What’s Your Online Identity?
I was listening to a discussion today about people’s online identity going on Innovation3. Years ago it was taboo, and even considered unsafe to have your own name in forums and chat rooms–the precursors of today’s social media. And a lot of people still create user names that allow them to be anonymous. I’m looking at my Twitter feed right now and see names such as “Shoemoney” and “Angelcollector.” Creating pseudonyms online is web 1.o thinking.
Intuitively I have always used my first and often last name in chat rooms, forums and now Facebook, Twitter, Orkut and whatever the next group I’ll sign up for tonight. The main reason I use my real name is that, for me, the web is not a place where I go to hide, but I place where I go to connect, to share my voice and to network with friends, clients and potential clients. It’s a place where what I do and who I am intersect in new and exciting ways. My online existence allows me to write about my 10-year old son’s lack of “confidence” in his toilet after an unfortunate overflow incident as well as about a strategic meeting with a client who reaches into 169 countries in 255 different languages.
The web is not a place where I go to hide, but I place where I go to connect, to share my voice and to network with friends, clients and potential clients.
My online identity is the closest to the sum total of whom I am. I share thoughts, pictures, video as an ever-growing collage of, well, me. My online friends, people whom I’ve only met throught my online persona, often say to me “I feel like I really know you.” And, if they follow me on Twitter or Facebook, they probably do. Some might feel I share too much personal information, while others appreciate my transparency. However, my personal brand continues to grow and get exposure to people all over the globe. I could have been “Brazilio” or “LatinMan” if I were using the web for nefarious reasons.
Tom Peters was right: individuals are the brands of the future and not corporations. And if you don’t believe that check Apple’s stock the day Steve Jobs announced he was taking a health sabbatical.
Have you thought about your online identity? How transparent are you comfortable being?
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11 Comments:
I have never thought of my online identity as part of my personal brand. Thanks for giving me a different perspective.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I love the line about using the web as a place to connect and not to hide. That speaks to our motivation and character. I really enjoyed this post and your blog overall. Susan
January 28th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I don't hide my identity either, for the same reasons. If only I had a cool name like Maurilio, though!
January 29th, 2009 at 4:01 am
I completely agree. Great post!
January 29th, 2009 at 4:07 am
I agree 100%. I guess the catch though is realizing that different mediums paint slightly different parts of the whole. Meaning… my Facebook account is used more more for closer friends and family. People I share more of my local life with. Twitter, Blog, etc bring in a bit more variety in thoughts from life, business, etc. What bothers me though is when companies or individuals attempt to take to social media outlets to gain business as their only means of use. Then it's not authentic, it's agenda driven and people can snif that out pretty quick. I know far too many who engage social media only for what's in it for them, versus what they can contribute to or even learn from others.
January 29th, 2009 at 4:08 am
I am actually in the midst of working through this issue at the moment. Most people in my social network circles know me for my Christian music blog and also know that I have a design firm. However, most questions people ask me in these circles, deal more with design and web technologies than Christian music. By being branded as my blog rather than myself or my business am I diluting opportunity? What impact do you think would happen on twitter if I just switched my name rather than start over with a new branded account?
January 29th, 2009 at 4:16 am
With self-edited, self-branded on-line exposure it's just as easy to put up false fronts that appear authentic. Self-identification comes from many reasons.For instance, on Twitter, I use @thrufire, but my real name is Chris Arsenault. It's important to convey that legal name for credibility. But when another Chris Arsenault took that namespace in google, I needed another approach. Unique identification matters – I don't want people confusing me with the other guy!Such names are valid and real. For instance, God uses many names, but the most used name, the Tetragrammaton, LORD, is also unspeakable in Hebrew, so many orthodox Jews refer to him as haShem (the Name), or adonai – "sovereign". No one misidentifies who is being referred to!Randy Elrod's @recreate is a great example of creative online identification.As for Tom Peter's statements – we run the risk of branding ourselves as some sort of commodity, human products packaged for sale. We can also oversell ourselves. There's great risk in trying to be transparent, leading others to think they know us, when they really don't. My experience shows it takes 7 years to know someone normally – or 1 minute of a shared life & death experience. I hope I've provided a worthwhile alternative perspective.
January 29th, 2009 at 6:18 am
@Christopher,I like the fact you mentioned the word, "opportunity." It's because of new opportunities that I would recommend switching to your name in Twitter instead of getting a new account, since you would have to start from scratch. As you grow and your interests and expertise might shift from music to social media to something else in the future. @Chris,Thanks for your perspective. I understand your need to change your online name since yours is taken. Just imagine the trouble all those "John Smith"s have out there. The danger anyone faces when one's business identity is closely branded with his personal identity is still a real one. I could have chosen "AGroup" for my Twitter name. I own the company and I'd like to maintain that in front of people. As matter of fact, I own that Twitter name as well, and plan to use it in a different way than how I use "@Maurilio". But if one day I were to sell The A Group, then everything related to "AGroup" identity will have to got to the new owner. Right now, my blog, twitter and other media tools are my own and not my company's. I still use these personal tools to help grow my business as I share information and experiences with my followers but at the end of the day, I own my identity. That's also true for Michael Hyatt's blog and his followers. He's Thomas Nelson CEO but the company does not own his blog nor his followers. If he decides to leave tomorrow, his online identity and network are still intact.
January 29th, 2009 at 7:30 am
I have my own issues related to the blurring of personal and professional lives. I am making an attempt to embrace the transparency, though few of us will ever dare to be as candid as you are. Thanks for the challenge.
January 30th, 2009 at 6:17 am
I agree with the conenction, community.. I have found it a good way to connect to family and friends I don't get to see often, feel a part of their evryday life. A minister friend said he quit Myspace and didn't Facebook because of people who thought they knew him so well they demanded more and stalked. He'd had some problems in this area. Not sure what the answer would be for him
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