To Be or To be Anonymous

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It’s been over a decade since the Internet exploded onto everyone’s PC’s and it hasn’t really slowed down since. With the efforts of MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter the Internet, and I’m stating the obvious here, has become the marketing tool of the millennium. With the simplest click of a mouse and a few taps on the keyboard, a social media marketing world is opened up to you, and it’s your playground to enjoy. So why are some of us afraid to come clean? Why do we hesitate to take off our disguises and take credit where credit should be due?

I too was anonymous on the Internet with one moniker for both my blog posts and Tweets, which only a few people close to me knew. Granted I’m not a super sleuth private investigator, nor were my blogs and tweets of great controversy, I just felt more comfortable behind a disguise.

However that did nothing for my social media presence - unable to market or brand myself. In truth, there was no future without “me.”

By having an alias, or even just being anonymous, is actually doing a disservice to your potential leads and authenticity. It closes the door on opportunities you could act on as yourself and shuts out possible future employers. Being yourself on the Internet allows your work and your connections to prove your viability as a social media guru and create a name for yourself AS yourself.

Granted, all posts shouldn’t be one-sided. There are arguments for opting to use an alias or being anonymous. A safety concern is high up there, as well as your personal content. Depending on what you write about, tweet or share on your Facebook wall may or may not be what a potential employer wants to read. There has been many a firing because of an employees leaked Facebook profile and also for posting offending material on a social media outlet.

The possible solution, create a professional and personal account for the social media networks – giving you the ability to be yourself on both counts—your professional self and your behind-closed-doors self. The proverbial doors can still open and you don’t have to worry about not putting “yourself” out there.