Hello. My name is Jenny Frazier. You can find me “all over the internet”. A good start is my main page JennyFrazier.com.
My full name is not a mystery – I mean it IS (one of) my URLs – but it wasn’t always that way.
I started blogging in 2001 (over in Diaryland (yikes!). I purchased the domain “AllEyesOnJenny.com” and set up this blog in 2004. In the Diaryland blog and even in this one in the beginning, I referred to myself as “Jenny”. By the end of 2004, I ever so boldly added an “F.” to the end of my name in a disclaimer on the bottom of my site.
Then I got into Myspace, and Flickr. I started going to networking events and booking design business and photoshoots. At some point during 2005 I made the leap to adding the full “Frazier” to my name. I had reached a point where I was meeting so many new people and promoting local events I organized or took part in that were all done in my full name (not to mention my picture is plastered all over this and all my other sites) it just seemed silly to maintain a “Jenny F.” here. So everywhere you look, you now see me sporting the “Jenny Frazier” loud and proud.
My initial concern wasn’t completely ridiculous – back in late 2005 I was actually denied a job because of this blog. I’ve told this story here before, but just to refresh your memory and for the newcomers, the prospective employer I had interviewed with called me back for two interviews. A week later I got a call – a call that sounded positive, to start. She told me that “out of everyone they interviewed for the position, the combination of my portfolio and my interview proved to her that I was by far the best candidate for the job, but….”
Are you ready for the “but”? It’s a good one …
“But, we googled your name and found your blog. It’s not what you write about, it was your “About Me” where you say that you bite your fingernails and you like Britney Spears. To be honest, that’s not the image (insert firm name) would like to project.”
Well to be honest, a firm who couldn’t accept who I was is not a firm I wanted to be working for.
As jaw dropping as that experience was, it was also eye opening for me. By being honest about my name and who I was online, people were either going to accept me or they weren’t. “People” ranging anywhere from potential employers, to potential dates, to friends and family members (Hi Dad!).
My friends and family know who I am – I really am no different on this site than I am in real life. Luckily for me, I got my current full-time and many, many freelance jobs BECAUSE of my site(s). Similarly, I have had the opportunity to meet so many incredible new people and contacts as a direct result of this site, or the types of work I do and promote here.
Honestly, I’ve mostly ran into weird circumstances with dating when it comes to the site (I was not asked on a second date by someone I liked because of my site. True story.). This mostly stems from the fact that OF COURSE you’re going to Google who ever you are going to go out with. And these guys are going to know A LOT more about me than I could ever know about them. I’m fine with that – but sometimes they aren’t.
So that leads me to my questions of the day:
Who are you online?
Do you use your whole name? Your first name? A fake name? No name?
Whatever name (or lack there of) you use, why?
How concerned are you about your online image? Did you ever use your real name or do you think you would in the future?
And finally,
What kinds of positive or negative experiences have you had from using whatever name you choose?
Has the decision to use the name you choose impacted your life offline?
Please contribute your thoughts and concerns in the comments section. I’m looking forward to this discussion.
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m sure I’ve had job (and other opportunity) losses because of comments, photos or things out there that create an online persona that’s not so flattering to the corporate world. To be honest, I was kind of terrified for a long time about what was going to linger around the web that had my name attached to it (not associated to my music/film career). You get to a point where you have to say to yourself, “This is what I do, this is who I am and if others can’t deal, oh well. I’m a good person with opinions and I have a personal responsibility to be on the forefront of this social movement. I may lose battles; I may lose friends but will ultimately gain my own personal satisfaction.” The bottom line is if you exercise common sense, good judgment and are respectful in general then you should be alright. Everyone has opinions and you can’t make EVERYBODY happy. Thanks for sharing this, makes me feel better. :-)
I think about this a lot, hence my new blog (linked, not even really up yet) which does not have my name in it. I have had a slew of Crissy domains, dearcrissy.com, hellocrissy.com, plain old crissykight.com.
At every single job that I have held, there always comes that one day when someone in the office reveals says: “hey I found your Web site.” It doesn’t take a whole lot of skill to find me, I too am “all over the internet.”
It’s funny, because I am super forthcoming and love to put myself out there, but I always hate it when strangers proclaim that they FOUND me.
That said, I once GOT a job because of my Web site. I was interviewing at a newspaper for a photojournalist job, and they actually liked the fact that I had a cool internet presence.
Mmh, that is a question I contemplated a lot before I started a blog.
Of course, you can probably find me on facebook or myspace without a whole lot of effort, but my profile there is set to “private”.
My blog does not have my name in the URL or on the website (just “San”), the same goes for flickr, and I don’t “advertise” my blog on search engine websites. However, I think if you poke around long enough, you would still be able to find me (or my photo) somewhere on the Internet.
I am not so much concerned about my current or future employers, but more about people that I don’t want to find me… for whatever stupid reasons. A little privacy is sometimes a good thing – even though I LOVE the connections that I’ve made online!
