Aug 15, 2011 / Topic Ideas

Do you blog anonymously or as “yourself”? why?

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  1. Anonymously.

    I am a blue person in an angry red state. I do not want to lose my job or be disqualified from getting a job in these perilous economic times because I hold an opinion that varied from that of my employer. In a red state, that is a very real possibility.

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    1. Bear in mind that this goes both ways. I tend to avoid charged political posts so that if my friends or co-workers read my blog they won’t judge me for things they don’t need to know about in the first place.

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      1. Both ways in what respect?

        If you mean Reds having problems in getting hired in Blue states, remember that in Blue states there are stronger laws protecting workers from descrimination than the laws in Red states (in the case of the angry Red state I live in, there are almost no laws at all).

        But perhaps you mean something else?

        I do find that the anonymity tempts me to say things I might not say to someone face to face, and so one reason for my lack of frequency is letting the post sit for a bit while I decide if what I am considering posting is being affected in this way, making modifications when needed, and occasionally scrapping the post altogether.

        My aim is to be inciteful as well as insightful, but never offensive.

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      2. Heh. I say I try to never be offensive, and then I go and post the picture I posted yesterday because I thought it was SO funny.

        Another problem with posting anonymously is there isn’t anyone around to smack me when I should get smacked.

        Not taking the picture down, though. It’s still too funny.

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  2. I blog personally as myself.

    I think that being yourself when blogging really brings out emotional values in the subject matter you are writing about. I also feel that you can relate more to a person if they blog as themselves. It gives a more in depth analysis of you as a individual and creates a vivid image to the viewer with what you are talking about.

    Amy. ❤

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  3. I use a pseudonym..it allows me to say what I need to say without fear of offending (or scaring) my loved ones..the hard part is, none of my friends read my blog. I find my discussion is getting away from my biography..so perhaps one day I will ‘out’ myself, but not before deleting some early posts which detail some really personal stuff.

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  4. I can answer that with a yes.. and a yes.

    I use my full name as the author but I have branded myself “The Prodigal Scribe.” I don’t know that it’s necessarily anonymous. With minimal effort it’s easy to see who is The Prodigal Scribe.

    As for why… it’s about marketing and branding.

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  5. I know of some people who write and/or blog anonymously. Everyone has their reasons. For some, it’s a concern that their real professions might be adversely affected or something they write might offend or put in danger some loved ones. But for others, it’s a new adventure! It’s like taking on a new persona and enjoying the ride as someone else. It can give rise to a new creative outlet. To some people, anonymity allows for unleashing opinions, beliefs, thought that may not come to the surface under the same identity. It’s like the preference of some people to make love in the dark.

    I prefer to blog as myself. I have not found reason to be anonymous, although it’s always been an interesting idea.

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  6. As myself. Because i speak out and don’t like hiding or being shy. But if i find an article i would like to write down but because of what is said or the people who comment i don’t really feel comfortable with, then i don’t comment at all. But i very very rarely have commented as anonymous, if ever i have.

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  7. The question was Blog, not comment. Ok. In this case I take my alter ego and invite people to see the real me through facebook. As an intro it is the alter ego, then the real me. Like Zelle for example 🙂
    also as internet goes with difficult people at times i prefer to keep some sort of privacy when possible.

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  8. Hmmm…How is anonymously and how is myself? I blog with the name I’ ve chosen for this particular purpose. Nevertheless, each post is an expression of myself.

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  9. Semi-anonymously.

    From my About Me… Because I blog, I have carefully created and tended my own digital reputation. Through my actions, I am opening myself up to public scrutiny; I blog using my given, first name. I am Julie. My husband and children are not bloggers. My family has the right to their own virtual identity. It is my hope that I will limit their digital footprints. This blog is more private than my last blog; I have blocked search engines. My blog won’t come up on a Google search. And, I have renamed my family!

    And, I don’t share the city location or my schedule. You know, killers and all might take advantage. ;o)

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  10. I blog openly and honestly as myself, with my photo on my blog, etc. However, after debating this topic with friends, I chose to change my online name a bit–as an added layer of personal privacy. The truth is, anyone could probably find out where I live and work anyway, but using the pseudonym makes me feel just a bit more secure.

