Outing
Another blogger’s secret identity has been revealed. Seems to happen regularly enough. Most outings occur out of spite as opposed to revealing something like their ulterior motives or motivation for their position or other information that could be valuable to a reader. I blog under a pseudonym because of the issue I address: gun rights. And my opponents are some of the most irrational (and often violent) people out there. And given the level of irrationality on the other side, why potentially make my professional life difficult? Who needs the hassle?
Insty says:
I think blogging anonymity is fine — though in the absence of a track record I tend to trust anonymous bloggers less
Rich:
If you don’t have the courage to stand for your convictions, then sit down and shut up.
There are two reasons to identify someone who writes pseudonymously: they claim to be someone they are not and the claim has an overwhelming bearing on the credibility of their writing or to bully someone.
While, as Kevin shows, there are instances in which outing someone serves a greater purpose then I don’t find it that objectionable. I mean, if someone thought that I was, say, the CEO of some big gun company that might have a bearing on my blog. But I’m not. I’m just some guy. Though it seems more people I run into know who I am any way.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:48 am
I understand the fear. As I’m looking for a new job, the fact that I wrote my own blog engine is very poignant to the people looking at my resume. Having them LOOK at my blog is a whole ‘nuther ball of wax.
Alas, I don’t care any more. If I can’t get a job because I take a stand on rights, then it’s not the kind of workplace I’d fit into anyway.
You can also lower the amount of damage by doing what Sebastian at SNIH does. His name is out there. It’s not a mystery if you’ve got 30 seconds of Bing-Fu. But he sticks with Sebastian and that would appear to help.
My name is Robb Allen, and I approve of this comment.
June 8th, 2009 at 10:23 am
I just don’t want 1:00 a.m. phone calls, from people who did not like a comment I left and know about Yahoo’s People Search. And for the sake of the 100 or so innocents who share my name.
Also, I established a consistent online identity. I started a blogspot, which I link to on every comment I leave, and always use the same signature.
June 8th, 2009 at 11:11 am
1. Unc: I know who you are, and read you despite that. Har.
2. Great points by Robb Allen and nk. I definitely respect both stands.
3. For me personally, I’ve found that refusing to be anonymous stops me from being an asshole (for the most part). I’ve been tempted to post snarky comments on blogs numerous times, but when I force myself to use my name rather than anonymity, I either tone it down a bit, get more civil or just let it pass. Works for me …
June 8th, 2009 at 11:53 am
I don’t use my real name because I’m not alone in this world. I have a wife who also respects our privacy, and if I used my real name hers would soon come to the serface. When I have children that will again become compounded.
Also Robb’s comments hold true as well. A Google Search for the name on my resume will yeild nothing, and my screename will not be on my resume. If politics or other issues are relevent I’ll share that with them, if it is not, they don’t need to be reading it online.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I stay anon because my wife asks me to, primarily because she doesn’t want nutjobs calling the house or driving by. She also worries about her professional life, since Librarians are usually a pretty liberal lot, and she knows that a good chunk of those liberals are not the most tolerant.
June 8th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Interesting. I of course don’t have a widely (or even narrowly) read blog, but I’d have to agree with all here. I maintain a consistant pseudonym for my families safety and my own employment. I am a consultant, so why anger a potential client? Of course, I’m not going to get into a pissing contest full of ad homminem attacks with someone who has their real name out there… thats asking to get outed to level the field. I really don’t think that either publius or Ed Whelan come out looing good here.
Respectfully,
Pol
June 8th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
looking, even…. fat finger syndrome strikes again!
June 8th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I would like to point out that 30 seconds of searching and you can find out where I work, my home address, home phone, etc.
I make some pretty inflammatory posts from time to time. I did my best to expose Alexander Tristan Riley as the bigoted, homophobic, hate monger he is and still believe that had something to do with Cease Fire failing to acknowledge he even existed.
I’ve yet to get any phone calls. The actual interviews I’ve gone on haven’t mentioned the blog’s content at all. Nobody has contacted my employer trying to get me fired.
It’s a big world, you’re not quite as important as you think 😉 1,200 individual hits a day doesn’t exactly make me a household name.
I’d say that once you hit the big time, being anonymous is more of a hindrance than a boon. When you make a name for yourself, the ante for keeping yourself private goes up, as does the reason for others to out you.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
For what it’s worth, I don’t think it’d be justifiable to out you even if you WERE the CEO of a large gun manufacturer. Now if you were a big muckity-muck within the Brady Campaign who has an anonymous pro-gun blog, THAT would be worthy of an outing.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
[…] On being outed […]
June 8th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
[…] On being outed […]
Edited to add: Staying anonymous is harder than I thought. I’m no longer startled at being addressed as “Ride”.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Or, you can derive your online name from your family nickname.
Works for me.
June 9th, 2009 at 5:52 am
I don’t have a blog, but I do comment on a lot of them. And I have had some editorials and theses published here and there. I use a pseudonym for no other reason than it is a family joke between me and my children. I don’t hide my name, if asked I give it, and often times if something I have to say is particularly offensive or I have reason to believe it will be, I use my real name, just to make it fair.
I have even included my address. The only phone call I ever got was from someone I have liked by his writings and I actually have plans to call him tomorrow as I will be passing his way soon and inviting him for coffee.
I have no heartburn with either way it is done. A man becomes known by his work. That’s enough.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
I started to blog back in 2002 as part of my charity work. The blog is a learning resource for violent crime survivors.
The decision to use my actual, honest-to-Gawd legal name was easy. My students needed to be completely sure that I stood behind everything I said.
There are many reasons to adopt a nom de blog, and many of those are good reasons indeed. But you can put me in the same camp as Prof. Reynolds. If someone isn’t going to use their real name, then they can’t complain if their credibility is questioned more closely and more often.
James