Identity not-so-crisis

[afuna]

Follow up to my previous entry on separating my identities

I am:

* transferring all my tech-related mailing lists to the email address under my real name, so that if I feel inclined to delurk, I can do so freely, and without feeling conflicted

* relaxing the separation between identities a bit. I still deliberately avoid linking afuna to my real name, so that the connection is not easily googleable, but I'm also not going to worry too much if I slip up occasionally

* for now, keeping all my Dreamwidth and greasemonkey-related development on afuna, and all other development under my real name. There are some considerations re: opportunities and etc that may make me change my mind, but this seems best until I've made a final decision

I've decided against setting up yet another pseudonym which I would have linked to my real name, but just barely (I used to half-seriously think about setting up another layer of pseudonym to put all my RL accounts under and not hide the link between that pseudonym and my RL identity at all. And that way, I could have my public-facing nick, behind which would be my RL identity, and serving as a buffer against anyone inadvertently poking through multiple layers of identity*, then anything under "afuna" would be doubly separated and very far and away**. I only gave up that idea because names are hard

* I do not think anyone actually cares, but there is the process of making casual connections, etc...

** and that is simpler than my original plan of having a more plausible real-name-type-name behind "afuna" to serve as yet another buffer (Jane Doe! Mary Smith! Candy Fifth Avenue. YOU KNOW). I never actually got around to it, because a bunch of my schoolmates dug out my online identity (And hi you know who you are o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/ o/)

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I only gave up that idea because names are hard

THIS.

*grin*

[starshadow_rivaulx]

*points up*

That's me, by the way. I obviously didn't do something right the first time around.

Blame it on an excess of fresh Tagaytay air.

:)

[niqaeli]

I sympathise so much with this. I'm bad at pseudonymity and when I was Young and Foolish, I didn't make much seperation between this identity and my legal name/meatspace identity. I was fortunate that google never really made the connection, because I have some very good reasons for keeping my fannish creativity away from my legal name.

So now I actually HAVE two journals that are explicitly me under my real life identity. One's my professional journal, the other's personal. And it's kind of annoying to deal with, but it really makes me happy to have those separations in place because it lets me BE a fannish dork under my meatspace identity -- because I am NOT ashamed of fandom and being a fan -- without putting me on the personally defensive about *my* creative works. And it sets the personal dorkery off from my professional writing, which is just good sense I think.

But gosh it gets frustrating to juggle! And sometimes it's wrenchingly difficult to decide whether something should go under this identity or my meatspace identity.

So, all this to say: UGH. NAMES HARD. ME SYMPATHISE. *g*

[afuna]

I hear you on the wrenchingly difficult to decide where to file something under. That is almost as hard as names! (Or maybe part of the difficulty of)