Two First Names, Two First Names
Awhile back, Jenn-ay was talking about online personas, what comprises hers, and yours, and why.
I don’t go meta very often, but I happen to be a fan of this topic of discussion, maybe because the Sociology minor in me finds it endlessly fascinating.
To be anonymous, quasi-anonymous, or not at all anonymous: that is the question.
When I first started my site in 2004 it wasn’t kerrianne.org, but I was still posting as myself and was never anonymous. In November of 2004 I switched to kerrianne.org and from then on I knew I would always use my name, my full name, and haven’t regretted it once.
I’m proud of (or at least happy with) everything I’ve written on my site, and wouldn’t post it otherwise. Some of it’s surely for laughs, silly and nonsensical, but it’s authentically me, or as authentic as I can be in front of a computer, and I stand behind everything I’ve ever published in this space.
That being said, I traditionally don’t write about work, and most likely won’t, unless it was a scenario where I was being asked, and compensated, for doing so.
Most of my family and friends know about my site, and read it on a regular basis. I’m more than fine with that because I’m the type of person who isn’t going to say anything online that I won’t say right to you, in person, too. (Though I will also admit to having a momentary panic attack when I first realized so many family members checked in so regularly. Hi! everyone.)
On the opposite end of the anonymous spectrum, sometimes, when I’m feeling particularly name-ornery, I try to find more ways to slip in the occasional “Kerri Anne” here and there on my site, so I can beat out an Australian talk show host who happens to spell her name exactly the same way I do for the top spot in the highly coveted Google Search.
Because in addition to being non-anonymous, I’m also super mature.
Some moniker-related trivia for you, for fun: “Kerri Anne” is my given name, yes, but “Anne” is technically my middle name, so certain friends call me “Kerr” or “Kerri” and certain friends and family call me “Kerri Anne.” My maternal grandmother calls me “Sweet Pea.”
So, what about you? Are you anonymous? Quasi-anonymous? Proudly non-anonymous? I’d love to know why or why not.
Also, if you haven’t ever seen the SNL skit the title of this post is referencing, I feel a little sad for you, because it was awesome, and I’d love to help you out, but I can’t a video of the skit ANYWHERE online. The Internet must have eaten it.
Also, I mentioned yesterday on The Twitters that I’m a finalist in Aimee’s Greeblepix Contest, and seeing as how that’s never happened before this week (I was a tad excited, yes! and) it would be pretty cool to win, right? (Um, right!) Voting closes at the end of the day today.
Ooh, such a good topic. I really never gave a second thought to NOT being anonymous when I started my blog for a few reasons. First, as a friend who knows my first, middle, and last names, I think you’d agree that each on their own is highly Google-able, but together? MY GOD. Anyone, anywhere, could find out everything about me in all of two minutes. Second, I do have a corporate job, which I adore. There’s no prohibition against blogging, and I never, ever blog about anything relating to work, but all the same, do I really WANT a supervisor to be able to easily know what I did last weekend (regardless of how lame or crazy it was)? Arguably, the hypothetical supervisor could find me anyway–which is kind of why I always blog with a bit of a filter, in terms of what I choose to talk about–but when/if that happens, I’d HOPE there wouldn’t be anything problematic in my blog from a professional perspective.
Finally (FINALLY!) I do want to address something that I’ve seen some people (not you!) discussing lately, which is that, basically, if you’re not using your real name online, you should be disregarded. I think that’s quite dismissive, and I’ve yet to see a compelling argument in support of that. Thoughts? ‘Cuz I…don’t get it.
Sorry for writing an epistle! It’s a topic near and dear to my heart. :)
“Sweet Pea” is the GREATEST PET NAME EVER. :D
When I first started blogging, I used the “Mighty Hunter” pseudonym, and posted as a caveman “observing the modern world.” It became hard to sustain, so eventaully I just started posting as myself. Having said that, it was mostly political stuff, and random links. It’s only been very recently that I’ve starting (blogging again and) talking about things directly relating to me. I still leave my family stuff out of it, not because they READ my blog or anything, but because of some deep-seated stuff that… will stay personal. That’s slowly changing, too, but slowly and very, very slowly.
This is all very interesting to me.
I have a personal quirk about putting my last name on the internet (Hi! I have no idea why!) but anyone who emails me and receives an email back knows my first, middle, and last name anyway. Hm.
