My policy on this is inconsistent, because my opinion gradually changed.
Ten years ago, I didn’t care about who sees my name, because from a larger perspective, I am a nobody. So I used my full name, because the articles I wrote (not in English) often impressed smart people, and it was nice to meet someone and say “Hi, I am Viliam”, and the other person was like: “No way, that Viliam, the blogger? That’s awesome!”.
So it seemed like there are some advantages and no disadvantages; and I was also thinking that maybe in the future I could become more famous and perhaps have a large blog with ads, and maybe even sell some services online, in which case already having an audience would help.
These days, almost everything is the other way round. I have kids which keep me busy all the time, so my blogging frequency is maybe one article per year. The chances of doing something big online are practically zero.
I am still a nobody from a larger perspective, but once in a while I change a job, and I feel like there is an increasing chance people may google my name before the job interview. I don’t need some idiot to freak out about something controversial (from the idiot’s perspective) I wrote online. Not that I write anything bad (from my perspective), it’s just… the set of things considered controversial is large and growing, and I have no idea what will be the hot topic of culture wars in 10 years when I will probably still need a job… and even strong self-censorship (which I am psychologically incapable of) would not necessarily save me, because people can also be guilty by association. I mean, just being on LW could already make me a monster in some people’s eyes. (Now imagine ten years later, when the robots actually rise up and start murdering people, and the people will need a non-metallic scapegoat.)
Third reason, I don’t like how everything is connected these days, and major websites require your real name. A few years ago I happened to piss off someone, who then started contacting my relatives on Facebook. (Note: This was unrelated to politics. I just happened to meet a crazy person.) If you use your real name, it’s trivial to find your family, right? They are on Facebook, among your contacts, many of them have the same surname; and the more diligent ones even spell out their relationship to you, and tag you in their photos to make it more obvious. That was quite traumatising for me, and I disappeared from online life for a few years.
So, these days it’s like all disadvantages and no advantages.
If I could travel back in time and advise my past self, I would tell the young aspie to make up a pseudonym (one that will not feel silly in ten years) and use it consistently. That has the advantage of building reputation, especially if I would use the pseudonym to introduce myself in real life outside of job. And a quick google by HR would not reveal anything. Yes, this has a possibility of being outed. But it is very difficult to keep perfect pseudonymity anyway. For example, if I started selling something online, I would have to reveal my legal identity to my customers. I don’t need the level of Satoshi Nakamoto, but the level of Scott Alexander would be nice. (Well, that’s what I think now. Who knows what I will think in ten years.)
Considering that these days I don’t have time to blog significantly, this doesn’t feel so urgent. I changed my name to “Viliam”, which feels like a sufficient compromise for now. Maybe one day in future I will try to erase my past and start again with a new identity. (The things I wrote on LW will probably stay here; I would ask admins to silently update the username.) One trivial obstacle is that I don’t have a pseudonym that would “feel right” enough that I would feel comfortable to use it for the rest of my life. (Fun fact: I actually had a pseudonym in mind that felt right; and then I met a person whose real name was almost exactly like it. Now the pseudonym feels lame, like I am trying to be him. So I need to think about a new one.)
I suppose no one is going to suspect me just because of my first name. It is not uncommon in my country. I am more concerned about what happens when people search for “firstName surname”.
Okay, I suppose if you knew me in real life, and you found my first name online, with me mentioning something about my life, or just my hobbies and my country, it might ring a bell. (The combination of country + first name + LW is already unique, as far as I know.)
But my main concern is about people who don’t know me privately, but they happen to be in a position to make a decision impacting my life. An archetypal example would be a rabid SJW working in HR or management in a corporation where I want to work, who would search for my full name, and for example find LW, then read something about LW written by David Gerard, and conclude “this guy is a Nazi and needs to go”. I wouldn’t even know what hit me.
I don’t really know how likely this is. I suppose it will become more likely in the future, because people write a lot of stuff online, so sooner or later there will be specialized agencies providing a service to HR like “give us $$$, and we will compile for you a short comprehensive report about this (potential) employee”, and it may soon become a standard part of hiring process, to the degree that not using this basic background check would be seen as gross incompetence.
Thus, not using my surname online anymore seemed like an urgent and simple step. Removing the existing mentions of my surname would be nice, but it would be much work to do. Maybe later. Making up a pseudonym is a less urgent thing that I don’t want to rush. (Having to change it again would be extra work.)
it was nice to meet someone and say “Hi, I am Viliam”, and the other person was like: “No way, that Viliam, the blogger? That’s awesome!”.
Note: to avoid confusion, this only worked in combination with the surname. (I didn’t want to use it here, but I should have used a placeholder, I guess.)
