Anonymity - Do the pros outweigh the cons?
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
I’ve been thinking about an article Allan Cockerill wrote a couple weeks ago, about anonymity on the web.
In the article he talks about the cons of using an avatar or user name different than your own name, a discussion that struck home, since I actually use both.
Now let me say first, that for the average internet user, I still believe that privacy is more important than recognition. In other words, if you’re not doing business online then it’s better to be safe and stay as anonymous as possible.
If you are doing business online, identifying yourself might not be a bad idea, but even so, I suggest considering it carefully first, especially if you’re adverse to finding your information showing up somewhere like Wink or Intellus.
When I started this blog, my user name and avatar were easy choices, I used the same ones I’ve used on SU for years. Teeg is a shortened version of my real name, Te-ge (pronounced Teeg E or T G).
I do use my picture for my avatar on Facebook, but when I started out on SU, my son was a toddler, and he fell in love with the Pooh picture. He’d look for it everytime I went online. Having it as my avatar meant that I could work on my StumbleUpon page and he’d be totally content while I was doing it.
After he got older, I considered changing my avatar, but too many friends asked me not to, so I’ve been Pooh ever since. If you’d like to see what I really look like, here is a link to my Facebook profile. Feel free to add me as a friend.
So what do you think? Is it better to share your information or do safety and security outweigh other considerations? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
Comments
Pingback from Who Your Are And How You Act Does Matter Online
Time May 17, 2008 at 10:45 pm
[...] Teeg’s latest post about online identity has me all fired up about the subject again. [...]
Comment from Ange Recchia
Time May 20, 2008 at 7:29 am
I have heard of those sites from Allan before but never checked them to see if I am listed. I think it would be frightening to have your identity stolen online. I have come across one profile that someone else set up as my name and picture and wasn’t happy and yet, I was not able to contact anyone to get rid of it.
Being an online marketer, In my opinion, it is essential to be “seen” rather than have an avatar and people will quickly recognize you from your picture and make the connections. Being wary that this (identity stealing) can happen I believe is important and at the same time, not to get too paranoid about it… protecting yourself should be automatic. Great post Teeg!
Comment from dhudiburg
Time May 21, 2008 at 4:44 am
I’m very open with my online identity, but that is because doing online marketing is my business. I think you have provided great advice here. If your business doesn’t depend on you being highly visible online, it makes sense to err on the side of caution.
I know several other very active and visible people online who use an avatar instead of their picture. I always like to see what the person behind the avatar looks like, but avatars can be really useful for branding and consistency.
Thanks for a thoughtful post and I’m looking forward to reading your blog regularly.
and Download!
Comment from Allan Cockerill
Time May 17, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Yet another interesting and well written post Teeg!
This is a debate that we have to have, and unless the issues are laid out in black and white, people will never understand, or even be aware of them.
The likes of Bigsight, Wink and Intellius are an issue and people need to be alerted to their existence, and the danger posed by their possible misuse.
In a sense, there is no privacy online, because any time we fill in a web form, we run the risk of having that information being passed on to others, or being made public.
I recently found a website claiming to be a social networking giant in the making, and offering to let me become a founding member, with extra privileges.
There was no ‘about us’, and no identification of any sort, but there was a huge sign up form, with what I had for breakfast, and what I was planning for dinner seemingly the only details missing.
This is where the danger lies, and people need to be wary of just what info they allow others to know about themselves…
Allan Cockerill’s last blog post..Free Software Monitors Web Sites