Googling my first name only used to give you my personal site, and googling first + last gave you my portfolio site and professional results. WIN. However, lately they are crossing over more and more and I don’t know how comfortable I am with the idea, but most of my co-workers follow me on Twitter anyway and could EASILY end up on my website. So there’s that.
I have wondered what you actually prefer to go by, since I know you as “Kerri Anne” online but have noticed you refer to yourself as Kerri most of the time. So yay! Now I am not so confused.
I’ve actually been blogging in some form since before blogs were invented, and the website I originally had was entirely for people I knew in real life to check in on what was going on with me and Troy. So I’ve always used my real name online, though since I’ve been blogging as ‘bethany actually’ I’ve avoided using my last name. (But it’s not hard to find. Like, at all. I just don’t make it any easier for the weirdos.) There are definitely things I don’t blog about because I don’t to offend or hurt someone’s feelings who reads my blog, but for the most part my online and real-life selves are one and the same.
Since you know my real name you know that its uniqueness would definitely make me very visible to those seeking to find me. This way, by using “Sizzle,” I get to say what’s true but without my name attached to it. I am fine with people reading my blog that have never met me and actually, fine with people reading it that have. I’ve never posted anything that I would mind someone finding so I supposed I *could* use my real name but by now, four plus years of blogging as Sizzle I just as well stay with the moniker.
Besides, I like a little mystery. ;-)
P.S. Sweet Pea is what Mighty Hunter used to call me. It’s a very sweet nickname.
I have the feeling I’m like most people, which is that I make a somewhat halfhearted attempt to keep my last name private online, but that it’s crept into my blog (especially when my HUSBAND leaves comments with his FULL NAME on them – duh) and is certainly obvious elsewhere.
I also have one of those recognizable first names, and I do admit where I live, so anyone who knows me could figure out who’s writing the blog in about two seconds. I’ve been very conscious about not posting about my former workplace or profession but I was a little nervous when I recently went through a job search. I, too, stand by everything I’ve written, but when you know you’re being evaluated and judged, it’s hard not to question everything.
If I had it to do over again, I’d probably leave my name out of the url/blog title, just to make it slightly less prominent.
I’m semi-anonymous (and happily so) for the same reasons as Metalia: I don’t want to be easily Googled by anyone and everyone. A few people in real life (including family members) have found me through more complicated avenues, but I guess I’m okay with that because I guess I sort of feel like they’ve “earned” access to that part of my life? I don’t know.
Over the last few years it’s gotten pretty complicated as blog friends have become real friends who then mix with my other real friends and coworkers. It was especially exciting at my birthday party last year when all the blog people knew I was newly pregnant but nobody else did. Eeek! I always feel a bit stupid having to tell the blog folks not to talk about my blog in front of “the others,” but hey, it may be an imperfect system, but it works for me!
As you know, I am using an abbreviation of my first name on the Internet and my website’s URL is completely unrelated to my name.
I try to avoid my last name, even though the combination of my first and last name will still spit out many, many hits on Google that have nothing to do with me and that’s a good thing. I don’t want to be googled easily and I don’t really advertise my blog. You either know the URL from me personally or you clicked your way through, but you probably won’t find me online unless you know my URL and know that it’s mine ;)
I have wrestled with this over the years.
When I first started my last name was part of my Blogger URL.
Then I went self-hosted and everyone already knew who I was and…well.
Then I started a photography site and decided to SCREW IT and just be me.
I am highly Google-able and it’s just the way it is.
It is also why I filter A LOT.
(BIG FAT SIGH)
I’ve always used my first name on my blog, and occasionally let me last name slip. But there aren’t many people in the world with my Firstname Lastname combo, so I was easily googleable. Most of my family and friends know about my blog, but I became a little uncomfortable with the idea of potential employers finding my often foul-mouthed posts with a simple google search.
So I did my best to delete all references to my last name. My first name’s out there, my picture’s out there, but hopefully I’m a little less searchable for future employers and past enemies.
I am very google-able.
and I am okay with that :)
When I started my blog in 2004, it was coworkers and other publishing people who were all “you don’t have a blog?!?!? but, Ali, it’s FREE PUBLISHING!! you must have one!” so, I didn’t even think about not wanting people to know I had one.
but I totally understand why some people want to keep their anonymity. It’s such a personal thing!
