It's a time of shifting identities. Some, like Ben, are moving to greater transparency. Some, like Hollywood, are moving to opacity. Me, I'm remaining in a state of stationary visibility.
It wouldn't take an at-all clever person to crack the secret of Thmazing's real-life identity. Can you use Google? Can you read? Can you click? You can figure out who I am. It's not that hard.
I miss my old opacity sometimes, and other times I envy the blatant this-is-me-ness of people who plant their names right up top. I see advantages and disadvantages to both. Behold!
Opacity
- Advantages
- Sense of mystery
Reward those in the know with a feeling of superiority
A gatekeeping device
Allows clearer differentiation between Self and Blogged Character
- Looks amateurish--real writers paste their names on everything.
Limits the ease of a casual searcher finding all my work in one go.
Transparency
- Advantages
- Looks professional--what kind of a writer doesn't put his name on things?
Looks bold--no fear of being identified with my words.
Makes it simpler for people to find me. (Although, if you Google my real name now, Thmusings does show up....not near enough the top though.)
- Risk of stalkers increases. Stalkers!
Violent death.
The way I balance this is to have my website be super-transparent, and have it connect to all my blogs. What that does is make thmazing.com my official organ and Thmusings the place where my friends come to visit. By virtue of arriving somewhere without my name obviously attached, you join the in-club, you're hip, you're thawesome.
I've seen the Foblog stats, so I don't know if anyone will ever actually see this post, but I solicit your thoughts on this issue.
