Clamouring to become visible...

This is adapted from an article that appeared on the Write Anything website on March 16, 2008. The original text can be found here.

Hello Real Job, welcome to my writing…

In February and March, Janie provided invaluable advice on protecting your online reputation, and the fourth entry touched on pseudonyms and pen-names.

If things had worked out differently, you would not have been reading an article by "Paul Anderson" today. If life had turned out as I had originally planned, then you would need to visit the law section of your local library to find anything by "Paul Anderson", and right now you would be looking at a website called tonymcbeth.org.uk.

"Tony McBeth" was the pseudonym I picked for myself, the name under which I planned to have a second career, in addition to my academic career. A pen name would have insulated me from other people's opinions about my writing. The work of "Paul", an academic interested in war crimes, terrorism and human rights, would never have been judged in the light of the work of "Tony", a writer with an, at times, unhealthy interest in mayhem, murder and supernatural chaos.

Now of course I don't really care. I am me, and I have got over my reticent attitude to my writing. My mother and godmother (hello mum, hello Auntie Eileen!) read my blog and listen to my podcast, so I think I've got past any notion of fear and embarrassment.

Except in one area, where a pseudonym might have come in handy. And it is an area which Janie has also previously mentioned in her articles about preserving your online reputation. Employment.

I don't earn any money from writing (oh, I wish I did...). So I have a Real Job. I am careful not to write about my real job on my blogs. I believe I've mentioned that I work with lawyers, but beyond that, I don't name the firm, where we are based, the areas of law we practice in, or the people at the firm, and especially not the clients. Neither my personal blog nor my writing blog deal with my Real Job.

However, until very recently nobody at my Real Job knows that I write. Or that I blog. But they do now, thanks to the wonders of modern technology. Firstly, I'm a pretty high hit on Google when searching for my name. I usually get at least two entries in the top ten, and often I'm the number one spot. So if anybody idly Googles me, there I am.

Secondly, I recently became "friends" on Facebook with people that I work with. I have never previously had anyone in my friends list from a current job, for the obvious reason that my Facebook page reveals a lot about me. Janie's articles discuss the pros and cons of how your external activities can impact upon your life in the workplace and how they may be viewed.

So now I am friends with colleagues. Who are friends with other colleagues. My blog entries automatically upload to Facebook. My Twitter updates appear on my Facebook status. At some point, the people I work with will find out about my other life. A pen name might have prevented that, but only if I had so wholly split my writing and non-writing life in two that the "Paul" part of my life refused to acknowledge the "Tony" part. And I don’t actually see the point in that.

The people I work with know that what I do is not what I had planned to do in life. They are aware that my plans have now changed. They may not know what those plans have changed to (yet) but they know that I am working on "other ideas". I am proud of what I write, I am proud of my opinions. Should I feel awkward sitting in meetings with people who may have recently read about Gideon and Maria's burgeoning love affair? No more so than I should feel awkward about them knowing which sporting teams I follow, or what I did over the weekend (common enough office conversation topics, no matter where you work).

Once upon a time I had good reason to separate a writing life from my real life. Now my writing life and my real life are the same thing. So no need for pseudonyms. No need to hide what I do. If you work with me, then welcome. I’ll see you in the office on Monday.

Have you hidden your light under a bushel? Or do you fully integrate your writing life with your "other" life?

Would you be comfortable with everyone knowing that you write, or are there people you would prefer to keep that a secret from?