I was having a conversation with my friends when one of my friend’s phone rang. His mother was calling, and I overheard their conversation (unintentionally).
His mother said, “Oh, your friend is a blogger.”
My friend laughed and said yes.
I have never revealed my website to anyone in my personal life and never shared my written posts on platforms aside from Medium and Hive.
It was an awkward situation for me, knowing that I was not entirely confident in my writing.
Imposter syndrome always hits me in these kinds of situations. I fear that people I know personally might laugh at my work and judge me for writing and expressing my opinions.
Writing under your real name sounds like a good idea.
All the credit is under your name — the pride and the credibility you build.
You gain everything when you write non-anonymously.
I was happy when my friends told me they see me as a good example of a “hustler” in life — a student trying to earn money while studying.
Related posts:
- How To Manage Your Money As A Student
- How I Started My Side Hustle as a Student
- My Financial Situation as a Student: Investment, Crypto-Earnings, and Business
I was excited about the idea of writing my name as the author of my first short e-book.
I love the idea of building my online presence, hoping it will help me land freelance jobs.
However, following this path can lead to mistakes when everything suddenly backfires.
Imagine you go to a party and are having fun with friends and colleagues. Suddenly, one of your conservative friends, who read your post about “Using a Condom Will Save Your Life,” starts talking about it and disagrees with some of your points.
Some people are still conservative and think of such topics as taboo; hence, you cannot openly discuss them with everyone.
Imagine how awkward that would be.
Sometimes, there are topics I want to discuss, opinions I want to express, and ideas I want to share.
However, my situation makes me hesitant to write and post them because people who know me personally might disagree and judge me when they read them.
There are also times when, before hitting the publish button, I have second thoughts: “What if my friend reads this?” This fear lowers your confidence as a writer.
Writing non-anonymously can also cause anxiety regarding online security
Last week, I received an email about my website. The sender claimed I might face trademark issues if they used my domain name with a different extension.
They suggested I buy those domain names to avoid issues and fully own my domain.
At first, I was afraid this could affect me legally. Then I realized it was just a scam hiding to drain my wallet.
Another event was when someone I didn’t know sent me private messages on my personal Facebook Messenger account, which I found uncomfortable.
Experiences like these make me question whether writing non-anonymously is worth it, especially since I haven’t yet landed a client through my website, which was my initial goal when I launched my website.
Why anonymity might have been better
Imagine if you write anonymously. You could write about anything without anxiety.
You could freely discuss viral and worthwhile topics without worrying that people might judge or criticize your work.
You wouldn’t have to overthink or fear mistakes (which you can correct later).
Sometimes, I want to write about controversial topics like religion and politics, but revealing my identity on the internet limits me.
Who am I to write about taboo topics if I’m afraid of criticism?
In hindsight, writing non-anonymously has taught me to be confident in my work and careful with my words before hitting the publish button.
Writing anonymously versus non-anonymously has its own pros and cons.
Consider this situation: Some anonymous writers post anything they want, chasing trends in hopes of going viral. Sometimes, this behavior prioritizes monetization over sharing factual, informative articles. This can contribute to the spread of fake news, one of the internet’s toxic problems.
By showing yourself online, you build credibility, which can be beneficial in the long term, especially if you’re looking for jobs or gigs.
I sometimes attach my website to job applications as a portfolio to showcase my work.
While I have regrets about the non-anonymous setup of my writing career, I know there are more opportunities ahead. The discomfort is just part of the process, and now I’ve learned how to overcome it.
Whether you write anonymously or not, remember that your work can educate and inform others.
You have the power to express your ideas — all you need is the right platform to share them.