To Be, or Not To Be...

As my sig line reveals, I go by both - sort of. Like many though, I prefer to post under my nick, mostly because when googling my name, I don't want thousands of message board posts to appear. I want my book, site, and other writing-related goodies to pop up.

I'm same like Frank... eh, I mean Eraser.

Well, with such a large writing group here, I presumed that there would come the day that I went into book print whilst a member here. So I was sure to address my real name in my bio so that my accomplishments would be tied into a real person instead of a dinosaur. Now Jenna (and all you real namers) have got the perfect marketing savy to stave off any confusion. If I see your name 70 times a day on the AW board for 3 years you better believe I'm gonna damn well know who you are when I pass your book in a Borders. That's called pounding in your "real celebrity", so nobody ever forgets it. Notice many of the pros do it here:

James D. McDonald (Have know that name for 18 years)
A.C. Crispin (18 years)
Victoria Stauss (nearly four months)
Jenna Glatzer (same)
James Richie (same)

Now tell me, what's the sense of not advertising your real name to thousands of eyes for free? How in the name of all that is holy can I find a book by someone who doesn't even list their name SOMEWHERE?

Why is it that amateurs, or newbies, or the unpublished always want to go by a moniker and hide their name when they aren't even known in the industry to begin with? When the big guns are more well known and certainly have more to lose (every darn day) in the way of personal privacy? You think they're afraid? Of what? Guys and dolls, them people is selling the poop outa books, wot?

Google Triceratops and you'll find paleontology--but that dino don't write

Google Chris Stevenson (That's me!) and you'll see my books.

Let it be known, I'm seriously considering dropping this user name crap and throwing my real author's name on the billboard. Isn't that real marketing savy, folks?

There are exceptions--some PA people have to go "shadow" and some other things like, stalkers and such. But how bout' the rest of us? And why o' why can't we see some bio's here. I mean, no age or intimate stats, but just some general "gee whiz, I never knew that about him."

Tell me folks, who writes under a different pen name in this group besides the most prolific, James D. McDonald? And a few others?

Didn't mean to rant on this--I'm really more angry with myself, but it's a little too late to change my user name, cause' people just can't stomach change too often, especially if you've been here awhile or have hundreds of posts.

Chris Harold Stevesnon

Chris, just use your real name in the sig, like I do.

I was thinking about doing that...


RAYI'll find your last name and city somewhere if I have sift through your sites, all over again. Or I'll just keep on diggin' till I hit the mantle.

Tri

Careful Tri, it's easy to get Ray's name Wong.

One of the reasons Eowen mentioned does fine for me: avoiding weirdos.

So, Maestro, did you know that Jamie Foxx won an Oscar last week for a movie about you?

I use a nickname here and elsewhere because my first name is exceedingly common, and my last name tends to frighten strong men and children. It's much easier than it looks, really.

But I've gotten to be kinda sorta known as Medievalist, any way. Yes, even in Google. But I use my real name in my .sig.

reph said:

One of the reasons Eowen mentioned does fine for me: avoiding weirdos.

So, Maestro, did you know that Jamie Foxx won an Oscar last week for a movie about you?

Click to expand...

I sing better.

For now, I'm content to use a trunk novel name. Believe me, when I'm published, you'll hear about it.

I'd rather remain sort-of-anonymous and not attract any loonies or stalkers or people interested in ripping off my identity.

Like others, I try to keep my online life separate from my offline life.

Karen (my real name, in the real world)

I get disoriented if people start calling me something other than my RL name so I stay close to it. I started going online 14 years ago and have always used some variant of my real first name. I haven't had (knock on wood) any trouble so far.

nom de plummett

When I am done with my books I will market them with a nom-de-plum.

Trevanian added to the mystic by keeping his real identity secret. I have too many clues though so I will be easy to find.

Regards,

Elliott

This topic has been on my mind lately. Two parts: Firstofall-ly, I vacillate on the reveal don't reveal true self issue. I totally agree with Tri and with Maryn too. When you're right, you're right, even if you are on opposite ends of the argument. Both sides are right. I was starting to sorta let my guard down on this board. And right away, some character showed up who has really unnerved me. Guard! Guard!

