There have been a few instances recently that have caused me to ponder this question.  For instance I’ve had a couple of comments on here recently from people I know that have been posted under aliases.  Lets just say the comments weren’t all that helpful.

It’s common on social media now to have everything attached to your real name.  Facebook and LinkedIn for instance are the two most prominent examples, and a whole industry has emerged around the issue of ‘personal branding’, ie ensuring that what appears next to your name in Google represents you in a positive light.

I have to admit that I use both.  On forums related to cycling or Everton for instance I have usernames that I use.  On the CMI site however everything I write is very much associated with me.

That is the pretty clear distinction for me.  You are very much what you say online, so if you’re proud of what you’re saying then attaching it to your real name can be very powerful from a personal branding perspective.  If you’re not so proud of what you’re saying then it begs the question whether you should say it or not.

So if the topic you’re talking about is in any way related to who you are and what you do then you should very much use your real name because it improves your authenticity.

Do you use a username or your real name when communicating online?