It certainly is in politics, and some salespeople, but in general, no. The adage – Be yourself, everyone else has already been taken – is true. It’s also so much easier to be yourself. You don’t even have to think about it. I’ve been using a persona or nom de plume online for years, but using another name doesn’t change who you are. I still wrote the same way, had the same interests, etc. These emails are not written in that persona, this is me using my name. The question on your lips is why? The answer is simple. When I first came online the netizens were still attempting to stop anyone making money online. It was all about “information wants to be free”. When all the time they were buying books, music, Internet access, computers etc. So, you could make money from the Internet, but not on it. I tried to change that attitude, but I got flamed so hard that I couldn’t log in anywhere without getting hit. I shut down for a few months, then came back with a different name. That stopped the flaming. The new name became a habit for a long time. I gradually began using both names. The flames have stopped these days. Now, of course, people are making massive incomes online. Not always honestly. Not always authentically. That’s not my problem other than I am a bit cynical. So tell me, were you online then? A simple yes or no will suffice. Regards, |
