new at this...in a couple of channels i go into it reads: they say ~ is before my name, is this ok or something i have done wrong?
thanks
addict4bingo1

This is perfectly normal, it's known as +q on IRCD servers, i go on them myself regularly. nothing to worry about, it means they're are the owners of that channel

Is it before your nickname or before your username? (nickname!username@host.com)

If it's before your nickname, then read what marants said.
If it's before your username, then it's because you didn't respond to an ident request.