How important is it to use your name instead of an alias on forums, personal website URL etc., to promote yourself?
I’ve always felt no need for anonymity. I think it can only help to promote yourself if you use your name, as long as you don’t plan on saying anything stupid 
Plus I think people are more apt to take comments if they know who it’s coming from and what their perspective might be.
R
I like to roll the opposite direction and maintain some anonymity, maybe because I was a very early adopter of the internet, and in those days one of the amazing things about the net was total anonymity. I don’t really care about promoting myself or my agendas on certain forums, like this one; I take part because I enjoy contributing and learning. I also enjoy the freedom of being able to say stupid things, but I definitely try not to abuse or hide behind an avatar so that I can bash others and be a jerk.
Post counts were established partly so that people could remain anonymous and establish some credibility. I would say the same goes for here. And you can always go read someone’s post history to see where they stand on things.
If your intent with using your real identity on forums is to network, prove credibility, meet people in person, or establish different kinds of relationships I say go for it, it depends on what’s important to you.
Personally I find it more rewarding to throw out un-inhibited musings without being judged by my age, schooling, background, or success. If people appreciate my input, great; if they hate it, great.
I think it depends on what you are looking for on here. I prefer transperency, but I’m also not the shy type. I think what I think and I’m cool with having my name next to it. I’m also cool with changing my mind at a later date and I’m not ashamed to admit when I’ve changed positions on something or someone has shown me an angle I did not see previously. Afterall my opinions are just that, opinions.
This aproach is not for everyone. R and Greenman represent two ends of the spectrum but both fall into a category of people I listen to and respect.
Well, you can see from my screenname where my opinion lies.
It’s more of a censor and honesty factor for me. There are so many mean nasty things said online and it can be very tempting, especially with an anonymous alias. By putting my name out there, it reminds me to talk to others like I would talk to someone in real life.
Going back to the actual topic, choosing a screenname is fine for self-promotion but always difficult to gauge how others perceive you. Asking for freelance work as “star00girl” (my middle-school sn) probably won’t get you far. It’s easier to go with your name, it’s your name.
Yeah, it wasn’t about the anonymity factor. Just interested in hearing peoples’ views on if it looks more professional to use your name for your URL and if that and using your name on forums actually plays a part in being more memorable and helping your career.
I tried to be clever when I came up with my screen name because it incorporates my last name (Tarng), but most people just read it as the fruit. Human brains and their gap filling reflexes.
I also tend to say stupid things sometimes (just like I do in real life) so my semi-transparent SN sometimes alleviates the damage. My twitter is always juggling between private and public, and I constantly delete old tweets (so my tomfoolery doesn’t get the best of me).
I think if you make good contributions, you will be associated with that alias or with your name depending on which you use. But even if you use an alias, people will want to know who you are if you make good contributions. With respect to your website: if you can come up with a good, memorable name, then do so. Otherwise your name works just as well.
Tarngerine - I thought your name was a modification from the design agency Tangerine, a bit like I think IDiot’s alias is a spin on IDEO as he uses a similar graphic, just goes to show.
I think it all depends what you want to do. If your aim is to get a full time position in a company, then I would suggest using your name as if you send in a CV to a company with your website on it, it is much better that people can find your site by your name rather than an alias, which could be confusing. Your promoting ‘yourself’ - so why not use your name. If you are considering freelance, then a similar thing may apply.
If you’re already employed in a design company etc and you want to canvas opinion or express views not necessarily held by other employees or vent about your day, an alias can be useful.
I particularly like reading the comments of certain posters, because I think they often respond with wit and intelligence, but I’m not interested in what they look like or do, they could be the head of IDEO or a student, for me it’s their thoughts, jokes etc that keep threads interesting.
Which ever you use on the boards etc, people will judge you on the quality of your posts or work you show. You become your alias. Can you imagine being in a band and telling a producer that you were called the ‘smashing pumpkins’, sounds rubbish, but they got somewhere because of their output etc. Ultimately, which ever you decide, the main thing is you market you, explore every PR avenue, network like crazy and produce great work.
Haha, no I just really like tangerines. I like clementines better, but clementarng’s weird.
I don’t know if anyone else wants to brag, but I don’t think anyone but Yo! has really gotten good press out of the forums. Mind you, it’s obvious he works every angle possible (tip of the hat to you sir). That’s why I’ve stuck with Mr-914. I’ve used it as my handle since '96 I think. Anyone who is really inspired by one of my posts can easily find my name and CV, so I only have anonymity to the lazy.
I think it helps give your personal brand more weight. I recently saw Mr 914’s review of a particular book on Amazon and I immediately gave it more credence (even tho it was advocating a subject I don’t agree with). If he signed it Whatever Whateverson, I probably would not have thought twice about it.
I had thought that I was posting semi-anonymously on here for years as VanID - until I realized that due to the small size and relative closeness of the ID community in Vancouver that most people in my local industry circle had already pieced together who I was anyway. So at that point…i figured-why hide
-“Rob”
That’s it. I’ve been fully outed.
I can personally attest I’ve had some clients find me through posts here, so FWIW, I find being able to be found is a good thing.
R
I have to say, if I were looking to start a shoe line you’d be one of the first people I go to because you’ve made yourself so available here on Core. I know what you do, and what your opinions are. Myself, I don’t like to reveal too much because I don’t have to. But, anyone with some savvy internet skills can find out just who I am and what I do. As un-exciting as it may be.
I also think that if you freelance for a living, or run your own studio, you should (at least here on Core) use your full name.
Good to hear. Thanks. Maybe I should start a 5% off discount if you mention core77 ? (with a 2.5% kickback from Core of course)
R