We’re beginning a new segment of guest blogs here at TwentyTwenty called Blog Debates. This month’s topic is “Should I blog anonymously?” Through a series of six guest posts, we’ll try to show you all angles of this topic. Our next post comes from Rachael. Have a debate topic in mind? Tell us on the forums!
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You Know That Phrase, “Dance Like No One’s Watching”? I Say, “Blog Like Everyone’s Reading… and You Don’t Give a Shit. But, You Know, in a Classy Way.”
So! You’re an anonymous blogger, and you’re wondering if you should ‘come out’. Whether that means posting your real picture, using your actual name, or sharing every single Foursquare check in on a blog widget, it can be scary. I know. I’ve been there.
That’s why I’m writing this post to share with you. Duh.
And I’d be happy to share my own, very-special-snowflake, “coming out of the closet” experience with you all. But to be perfectly honest, I don’t really think it’s relevant anymore. I started writing in a time when getting “Dooced” was still a very real fear; a day when “blogger” was still a dirty word, and you only shared your URL with perfect strangers from behind your computer screen.
Toe by toe, we bloggers came out as society began to accept us. We began with a blurry-faced picture, followed by (gasp) one of our actual face… and then as social media skyrocketed in popularity, our names slowly appeared attached to Facebook profiles and even our public Twitter accounts.
When I was on the job hunt last year, I left my blog mostly as it was, and listed it on my resume. I had a few interviewers try to warn me about it (not unkindly), and I did appreciate where they’re coming from. Between the old TMI Thursdays and my general tendency to overshare, my blog tends to be a hot mess of things you probably wouldn’t volunteer in polite conversation. But, well, I HATE polite conversation. And I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve written. It’s me, 100%.
Besides, from where I’m standing, we finally live in a world that’s beginning to see blogging as professional currency rather than a liability, and I plan to take advantage of that.
At the end of the day, I made the decision that I didn’t want to work somewhere that couldn’t appreciate my writing and what I’d done with my e-place. I am, to put it lightly, a *unique* individual, and I wanted to find an environment where I fit in. This may seem a bit unrealistic from a professional standpoint, but somehow I managed to find the company that’s right for me – one that gets me – and now I’m one of those a-holes who truly looks forward to going to work every day.
This is a decision everyone will have to make for themselves. It definitely may limit your options as far as potential employers, but for me, it limited me to the right potential employers, so I made my choice.
Through my blog and Twitter, I was handpicked to be one of 20 contestants to be MTV’s first ever “Twitter Jockey”. Through social media connections, I found my dream job as a social media account exec for a marketing agency that specializes in “shenanigans and wizardry”. And most importantly, I’ve made dozens- hundreds, even- of real friends, both in DC, around the country, and beyond. There’s not a city in this world I would visit without setting up a drinking date with someone there I e-know. And none of that would have happened if I were anonymous.
And finally, hear this: There is no such thing as truly anonymous. Not in this day and age. There is always, ALWAYS a chance that someone is going to stumble on your corner of the interwebs and put two and two together, and that’s assuming you never screw up and let the two worlds mix accidentally, which ain’t likely.
I say, beat them to the punch. Simply decide that you just don’t care who reads it, and own it. You’ll be able to breathe much more easily without the possibility of your e-world being rocked, and you’ll get to experience all the benefits of being an open member of this kickass digital community.
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Rachael blogs at The Southified Masshole, tweets @livitluvit, and probably needs a beer.
Find Rachael on 20sb.
[...] anonymously, and it wasn’t until late 2009 when I decided to “come out,” as Rachael said. I “went public” in August, 2009. Here’s how that [...]