Another reason people don’t blog under their real names
by Sapphire (April 22, 2008)
I’ve chimed in before on some good reasons why internet earners might not want to blog under their real names. I just thought of another: because you don’t want your current or future “day job” employers to find out what your real passion is when they look you up online.
People have lost out on jobs because their Facebook profiles talked about recreational activities the companies found distasteful. Is this a case of the company nosing in on your private business? Actually, it’s usually a case of: if we can find it, so can our clients.
But the job market is getting more competitive now, and it’s only likely to get worse here in the US. If your employer finds out you have a sideline that’s more interesting to you than the day job, and they’re looking to lay off a few people, you may rise to the top of the list.
Now, blogging under your own name and conducting business under your own name are two separate things. Many of us who don’t blog with our real names - for whatever reason - do have PayPal and similar accounts in our legal names so that anyone who does business with us sees a real name.
I’m curious, though: how many of you would prefer me to start blogging under my real first name, or at least a name I tell you is real that sounds reasonable, rather than Sapphire? I mostly use Sapphire because I think it’s more memorable than my real name, which several other prominent bloggers share. Even my full legal name is shared by a whole lot of other women. Maybe I could try to make a variation on my real first name that isn’t so common. Thoughts?
Posted in Blogging
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April 23rd, 2008 at 9:21 am
I dunno. Sapphire sounds kinda cool to me. And I agree that a pseudonym is a good way to protect yourself. I used to write under the name Adam Mordo so I understand where you’re coming from. People eventually found out that Adam Mordo is also Peter Juan so that kinda fell to pieces. It was fortunate that I write oni.ph blogs because it allows me to select precisely who can see which posts. The deeply granulated privacy setting on my blog lets me give special access to people I choose, whether or not they have i.ph accounts or not. I now blog using my real name because I can opt to share my more uh…inappropriate articles only to people I trust. It can’t be seen by a future employer or their clients and more importantly, my in laws. Anyway, just adding my 2 cents to what I think is an awfully interesting subject. Good day and blog on!