I used to blog at carrisablog.com and I used first names only. But my first name is still very unusual, especially the way I spell it. So I was the first thing on google. I didn’t like that because I didn’t want my boss or future bosses reading my blog. So then I changed the URL and decided to go by Carly. Because I didn’t have a real life nickname. I got tired of that real quick though. It’s hard being called something that just isn’t your name (like, um Jennifer for example). So now I go by my real name again when I comment or email. I just try and refrain from using it on my actual site.
So hopefully nothing bad will ever come from me using my real first name. Although just be extra careful I try and keep my blog pretty clean. I don’t blog about work and I use as little profanity as possible.
I suck at this.
I did good initially…and then, once commenters called me by my first name, I just kind of gave up.
I don’t ever blog about work unless it’s something really positive….but I do know that there is information on my blog a future employer could find offensive.
I always debate going private, but so far so good.
Oh, and yes. I have also had some dates read it and that backfired…so I don’t write about dates or men I date until it’s done and over with or unless it’s great. Kind of the same rule that applies to work….which sucks sometimes, but that’s life.
I generally don’t tell people I have a blog….but I have been found out once or twice.
I love this topic of discussion.
When I first started my site in 2004 it wasn’t kerrianne.org, but I was still posting as myself and was never anonymous. In Nov. 2004 I switched to kerrianne.org and from then on I knew I would always use my name, my full name, and haven’t regretted it once.
I’m proud of everything I’ve written on my site, and wouldn’t post it otherwise. Some of it’s surely for laughs, silly and nonsensical, but it’s authentically me, or as authentic as I can be in front of a computer, and I stand behind everything I’ve ever put on my site.
That being said, I don’t write about work, and most likely won’t, unless it was a scenario where I was being asked, and compensated, for doing so.
Most of my family and friends know about my site, and read it on a regular basis. I’m more than fine with that because I’m the type of person who isn’t going to say anything online that I won’t say right to you, in person, too.
Also: when I’m feeling particularly name-ornery, I try to find more ways to slip in the occasional “Kerri Anne” here and there on my site so that I can beat out an Australian talk show host who happens to spell her name the exact way I do for the top spot in Le Google Search. Because in addition to being non-anonymous, I’m also super mature.
Who are you online?
–Mainly I use my username JR Moreau or FarandSavage. FarandSavage is an old name from college based on a book I love. JR Moreau is more of a pen name that I use for freelancing. My real names is James Moreau.
Whatever name (or lack there of) you use, why?
–I have a feeling I’ve been passed over for job ops because of my writing or subject matter. I’ve never been too offensive in what I write, but I don’t shy away from controversial topics. So, I don’t shy away from being fairly open about my work. There aren’t many jobs I’d take that would force me to stop blogging. I’ve thought about that and I’ve come to a resolute opinion that if I can’t be myself, which happens to be a smart, opinionated, hard working and creative person, I don’t want to assimilate.
What kinds of positive or negative experiences have you had from using whatever name you choose?
–I’ve had people who barely knew me find my blog per chance and offer me work or compliments for my writing. I’ve also had people criticize my views and writing style. It can be embarrassing, or exciting, but in hindsight none of the “lost” opportunities because of my online image have been too big of a deal. I’m always willing to offer up all my skills and knowledge to help someone if they’re willing to work with me.
I struggled with this same question. I was very nervous to put my full name out there so I went abbreviated for a long time. Now, I have my full name everywhere and finding me is pretty simple. I made the change because I was a student, about to graduate, and looking for employment. The best way for employers to find you? Google your name. At that time I decided it best to clean up my act and sweep away all that digital dirt I had lying around. Now I am very careful about where I put my name and what sites I decide to register for. I have never been hurt by using my full identity that I know of. I actually got the position I have now because I am so familiar with the online social world and because I blog. So there are some ups and some downs. I guess we all just have to weigh them and figure out what is best for us.
I think when I first started blogging in 2005, I went by Browneyedgirlie, which is a nickname I’d been given by an online friend back in college.
Since then, it’s been changed to reflect my teaching career – Miss B, East Coast Teacher and the like.
I would rather not use my real name (though I know you, Sarah, Ulli, and a few others know it) because I like to maintain some anonymity; I’ve posted only a few photos in this time, as well.
Also, I’m a teacher, so I strive to protect my privacy (as well as that of my school/students) as well.
Never had any negative experiences with the name, but, as with many others who blog, have had them with anonymous commenters.
I haven’t posted my name, partly because I don’t want to be google-able. It’s bad enough that there’s a really cheezy story about me and a very ex boyfriend that was in the Boston Globe and now is all over the internet. I don’t want the blog stuff too.
Partly it’s because I’m a foreigner on a visa and should I want citizenship I wouldn’t want it to be easy to find the site where I vent my occasional frustrations with living here. I do share the site with all my friends quite freely, and pretty much everyone I work with knows about it, but should I ever move to a less awesomely tolerant job as where I work, I prefer keeping things slightly under wraps.
