Bloggers and real names
by Sapphire (February 27, 2008)
It’s been asked why affiliate marketers don’t use their own names all the time. It’s often hinted that the reasons must be nefarious - they’re hiding something.
Well, yeah. But it’s not necessarily black hat stuff or scammy stuff. It could be that you have a crazy ex who’s good at tracking people with computers. It could be you’ve been a victim of ID theft before and you’re erring on the side of caution. It could be you’re an as-yet-unpublished fiction writer who uses his or her real name for authoring, and can’t afford to have that name associated with free blog content on a non-fiction topic, because publishers don’t like that. I’m sure there are a lot of other legitimate reasons for protecting your identity online instead of trying to brand your legal name. And I don’t believe people should be pressured or treated as suspect for not using their own names.
What would you prefer in these cases? An obvious handle, like Sapphire, or a nom de plume that sounds like a real name but isn’t? Do you judge people differently for using one or the other?
Posted in The BS Files
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February 27th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I use my real name for the acupuncture side of things, because that’s what I do and I want people to know that I really do have a license and am an NCCAOM diplomate (which they can check on) and as such am a legitimate expert. I do not use my last name except on my website for my offline business though (however they can find it on my other acupuncture site if they look). However, I try to give nothing away that they can’t find at the licensing department!
For my other sites, I use different names. For the site that markets cat stuff, I use the name of one of my actual cats. On other sites, I use names that sound sort of real but could probably be recognized as a handle if they were.
I think the only reason to demand a real name is in the case of someone marketing an offline site or business online.
February 27th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
I can fully understand some of the reasons for hiding real identities … but my cut is this … if someone wants me to spend money with them, I want to see their complete ‘name, rnak and horsepower’ online … or I go elsewhere. I’ve been burned too many times in the past.
That being said, I regularly do buy things via recognized services such as payPal, if the offerer is verified then I know there is a real person behind the product some where.
I workaround I suggest is alway ahve a secure contact form on any site where your readers ‘might’ care about real name, etc. That way anyone who cares enough to be trying to find your name for a legitimate purpose can explain themselevs and you cna make your own decision how much to reveal.
Mnay experts advocate a business entity 9fictitious name, LLC, etc.) from the beginning … but be very wary of that ..; as a prvate person you are protected from a lot of spying by law, but a business seldom has any privacy protection. Likewise be very careful of physical street addresses, (not only becuase of your physical safety) .. tax districts often publish an amazing amount of data about property owners on line ..I smiled at the ex-spouse reason … back in darker days when I was having some ex-spouse difficulties after a divorce I by chance got to know her new street address and the published data … including how much she had paid for her new home made a significant difference in a legal proceeding … benefits of paying property taxes, eh?
February 27th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Bonnie, that makes sense to me.
Dave, if I used a name like Dana Lewis instead of Sapphire, you would think you know my real name. You would be wrong.
I often wonder how many of the A-list bloggers are using their real names and how many use nom de plumes.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:06 am
[...] 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 [...]