On Pseudonyms
This entry is tagged ***sticky post***, meaning it contains basic information about my journal. This post is public and comments are screened.
I'd be kidding myself if I thought this thing was completely anonymous, but that's okay. I'm not generally worried about my internet friends tracking me down in real life. You are really my friends.
I would prefer that people I know professionally don't end up here (unless we become friends and I specifically invite them, of course). Someone who works with me in some capacity, or would like to, might google my name, city, and profession to try and track down my contact info. This is the main reason I go by Nicki on the internet (I use my full name professionally), and don't list my specific location in my profile. I'm sure a dedicated stalker could still figure it out, but at least someone who's honestly interested in making a professional connection will find relevant information, and not this journal, in the first few dozen results.
There are people close to me who have been emotionally abused in the past, and I refuse to give those abusers any more reason or opportunity to continue. This is my main reason for using pseudonyms for nearly everyone else, including my dogs. Sure, searching for someone with a relatively common first name (I would never post last names here) is an exercise in futility -- but groupings of names are easier to find. Therefore, names are changed to protect the innocent.
I generally refer to other LJ and message board users by their usernames, or however they refer to themselves on this platform. If you have another preference, please let me know.
I'd be kidding myself if I thought this thing was completely anonymous, but that's okay. I'm not generally worried about my internet friends tracking me down in real life. You are really my friends.
I would prefer that people I know professionally don't end up here (unless we become friends and I specifically invite them, of course). Someone who works with me in some capacity, or would like to, might google my name, city, and profession to try and track down my contact info. This is the main reason I go by Nicki on the internet (I use my full name professionally), and don't list my specific location in my profile. I'm sure a dedicated stalker could still figure it out, but at least someone who's honestly interested in making a professional connection will find relevant information, and not this journal, in the first few dozen results.
There are people close to me who have been emotionally abused in the past, and I refuse to give those abusers any more reason or opportunity to continue. This is my main reason for using pseudonyms for nearly everyone else, including my dogs. Sure, searching for someone with a relatively common first name (I would never post last names here) is an exercise in futility -- but groupings of names are easier to find. Therefore, names are changed to protect the innocent.
I generally refer to other LJ and message board users by their usernames, or however they refer to themselves on this platform. If you have another preference, please let me know.