And twoly, this might be different for the boy characters than for the girl characters. Just today I was wondering if I'm becoming one of those post-feminism backlashers (no! can't be! i'm a feminist!) because when I see a young woman scantily clad in a deserted area I really want to tell her to put on a jacket, bring a friend or two, be sensible, for cryin' out loud! It's another both things are true situation. One, gals should be able to go out and about where and how fellers do; two, the world (including this digital one) is a dangerous place. I wish I could replace "dangerous" with "unpredictable." But that's the trouble, it's almost too predictable, ain't it?

-[name withheld]

After some reiteration, I've come to the conclusion that a person does have to take safe-guards on the internet, and I appoligize ladies, if I came off with such a "free spirit" message. I've only been on the internet for about four months and most have you have been on for years. I appreciate more, the experience you're talking about when you say that you've been cyber-stalked or followed around from site to site. I can actually (try) to imagine that scenario, but I don't know from where I speak really, only being here for months and being a big ole' bad male, dude. I guess the internet can be a dangerous place at times, so I've readjusted my feelings about this issue.

I think what I meant to imply was that I hope nonbody totally mistrusts someone else because of past bad behavior. And I only like to see real writer's names so I'm not confused when I want to buy one of their books.

Peace and love on the internet.

Triceratops

This thread is scarey.... I am off to find my birth cirt...or is it cert.. anyway...
I always thought my name was Biotales.... and now through AW I find that it is not........... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been using the Intarweb for several years now, and before that I was a BBS poster. I've had 3 handles in all that time, and you can still dredge up hits on some of them. But my name is so common that it is nearly impossible to find it. I've decided to change that.

Besides which, this allows me to see the following when I Google myself:

[size=-1]Mark Anderson Sale
New and used Mark Anderson
Check out the deals now!
www.eBay.com[/size]<IMG height=1 alt="" width=1>






hahaha

I've been using the Internet even before it became mainstream. I've always used aliases and my real identity. I never had any problems. Once in a while I might get a weird message, but nothing dangerous or disturbing.

Now, if I'm a celebrity or something, it might be different. Obviously I wouldn't want my address book published on the Internet.

I use my own name. If I published stuff with an alias maybe I would use one on the boards. My website also has my real name--and at the rate I do anything to maintain the site maybe I should've used an alias.

That's a horrific story, Maryn.

There was a guy on another board who didn't like folks using aliases. He used to try to get their IP numbers and threaten to expose them their bosses if they were connecting from their jobs--just those who disagreed with him.

I use a variation on my real name. Saritams8 (Sara) I just don't send my last name out into the cyber world (at least not yet). Although, I have a very common last name, there are at least 4 of us in State College, alone. It might be hard to pin me down I think fundamentally people are good but I think that line of reasoning could get me in trouble one day.

Just be careful with your info and always be prepared!

since my parents, in their infinite cruelty, saw fit to name me "t0t4L_L4m3R" on my birth certificate (hey, it's a family name), i decided to come up with this kooky 'william haskins' personal for my online activities.

i feel warm and cozy in my cloak of anonymity..

Well, Charlie is rather nondescript, so I used the nickname my nephews gave me (Uncle Chunky) and put the C on the end to give it a bit of street-cachet. Yeah, I know. The only thing "street" about me is the fact that there's one out in front of my house. And yes, I'm chubby, see the Office Party/March Health thread for what I'm doing about it.

I've had an Internet access account and e-mail address since early 1992. Web surfing with Windows 3.1 on a 20mhz 386 & 9600 baud modem was so cool! I honestly believe there were less than half a million web pages available at the time. The number 300,000 keeps pinging my brain for some reason. Gawd, how things have changed.

This is the first place of this type I've "joined" online. My main fear is of identity theft, so I only reveal more than my first name and the town I live in to friends I trust ... a number of whom are members here.

I'm one of several administrators on another board (not related to AW). It's been known to have members who were suicidal and, less often, homicidal. In that circumstance, if you kept your identity secret, you're glad you did.