I'm trying to decide what to call myself online. I use my full name here because originally the blog was going to be all about my books. It's not, now, and I don't want it to be - most of the 'all about my books' blogs I read are slightly less interesting than reading a catalogue, and I don't want to do that.
But do I want to have the same identity everywhere? I can't decide. I have an email address of 'WritingBear' (because I write and I love polar bears), but I haven't used that name anywhere as an account name. I use SapphireNinja on Ravelry (Sapphire my current cat and Ninja my dearly departed one), and I have an email address with that in it as well. I also have my 'official' email address, through my web site, which I use only for official-type things (agents and editors and so on).
That's a lot of email addresses, and it's not even all of them, I don't think. They all (except the official one) get funnelled into my gmail account, but then when I go to email someone back I have to make sure I'm using the same one they used to send to me, and it all feels rather unnecessary.
I COULD do some variation of HeatherWardell at gmail (in fact, now that I think about it, I HAVE one :), but do I want to? When I use SapphireNinja, people tend to call me Sapphire, which is fine but isn't my name. (Although I kinda wish it were. :)
I just joined twitter today (
Since I DO have readers, I'll throw it open to you: do you use the same name and ID everywhere you go, or are you a different person in different situations? And whichever one you do, have you ever wished you did the other?
Heather AKA WritingBear AKA SapphireNinja :)
7 comments:
I use different names depending on the place but AzureChango is my "original" nick online since I was a sophomore in High School. I do go by variations of AzureChango though, kind of like nicknames of a nickname XD and Yarrow, I just decided to use it on a chat one day and it stuck lol
Mine changes, but it's always a variation on the theme: NameVerb
AimeeWrites
AimeeCrochets
The original was AimeeJane. (My middle name is Janeece, and AimeeJane is a life-long nickname from my parents.) However, someone else in internetland has the gall to use that username sometimes. She probably also has the gall to actually have 'Jane' as a middle name. Pout. So, AimeeWrites was born when I started joining writing sites. And when I joined Ravelry, I didn't want to be mistaken for a knitter ;), so there's that one explained.
A long explanation for something that's probably no help whatsoever.
Well I have a pattern business associated with my screenname, so I use picnicknits pretty much everywhere. Anyone who "knows" me at all online knows my name is Corrina, which is unusual, so it's clear that it's me. I also tend to use the same avatar a lot of places.
I'm Lauria all over the place, except in blog land because I was thinking of starting an Etsy shop and since my name is pretty unique, I didn't want people getting confused and thinking I was Laura or something. But then I think, "Should I change my name on Ravlery to match?" UGH. I have one email address for junk mail (used to be my old email address and I've had it since I was 13) and a regular email address which has my full name. Which is also my Flikr account. I worry that it's too much personal information that could all be traced back to me. I try not to do anything that I'd worry about a potential employer to see and not like, but I also worry that people could easily find me and oh noes what if they stalked me! Ya know?!
So I don't have answers for you, just the same worries!
I would just keep "Heather Wardell." I find that all aspects of life end up blending together and it may help if you keep one identity across the board.
I go by Laux just about everywhere. Unless I don't want to be connected to my blog in any way, which is rare.
Same goes with avatars, I have the same one most places. Except the blog itself, and that's only because as soon as I made my header I thought about all the interesting possibilities of a rabbit face on, in front of and behind things. hehe :D
Before that though I went through about a dozen different names. Just takes time to settle methinks.
Its a difficult one. I picked my name because I stitch, and I was sitting in front of a bunch of lilies, trying to think of a name! I wasnt sure about it at first, but now I've gradually got all my online stuff with that name. I'd still consider myself a newbie when it comes to computers, and am a bit weary, I like not using my real name...
I like your three column blog, I must figure out how to do it, as it seams like an awful waste of space that could be filled with more chatter...
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