I never thought to be anonymous either. All the blogs I first read that got me interested in starting my own all used their full names.
I also never thought I would get fired for my blog, for some silly little drivel I write on the internet.
THANKFULLY, unlike Metalia, I have a very, very common name. I don’t use my last name on my site a lot, but if you comment and I email you back, you know it. But that’s because if you Google my name, even my name + blog, or my name + Chicago, I don’t even come up.
I own everything I write, but like Metalia, I don’t really want my boss knowing that I talk about my cats a lot and that hey, sometimes I suffer from depression.
And sometimes I wish I could go anonymous to rant about work or annoying friends or family, but I always figure they will find it somehow. Getting fired for a five-month old blog that only my mom read will do that to ya!
(Sorry for the novel, but obviously this post spoke to me!)
I’ve been keeping a site for a very long time (not this current one, but many incarnations of the same). Up until recently, I always used my name. When I leave comments on other people’s sites, I use my name. On my own site, however, I abbreviate for the sake of a small bit of privacy for my family. I’ve tried the all anonymous/alias route and it just doesn’t work for me.
My first blog was anonymous and was terribly, horribly serious. It was awful. Once I switched to the current one and decided to mostly write humor, seeing as how that’s what I’d like to be paid to write, it made sense to put my name on it in hopes that someday somebody would pay me to write this stuff. I do have a very common name, so anybody Googling my name would have to be very dedicated to make it far enough into the results to find me. It does make me censor what I write, but my mom reads my blog, so the filter is well and truly in place already.
The thing I hadn’t considered was blogging and dating. I do not talk about dates on my blog, although there can be some good material there. I’ve only had one relationship significant enough to bear mentioning and there was the dilemma of when and how to mention it and whether to give the boyfriend veto power over what I wrote about him. (I did, at first, although he said he trusted me and my sense of discretion.) Now when I meet guys and tell them I write, they ask whether I have a blog, forcing me to say, “Yes, I do and no, you may not have the url.” It puts me at a huge information disadvantage. Plus then they already know all of my funny stories.
After reading the article, I just feel that I really need more information on the topic. Can you share some more resources please?
p.s. Year One is already on the Internet and you can watch it for free.
I don’t think that Watch Year One Online Free is using their real name.
I keep my last name off my blog because I don’t want to be googleable by random people in my professional life (professors, uptight students, patients). But if people have my gmail address instead of my school email, they can get to my blog pretty straight away.
That said, family and friends read my blog, I don’t put anything out there that I wouldn’t say in real life…but over the years I’ve put a LOT of stuff out there, so if someone just met me, they could get to know me really fast in an evening of reading the archives, which is a little weird.
heh, ern’s first sentence just made me laugh out loud. thanks, ern :)
i used to be pretty non-anonymous when i first started having a website/blog but i changed that over the last couple of years. i prefer to choose who i want to share my full name etc with as opposed to the whole entire www. i just feel more comfortable that way. plus, i don’t want my real name to be connected to my personal blog. the thought of certain clients, possible (future) bosses, neighbors etc reading my (sometimes pretty emotional and intimate) blog just makes me uncomfortable. so it goes both ways and i just like to keep my blog apart from my real life for the most part or better, i like to choose who can make the connection ;)
When I first started writing in online journals nearly ten years ago, I was anonymous. However, when I started my blog I was rather public. When I started getting writing jobs based on my blog, I then went public with my last name.
I blog anonymously and plan to keep it that way. My name is not very common and a Google search of it leads right to my employer’s website. I try not to talk about work on my blog, but still…I would not feel comfortable if my coworkers were reading my blog, and I REALLY wouldn’t want the kids I work with to read it. I don’t want to constantly be worrying if some kid I taught about science is going to find out that I swear too much or once wrote a post about sex toys.
I think I must be quaisai anonymous. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of my readers had figured out my name as my website url is a spoonerism. I have since anonymised my boyfriend mindreader and i never show his face in a picture. One day I intend to go fully anonymous so I will have to take down all the photos but it’s such a big task!
BG
As a Newbie, I am always searching online for articles that can help me. You blog reAlly helped me and I will be back soon. Thank you