I posted this concern on a popular Blogger’s site whose site is focused on the fact that he maintains a regular 8-5 job and does all of the work on his money making site after hours. He likes his job and has no near term plans to leave his job and that is my case as well.

He stated to me that at times he wishes he had gone anonymous from the start and he suggested that instead of using my real name, choose a clever, but clearly fake name like Johnny Online. Then on the ‘About Me’ page, clearly state that isn’t my real name and that I am a real person, have an 8-5 job and wish to remain anonymous until I’m able to replace my current income through my online business. He also suggested picking a name that doesn’t currently turn up many results in a Google search so that you could easily rank highly for that name. In addition, he said I could mention that when/if I am able to replace my income, I would reveal my true identity, kinda like a Superman/Clark Kent thing on a much more uneventful scale.

I thought that was a great idea and have been brainstorming possible names. Since my niche site ideas are very different, I’m having a tough time coming up with one that would be relevant for all of them unless I did stick with something like Johnny Online. I have 3 separate name ideas that are relevant to each site idea, but the idea of having to keep multiple separate emails and any other relevant account details seems like it would be quite difficult and I would be spending more time on keeping track of all that than I would be on creating good quality content.

Another concern on the anonymous side is that I like to network with other bloggers, usually through their comment section like this or on Facebook, but I could easily see phone calls at some point in time and I’m not sure how I could network with others on the phone or in person as my true self but also be able to tell them about my different sites, etc.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I’m very curious to hear your thoughts and thoughts from your readers on the subject. I really want to go anonymous and have some fun with it, in a way people would fully understand the deal up front, but I also feel it would be a bit of a hindrance as well. Decisions, decisions.

I think any of the options you mentioned is fine, but I would lean toward 1 or 2 – because both of them differentiate you from the other person in your field. That isn’t to say 3 is a bad option, it’s a good one. Just be aware that you will spend time dealing with explaining your name whenever you sign documentation, deal with checks/banks, etc. In the end I recommend going with whichever scenario you feel most comfortable.

Best of luck!

Is it possible to have some sort of middle ground though? I would like to use my personal Facebook account to promote the blog.
Would it still be anonymous if I told my peers about it while using a persona on the actual blog?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

For a couple of years now I’ve been blogging under a fun and distinctive pen name which I started using as a joke. It was a name my friends gave me years ago to use if I were ever to desire a pen or stage name. But now I want a name to use my real name or a form of my real name in business; writing, coaching, speaking, etc.

My first, middle and last name are all so called “first names”
EX: Donna Jaye Maire . I have always used Donna J Marie on all personal and legal papers, but now I’m trying to decide if I should:
1. Use all three names together. But I’m concerned that I may be perceived as pretentious or that it’s too difficult to remember. Do you agree?
2. Keep using my full name with the middle initial? (I don’t want to use only my first and last as there is someone else on the net in a similar profession with my first and last name without the middle initial. And in addition when I don’t use my middle initial people sometimes say (with uncertainty or disbelief) “Is Marie your last name”?
3. Eliminate my last name and go by Donna Jaye as Jaye seems to sound more like a last name than Marie. And always use my full name for legal matters and always spell out my middle name (when I sign anything legal) so people will realize that I have eliminated the use of my last name for business etc. purposes.

I would value and appreciate your opinion Ryan.

Thanks,

Donna

If you write under different names, you need to write a “bible” for each persona, with his background, job experience, where he has lived, his education, his writing quirks and so on, and update that and refer to it often. You also need to enforce different writing styles. Nobody can write better or at a higher educational level than he is at, and you will naturally resist writing at a lower educational level, so the differences need to be stylistic, such as: Does this persona use the serial comma or not? Does he use short sentences or a lot of semi-colons? Does he use em-dashes? Does he write with simple, clear words or longer, Latinate words? Long paragraphs or the occasional three-word punchy paragraph? Make one persona Chicago Manual, another AP Stylebook, and the third NYT Manual of Style.

Whenever you use an anecdote from your own life, you need to camouflage it, and then you need to record in your bibles who used that anecdote, and no other persona can use it from that point on. So you have to divide your real life and experiences up among your personas.