I've had many usernames over the years ; be it IRC, HN, Reddit, various boards, trackers, but what I nearly never used was a real name or something that could be linked to me in person.<p>I'm trying to do more under a real identity. It would be nice to make more long lasting connections with people, and maybe build a long lasting identity, and standing by one's own opinions. With a real name.<p>But how to decide what to share under a real name? I can't comment on HN without being wary about it. A comment history of years is so telling about an individual. How do you ever get "comfortable" with having a lot of stuff online that can somehow be linked to the real you? Is it just me, or do other people deal with this as well?<p>Not even asking this under a real name: What if a potential employer/future colleague finds this in the future, and must conclude "this guy is _really_ unsure about himself"? What if it tanks and I just get slashed for asking something silly? The internet doesn't forget, throwaways I can at least throw away, that's what they're there for. But I can never "network" simply moving from one anonymous nick unto the next.<p>Suggestions? Am I justified, or simply paranoid?
I am doing the same journey - even getting a blog under my real name - and it can be unsettling as someone who early on learned that you never ever give away personal information, let alone use your real name, online.<p>Just blogging has eased some of my worries. Once I did the actual work and realize that the real issue that no one cares let alone reads my stuff, I stopped caring so much. Also, it helped to role-play how I would react if people "confronted" me about something I've written (my texts are so tame that it wouldn't be an issue).
I think the worry is totally understandable. A few points:<p>a "stable" identity doesn't have to be based on your real name - plenty deep connections online are between people that do not know their real identities, or only learn them later. Although of course you are right, if you share too much detail it can be possible for people to figure out, and it depends how much you need to worry about that.<p>I find linking across identities awkward: I.e. I can't really refer to a conversation on HN on my blog without linking the two. In a way, lots of throwaways would make that easier, since there wouldn't be as much as a profile linked to.<p>I believe everyone with a larger profile under a real identity or one at risk of being linked should explicitly consider what they are willing to reveal and what remains in other accounts. But it also can be explicit choosing to explicitly talk about things that people could figure out anyways.