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  11. I had some issues with my first blog and my ex, not because I was writing about him. It was simply game playing and not being able to get his own life. Anyhow, I blog ‘loosely anonymously’ for that reason 😉

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  12. Half and half – first name is mine, second is a variation on my mother’s maiden name. My original aim in starting a blog was to keep my family out of it, they are innocent!
    @politicallyme that is so sad that you are in this situation. So much for freedom of speech . . . .

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  14. I blog as Myself. Of course certain privacy settings are mandatory. You are free to express your opinion as long as you refrain from hurting other people’s sentiments especially religious ones.

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  15. I kind of want to be anonymous in order to make my blog a little more enigmatic and exciting but really it just involves not saying: “my name is…”
    The opinions are all still mine and the way I write isn’t altered by me not putting my name. Plus I’d like Dribblycomic to be a name that makes people smile and immediately gives them an impression of what I’m getting at. Anyway we all love a good pseudonym.

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    1. I completely agree. Revealing your name shouldn’t matter if you are being truthful and honest and being yourself when writing. My name isn’t public, but all my thoughts are mine. So I am blogging as myself.

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  16. In addition, I find that the web needs or imposes a certain privacy for reasons of safety. Even celebrities suffer from publicity. Why do I have to care of that for no profit?

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  17. I use another name for my blog (paralaxvu), but anyone can go to my profile and find out my name(s)–all of them! I don’t blog every day, just when something hits me that I feel a need need to speak of.

    My blogs are semi-autobiographical and sem-fictional. I suppose part of the reason I don’t care about blogging as myself is that I’m 66 years old…one tends to get more reckless–well, at least, not care so much what others think…when one gets older. I do, anyway. I spent too many years being terribly shy and now wanting anyone to know me, in case they wouldn’t like me.

    To me, blogging/writing is always autobiographical in some way, whether it’s the truth or fiction. It’s like art: One puts oneself into it and all who view it get their own selves out of it. I want folks to know whose mind they’ve been trudging in.

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  18. I blog as myself, under a pseudonym.

    I feel like I have a lot to say, and that it’s possible that someone else in the world may be encouraged to know that they aren’t the only one struggling with faith in a fallen world.

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  19. I decided to use my name. My writing does not contain any excessively personal information, so I don’t see why it has to be anonymous. Also, I am not planning to address any controversial topics or offend anyone, so my real name should do just fine.

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  20. You know, this is sort of hard to answer. I immediately thought ‘anonymously’ because I never use my name but then I guess I am blogging as myself. My immediate family know about my blog and a lot of friends know about my blog as well. So I guess it’s just sort of… not really putting myself out there in its entirety even though it’s me, myself, and I.

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  21. I agree with paralaxvu and others. I blog as myself but not using my own name. That is why I don’t link my blog to facebook because on facebook I use my real name and a picture of myself.

    I choose anonymity in this way because there are some things I don’t want to reveal about myself on the Internet. Internet posts sometimes come back to you in a negative way or someone finds out some gossip about you and spreads it. I want to be able to blog about whatever I want.

    I am currently working on ways to promote my blog without revealing my true identity. However, the people who really know me know about the blog, and even if they didn’t, they would know it was me as soon as they read it!!

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  24. Funny question – neither one, I guess… 😮
    I blog as the ´site admin´, under its name (could you call it a nickname? maybe!), because it´s a family blog, about our travels, impressions, observations and sharing experiences as expatriates and parents… but, never anonymously… 😮 It feels good (at least for me!) to relate with people, responding to their comments, and adding their suggestions… Thanks for the opportunity to share here our thoughts!

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  26. Short answer: I am really and truly me. 🙂
    Long answer: I believe transparency is very important in building trust…and I think this will be a profitable post in the near future!

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  27. Working on both. 🙂
    Just a few days ago, I emailed the tech-guru-helpers at WordPress to ask if I could do one of each from my current account. Apparently … no.

    I have 2 friends on my blog, people I would likely tell anything to. (One of my friends said: “Its interesting … like reading someones diary”, which I suppose it is.)

    At times, I’m almost angry at myself for including those people … I’d be mortified if they ever met each other now. 🙂 They both know my secrets – if they met each other, they may turn into the Commentators that I ask them to be on my blog. 🙂

    I hide it from searches, I laugh/complain about my parents, bf, staff, and employers. It’s a lovely place to vent and laugh at my personal brand of insanity … check me out.
    http://whoabridgette.wordpress.com/

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  28. A bit of both, I guess. I’m not hiding my name, but selected a catchy user name ( or thought I did!). But I mention my kids’ names, and friends reply using my name.

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