20 Comments

What Should Your Online Identity Say about You?

I was listening to a discussion today about people’s online identity. 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, Google+ and whatever comes next. The main reason I use my real name online is because, for me, the web is not a place where I go to hide, but I place where I go to connect,  share my voice and engage clients and potential clients. It’s a place where what I do and who I am intersect in new and exciting ways. My holistic online existence allows me to write about my 10-year old son’s lack of “confidence” in his toilet after an unfortunate overflow incident, share pictures of great food I experience all over the globe  as well as write about the new technology my company developed for TWR.org, a ministry that reaches into 169 countries in 202 different languages.

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 I’ve only met through 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. It would interesting to find out what happens to Apple now that Steve is gone.

How intentional are you about your online identity? How transparent are you with your posts?

Posted on Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 at 10:30 am under social media, Uncategorized.

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Copyright © 2012 Maurilio Amorim

  • Michael

    I have never thought of my online identity as part of my personal brand. Thanks for giving me a different perspective.

  • Susan Lewis

    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

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/14881877414995591607 Heather Gemmen Wilso

    I don't hide my identity either, for the same reasons. If only I had a cool name like Maurilio, though! :)

  • http://jennicatron.tv Jenni Catron

    I completely agree. Great post!

  • http://www.danieldecker.com Daniel Decker (or Bi

    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.

  • http://www.lightvox.com Christopher

    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?

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/10773858656968422745 Chris Arsenault

    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.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/08025480075040942365 Maurilio Amorim

    @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.

  • http://shannonlitton.com Shannon Litton

    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.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/06772279136528552557 LauraBo

    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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  • MarkHJeffres

    I have not thought of my online identity as creating a persona for both personal connection as well as business. I can see how there’s a intersection of both personal and business in the digital space. 

  • http://www.churchstagedesignideas.com Jonathan Malm

    I agree wholeheartedly! As Dale Carnegie says…a person’s name is their most valuable possession (a bit out of context…but it applies). When I read a comment on my blog, “LeadingAsIFollow” has much less credibility than “Tom Peters”. I’m willing to engage with Tom Peters because I know he isn’t hiding behind a mask.

  • http://twitter.com/ltullis Lance Tullis

    Give it enough time, and someone will try to standardize internet use with a verifiable ID system.  It’s going to be needed to reduce ID theft, protecting children, and reducing scams.  We can’t use fake names on our driver’s license and passports, so why do we tolerate them online? 

  • http://www.jasonvana.com Jason Vana

    When I started using online profiles, I kept myself pretty anonymous. Of course, that was when the internet first became big and most peoples’ approach was anonymity rather than transparency.

    Now, I am me. I use my real name and am as much “me” as is possible online (without tone and body language). I think I am pretty transparent in my blog posts as well. I know some people who have alternate identities online, and I just don’t think I could do that – my real self would spill through too much and I have no desire to try and keep up with that lie. 

  • http://youraveragepastor.blogspot.com/ youraveragepastor

    Well, you don’t have a name like Joe Smith, either. :) I’m transparent with my name and posts, but honestly, that doesn’t help a lot with a name like mine. I put Joe Smith out there, but I also add my online names to make in more interesting/recognizable. I am youraveragepastor and A Joe Smith.

  • http://rm2g.com/managing-your-personal-brand/ Managing Your Personal Brand

    [...] in.  It seems like online identity and personal branding are the hot topic today.  Check out this post from my Twitter friend Maurilio Amorim. #dd_ajax_float{ background:none repeat scroll 0 0 #FFFFFF; [...]

  • http://www.sundijo.com Sundi Jo Graham

    Why be online anymore if you’re going to hide who you are? 

  • http://twitter.com/dawnnicole Dawn Nicole Baldwin

    Agreed. Online identity is largely why I started using “Dawn Nicole Baldwin” vs. just “Dawn” or “Dawn Baldwin” about ten years ago. Potential clients were Googling me online and I wanted to ensure I wasn’t confused with the basketball player [ironic, since I'm only 5'] or anyone else.

    I do tend to be intentional about what content is shared through which channel though. My neighborhood friends don’t really follow me on Twitter. My business and ministry friends do. Facebook used to be primarily to connect colleagues but now is more for family/close circles. It’s frustrating when friends have the same content posted on Twitter, G+ and their FB status update.

    I’m not a fan of those who try to create fake personas online or try to hide who they are but I do try to be conscious of what each audience is most interested in. I’m sure you’d be happy to hear our daughter was accepted in the National Honor Society but probably not as much as her Grammy. Likewise, my mom thinks it’s great that I help ministries with brand strategies but is a little less interested in the articles, resources and conferences I write about.

    However, your Fashion Friday posts seem to be a category that plays well across the board. Bravo, my friend ;)

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