I’ve hit something of an anonymity middle ground. I used to attempt to be totally anonymous (not hard with a common name like Amanda), but now I have pictures and a little more details and whatnot. I might consider putting my full name out there, but my husband would violently protest that, because he’s paranoid about things like that and he’s always worried about what people might find on the internet about him, and since I’m wearing his last name these days…there you go. Sticking with Tall Red Amanda.
I’m pretty ambivalent about my web precense. I make no effort to hide my name, and use my full name frequently in blog posts but since my name is so common it doesn’t really make me any more google-able, which I am totally okay with. I just blog, if people read it and know it’s me, great. If not, that’s fine too. I know a bunch of people at work know about it but there’s an equal amount of people who are all “What’s a BLAHG?”. I really just don’t think about who may or may not be reading, which is probably why I havent considered my blog identity that much. The closest I have come to censoring myself is considering maybe making some of my archives private (you know, the ones from the slutty years?). But that’s who I was and this is who I am, so why bother? Did I even answer your questions? Not really. But hey, I wanted to participate!
I have used my full name since I first started blogging in 2002. The only concession I’ve really made is that I don’t name the company where I work or say too much about it at all. This is because I don’t want to ever be accused of directly reflecting badly on my place of business. But other than that, I don’t really censor myself. Pretty much anything that goes on my blog is equally likely to come out of my mouth in just about any company, so I guess it’s not really a big deal to put it online.
I guess if I cared about people finding me or having some kind of weird stalker then I might not have used my real name, but truthfully, it’s pretty hard to hide who or where you are these days. Even if I didn’t have a blog I think if I had a true stalker they could track me down, so what’s the difference?
I have never had a particularly good or bad experience due to the fact that I use my real name, not that I know of anyway.
I use my first name only on my blog. But it’s linked to my Facebook page, which has my real name, so I guess all of those acquaintances from high school know about it. It’s not really a secret, and because my first name is sort of uncommon it wouldn’t be that difficult to find (try googling Eileen blog Boston). Mostly I’m just hiding from my boss and my mom.
Now here’s a question for you…let’s say you go on a date or two with someone. Do you tell them about the blog? Part of me holds back for a while, because it seems weird to be like “hey, now you know everything about MY ENTIRE LIFE, whereas I still know very little about you.”
More…mostly, it’s great having people know that it’s me behind the curtain, because people often email me links and stories that they think I’d like for my blog.
But I forget about the lurkers- the only people who I think read the blog are the ones who occasionally comment, so every once in a while someone will say something that completely catches me by suprise because I had no idea that they knew about mu blog.
One person I did NOT tell, but if you google my name I’m the number one result … And,besides one result for a doctor in Texas, I fill about 2.5 pages in Google. I wasn’t kidding about not being hard to find.
The other person was not someone I was speaking to with a date in mind and was explaining social media in general. That situation was more a problem because once he saw WHAT it is he didn’t get it and it turned more in to it being him not understanding me or what I do. I mean people (in general) don’t have to understand it, but it’s nice if they’re not closed off or afraid about it before they know about it. Especially other than mentioning the fact that dates EXIST, I never write about that part of my personal life! Most readers hadn’t even known I had been dating someone seriously for over two years until we broke up! I’m the same way with friends or family who aren’t comfortable with being written about.
That being said, I didn’t mean for this conversation to focus on dating and here I am still talking about it!
I’m AnnaB. I don’t use my real name on my blog. For a while there, I wasn’t too concerned about my online identity until about 2 jobs ago. When my entire HR dept read my blog and sent it to my boss. I was incredibly close to being fired because I had written I hated my job. So yeah, professionally I am very wary about what I write and who I share my blog URL with.
When I decided to start blogging, I was bored and I wasn’t comfortable using my name. Heck, I finally put a picture of myself on my blog.
I’m not a fan of people googling my name. And unless you know what you are looking for, it’s difficult to google for my blog. So it works for me. It is all about what you feel comfortable with. And this just happens to be my comfort level.
I don’t advertise my name but a few of my online friends know my full name. I also don’t specify where I live and use a lot of pseudonyms, mostly because they are fun! If a future employer googles me and happens across my blog (LJ), I have little to worry about. I do have my facebook set as mostly public for this reason–I want employers to see who I am and what I do. My name is very unusual–no one else has my name! So I am careful about where I let my full name out. It’s not hard to find me.
SUCH a good question. I’m actually going to respond in post form & link to it when I do. Thanks for bringing up this interesting issue, Jenny Frazier! ;)
To be honest, the day job really *frowns* upon us blogging, etc. They stalk our MySpaces, Facebooks, etc. so I go by a nickname I had in high school and that seems to work out fine (well, except the time my mother found my blog but eeehhhh).
I tend to be careful with what I write about the 9to5.
I don’t really worry about what I post using my real whole name because really, if someone googles me (and yes I have googled myself!) I know that I posted what I did for a reason and if they have a problem with that then so be it. I am the same person on-line as I am in the “real world”
I think I’ve used every blogging site available..
Blogspot
Diaryland
MoveableType
Livejournal
Wordpress