Identity separation and combination and whatever

[afuna]

I usually try to separate "afuna" from my real life identity, and it works, but I'm beginning to find it limiting. It's literally stopping me from doing a few things I want to do, either because I'm lazy, or I can't decide which identity to do things under.

I want to join a couple of local user groups, but I have been putting it off because I can't decide whether doing so is work (so RL identity) or play ("afuna") to use. I also want to follow along workmates on twitter and whatever, but no way am I using my current twitter account for that. (And once invites are less scarce, I want to get a wave invite under my RL name, just so that I can connect to workmates as well). And occasionally I wish that I had my code under my RL name, just because it would be nifty on my resume :-) But I don't want to create any more linkage than I already have, because a lot has managed to creep in over the years.

I've set up email accounts under my RL identity, but I have very little activity under them because I'm so busy doing other good stuff to maintain... that kinda hurts my resume I guess? I strongly suspect it does.

So. It's too much work to keep up separate identities, but it's too much risk to combine the two, and I'm back where I started (unable to act on a few of my interests until I decide which of the two I'd rather have them under).

Comments

[jadelennox]

I'm having exactly the same dilemma. Right now I'm thinking about the process of transferring over all of my dreamwidth works to my real name, which is crazy talk, but it's also programming experience which I'd really like to have associated with my real name. Except historically none of it has been! I have no objection to any reasonable number of individuals knowing the connection between the two online identities but I don't ever want to be known by an amorphous mass, you know?

[afuna]

Yes, this.

FWIW, I've heard that for interviews and resumes, they won't need to know (or care to know) your actual username. I haven't tried, but it's one thing I've heard from people who have used their experience from volunteering (in LJ, anyway) to help them get jobs.

[jadelennox]

True. But I've searched for the code of job candidates myself, and I'd like my own to be available. And I'm starting to feel like out there in the world what I have to say about code+women, code+disability, etc would be more respected if it had my real name attached.

Sigh.

[afuna]

Hmm, you're right, and that's one of the biggest things I regret about keeping my two identities so separate. And I have to prove myself twice over, even though I only have half the time to dedicate to everything I'm doing.