renderer.js
+++ b/static/renderer.js
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ ws.onmessage = function(event) {
     if (msg.hasOwnProperty('currentsession')) {
         document.getElementById('current_session').innerText = msg.currentsession;
     }
+    if (msg.hasOwnProperty('username')) {
+        document.getElementById('greeting').innerText = "Hello, " + msg.username + "!";
+    }
 
     if (msg.hasOwnProperty('allsessions')) {
         const all_sessions = document.getElementById('all_sessions');
@@ -25,4 +28,4 @@ ws.onmessage = function(event) {
             all_sessions.appendChild(button);
         }
     }
-};
\ No newline at end of file
+};
diff --git a/ui.html b/ui.html
index 4da1b9e..ed10170 100644
--- a/ui.html
+++ b/ui.html
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 </head>
 
 <body>
-this is the UI
+<span id="greeting"></span><br>
 <br>
 <span id="current_session">You are not in any session.</span><br>
 <div id="all_sessions"></div><br>
