Archive for December, 2009

While it is the sum of all parts that will equate to your complete online identity, your e-mail address is the glue that binds it all together. E-mail is the basic block of correspondence through the blogosphere. You will use your e-mail address as a login, as a place to receive follow up comments, and as a link to your avatar. If you already have an e-mail address that will suit you and your online identity, then that’s great! If not, then here are some options for you to consider:

Image via CrunchBase

• G-Mail – The Google mail service is popular for a number of reasons. Being tied into all your other Google services, being able to import POP3 e-mail accounts, and a pretty agressive spam filter are all marquee items. One of it’s other most notable and popular features is being able to thread the messages by subject. This can be especially helpful when subscribing to comments on blogs notorious for a proliferation of them
• Yahoo! Mail – While Yahoo! does not feature the organization skills of G-Mail, what Yahoo! does offer is the MyBlogLog Community. By getting an e-mail account at Yahoo!, integration and interaction within MyBlogLog becomes a bit easier. One of the true downsides about Yahoo! Mail is the number of e-mail messages you receive from all the other arms of Yahoo!. The frequency fringes on being spam, which is something Yahoo! in general needs to cut down on
• AOL – One of the last original internet gateways standing, AOL Mail continues to try and improve on their mail service. Recent changes, including integrating the AIM List in the sidepanel and unlimited storage, show that AOL is on the move in the right direction… but still has awhile to go before being able to compete with other 2.0 services
• YourName@YourBlogName – If you chose to go self-hosted for your blog, provided your host provides e-mail accounts (which if they don’t, then seriously consider someone else), this is the equivalent to having vanity plates. However, one of the many downsides you may experience is the interface is generally not the prettiest nor greatest for either reading or writing. Mail programs, like ThunderBird, can usually make up for the lack of features, but you won’t be able to use them at just any computer which is why G-Mail is a strong contender. Still… it’s a pretty sweet thing to have

Your online avatar is one of two distinguishing features that you will have in the blogosphere.

The importance of choosing your online avatar has never been more important with the integration of services such as Gravatar, Twitter, and Intense Debate. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing an avatar:

Image via Wikipedia

• You need to keep in mind how anonymous you want to keep your online activity
• Avatars come in different sizes but generally maintain a box shape
• An avatar that is 150px X 150px is accepted on most sites
• Make sure your avatar is clearly recognizable, filling the frame
• Don’t violate someone else’s copyright to an image
• Making your own avatar is always better than using a stock one

Here are a few sites where you can find free avatars for your use if making one is out of the question:

• CoolAvatars.net
• Free-Avatars.com
• 1Avatar.com

Your online name is one of two distinguishing features that you will have in the blogosphere.

The importance of choosing your online name, or handle, is not something you should overlook. Afterall, your parents did not provide you with your given name lightly. There is no reason for you to do so now. Here is a quick checklist when choosing a name:

• You need to keep in mind how anonymous you want to keep your online activity
• Keep your name between 6-10 letters long
• Don’t use spaces or elaborate symbols
• Make it a name that can be called out in public without unnecessary blushing
• Do a Google Search it to make sure someone else hasn’t laid claim to the name

Once you have your online name, it’s time to work on the other distinguishing feature that you will have in the blogosphere.

Your avatar.

The first step of doing anything online should be to create your online identity. This is something that most people usually overlook because they already have some sort of online presence already. When writing a blog you have to ask yourself if what you write is something you would want others who see you face to face to read. While the debates rage on between the blogging as yourself and blogging anonymously camps, there are definite pros and cons to each one that you need to seriously be considered before starting.

Famous or Real Name

Pros
• Offline world acknowledgment of your writing
• Potential renown as an authority on a subject
• Recognition in the local pizzeria

Cons
• There will be criticism in the offline world
• Potential notoriety for an unpopular view on a subject
• It will be easier for people with adverse opinions to recognize you

Infamous or Anonymous

Pros
• There will be no criticism in the offline world
• Any notoriety you may gather is kept out of your offline life
• It will be easier for you to say what you want to say without fear of recognition for having a different opinion from those physically around you

Cons
• Validation as a potential expert will not be obtainable
• There can be no offline world recognition of your writing
• You’ll never get a free slice of pizza for that awesome post on the Benefits of Pepperoni

An Extreme Case

While blogging as yourself can be very rewarding, the cons are very real. There are stories of bloggers exiled from mommy groups because of a difference of opinion. There are cases of bloggers who have lost their jobs because of the content on their “personal” blogs. There is also the extreme case of death threats being made against a blogger for what they wrote on their blog. That last case is extreme, but it brings to question one of blogging’s ethical cornerstones. Transparency.

The influence of a blog is based upon the honesty of the blogger. It is through transparency that a blogger will garner a more trusting and genuinely honest readership. With all of this need for transparency, doesn’t anonymity contradict that?

There are those that will argue yes, that being anonymous makes you untrustworthy and what you have to say should be taken with a grain of salt. These are the cynics. These are the people who believe that every unknown person they pass on the street is an axe murderer. They will dismiss your voice as that of someone who is dishonest and hiding something. They will not be happy unless you provide your full name, address, phone number, social security number, and blood type. Perhaps, you are one of these people. Unfortunately for them, I am not.

I argue that no, being anonymous does not make you anymore untrustworthy than the named blogger. There are very few tangible benefits to blogging anonymously. Bloggers who blog anonymously, and do so passionately, are doing it for the right reasons at heart. That is all that is really necessary for most personal bloggers… and surely it is more than enough for me to trust their blogging. I encourage personal blogger anonymity, if for no other reason than the openness in writing it will empower you with. I encourage it, for transparency.

The Elements of Identity

There are a number of elements to your Online Identity. Here is a brief list of those elements that I will be going more into detail in future posts:

• Online Name – This is half of the basic building block of your identity. Choosing it as wisely as your parents chose your given name is a necessity
• Avatar – This is the other half of the basic building block of your identity. Choosing it is a great responsibility, since neither you nor your parents got to choose what you would look like
• E-Mail – This is usually what everyone already has, and it is not just a portal for you to others but also for others to you. E-Mail is your online pulse
• Gravatar – Using the elements of your E-Mail and your Avatar, the Gravatar is what could become more recognisable than your offline visage
• Twitter – These are the breadcrumbs that you leave behind, as well as throw ahead of you
• Social Networks – The all popular Social Networking sites allow you to build upon your identity and take it to the next level of online interactivity.