My policy on this is inconsistent, because my opinion gradually changed.
Ten years ago, I didn’t care about who sees my name, because from a larger perspective, I am a nobody. So I used my full name, because the articles I wrote (not in English) often impressed smart people, and it was nice to meet someone and say “Hi, I am Viliam”, and the other person was like: “No way, that Viliam, the blogger? That’s awesome!”.
So it seemed like there are some advantages and no disadvantages; and I was also thinking that maybe in the future I could become more famous and perhaps have a large blog with ads, and maybe even sell some services online, in which case already having an audience would help.
These days, almost everything is the other way round. I have kids which keep me busy all the time, so my blogging frequency is maybe one article per year. The chances of doing something big online are practically zero.
I am still a nobody from a larger perspective, but once in a while I change a job, and I feel like there is an increasing chance people may google my name before the job interview. I don’t need some idiot to freak out about something controversial (from the idiot’s perspective) I wrote online. Not that I write anything bad (from my perspective), it’s just… the set of things considered controversial is large and growing, and I have no idea what will be the hot topic of culture wars in 10 years when I will probably still need a job… and even strong self-censorship (which I am psychologically incapable of) would not necessarily save me, because people can also be guilty by association. I mean, just being on LW could already make me a monster in some people’s eyes. (Now imagine ten years later, when the robots actually rise up and start murdering people, and the people will need a non-metallic scapegoat.)
Third reason, I don’t like how everything is connected these days, and major websites require your real name. A few years ago I happened to piss off someone, who then started contacting my relatives on Facebook. (Note: This was unrelated to politics. I just happened to meet a crazy person.) If you use your real name, it’s trivial to find your family, right? They are on Facebook, among your contacts, many of them have the same surname; and the more diligent ones even spell out their relationship to you, and tag you in their photos to make it more obvious. That was quite traumatising for me, and I disappeared from online life for a few years.
So, these days it’s like all disadvantages and no advantages.
If I could travel back in time and advise my past self, I would tell the young aspie to make up a pseudonym (one that will not feel silly in ten years) and use it consistently. That has the advantage of building reputation, especially if I would use the pseudonym to introduce myself in real life outside of job. And a quick google by HR would not reveal anything. Yes, this has a possibility of being outed. But it is very difficult to keep perfect pseudonymity anyway. For example, if I started selling something online, I would have to reveal my legal identity to my customers. I don’t need the level of Satoshi Nakamoto, but the level of Scott Alexander would be nice. (Well, that’s what I think now. Who knows what I will think in ten years.)
Considering that these days I don’t have time to blog significantly, this doesn’t feel so urgent. I changed my name to “Viliam”, which feels like a sufficient compromise for now. Maybe one day in future I will try to erase my past and start again with a new identity. (The things I wrote on LW will probably stay here; I would ask admins to silently update the username.) One trivial obstacle is that I don’t have a pseudonym that would “feel right” enough that I would feel comfortable to use it for the rest of my life. (Fun fact: I actually had a pseudonym in mind that felt right; and then I met a person whose real name was almost exactly like it. Now the pseudonym feels lame, like I am trying to be him. So I need to think about a new one.)
Would you delete comments in which you reference your username having been (what it is now)?
No, and I will be too lazy to edit them, too.
I suppose no one is going to suspect me just because of my first name. It is not uncommon in my country. I am more concerned about what happens when people search for “firstName surname”.
Okay, I suppose if you knew me in real life, and you found my first name online, with me mentioning something about my life, or just my hobbies and my country, it might ring a bell. (The combination of country + first name + LW is already unique, as far as I know.)
But my main concern is about people who don’t know me privately, but they happen to be in a position to make a decision impacting my life. An archetypal example would be a rabid SJW working in HR or management in a corporation where I want to work, who would search for my full name, and for example find LW, then read something about LW written by David Gerard, and conclude “this guy is a Nazi and needs to go”. I wouldn’t even know what hit me.
I don’t really know how likely this is. I suppose it will become more likely in the future, because people write a lot of stuff online, so sooner or later there will be specialized agencies providing a service to HR like “give us $$$, and we will compile for you a short comprehensive report about this (potential) employee”, and it may soon become a standard part of hiring process, to the degree that not using this basic background check would be seen as gross incompetence.
Thus, not using my surname online anymore seemed like an urgent and simple step. Removing the existing mentions of my surname would be nice, but it would be much work to do. Maybe later. Making up a pseudonym is a less urgent thing that I don’t want to rush. (Having to change it again would be extra work.)
Note: to avoid confusion, this only worked in combination with the surname. (I didn’t want to use it here, but I should have used a placeholder, I guess.)