Someone Tell Me It's Ok To Use Pen Names...

11 years ago

Dear Adam,

It is OK to use pen names.

Yours faithfully,
Bic

P.S. Seriously, it's not a problem.

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paulie888

11 years ago

It is just fine to use pen names. One of the biggest guys in IM, Eben Pagan still uses a pen name to this day for his Double Your Dating Brand (he uses the name David DeAngelo), so I see absolutely nothing wrong with using pen names especially if you're in various different niches.

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jacktackett

11 years ago

Adam,
nothing illegal in using pen names - though you do need to maintain some sort of contact information that a real person answers for legal reasons, like the CAN SPAM act. But it can be a company name.

As for writing, using a pen name is a long tradition and well respected. I know a lot of writers/marketers use their real name for their primary niche that they want to be known for - and use pen names for other niches.

IANAL, but I'd say go for it.

--Jack

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pista05

11 years ago

Yea for some articles you have example

if your talking about enlargement for men you dont want the article to be written by a womans name do you lol?

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JayXtreme

11 years ago

It's perfectly normal to use pen names

Writers in real print have done it for decades, some of the most successful writers have used pen names to publish their works.

Many, many successful female publishers have used pen names exclusively..

Anne, Charlotte and Emily Brontë all used pen names successfully to publish.

A few others of note, too:

Charles Dickens
Benjamin Franklin
Cecil Smith
Georges Remi
Joanne Rowling of Harry Potter fame (Not strictly a pen name, but she added a K as her middle initial, when she doesn't have a middle name)

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discrat 11 years ago

Originally Posted by JayXtreme

Writers in real print have done it for decades, some of the most successful writers have used pen names to publish their works.

Actually for centuries if not more !!
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sbucciarel

Banned 11 years ago

Don't see anything particularly wrong with it as long as it's not being used as an excuse to hide from customers and not deliver whatever is promised.

I use my real name, but that's just me.

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Taylor French

11 years ago

Stephen King wrote 7 books under the name Richard Bachman.

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excoder01

11 years ago

Actors/Actresses use "pen" names.

The best selling authors use pen names.

Top IM gurus have use pen names.

Pen names can be good for new IMers - since they might have a unique name and fear their employer might see their name appear on various "questionable" articles and "work at home" forums. Thus, a privacy reason.

Pen names can be good for promoting among diverse niches (being single, being married, being fat, being skinny, etc).

Pen names can be use if you're a newbie. Once you make a lot money, you can then brand yourself as a real Internet Marketer by using your real name. You want to establish credibility with a real name and test stuff using pen names.

Some marketers use like 100 pen names for different niches - and there's nothing wrong with that.

As long as you don't use pen names to promote fraud or scam people, that's fine.

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wilsonusman

11 years ago

It is OK to use pen names.

I use them on my niche sites.

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Lloyd Buchinski

11 years ago

Michael Green runs the 'How To' IM forum and he seems to think it is ok. I forget his real name but he's a British member of parliament. I've also read a couple of times that he is completely open about it.

If he is introduced to someone as Michael Green he will mention that it is just an online pen name, and his real name is... (whatever the heck it is).

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CDarklock

11 years ago

The UK and the US are pretty much the most permissive countries on the planet when it comes to establishing and protecting your right to use whatever name, and however many names, you like. In general, if what you're doing would be legal with a court-ordered name change, it's almost certainly legal without one too.

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Alexa Smith Banned 11 years ago

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- Steven Wagenheim 11 years ago
  
  No...you may NOT use a pen name Adam.
  
  In fact, I'm not even sure I want you using YOUR name.
  
  I mean what kind of a name is Adam Carn anyway? Sounds like a sleazy
  detective novel writer to me.
  
  Adam Carn...two bit dick.
  
  Hey, I just might use that as a name for my next novel that I'll be writing
  under the name Hugo Screwyourself.
  
  *NOTE* For those of the humor bereft, the above was all in fun and totally
  not meant to be serious.
  
  Adam, use whatever name you want. Just don't call yourself a dick.
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  DogScout 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim
  
  Adam, use whatever name you want. Just don't call yourself a dick.
  
  What is his real name is Richard?:confused:
  
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- Kay King 11 years ago
  
  Some of the people I know say I should use my real name for everything.
  
  Get new people
  
  It's especially useful if you work in multiple niches. Easier to gain authority status if everything you do in the niche can be identified with that one (pen) name.
  
  If I see someone on an article directory who writes exclusively on one topic or in one niche...I think "expert". When I see a writer who uses only his own name and writes about gardens and debt and cats and tuning an engine...I think "niche marketer".
  
  kay
  
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  I'm going to work on being less condescending
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  JohnMcCabe 11 years ago
  
  Like Kay said, you need new people. There are times I will use more than one pen name.
  
  Respectfully,
  
  Parker Montblanc Waterman
  
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Orator

11 years ago

You have permission.

There is nothing ethically objectionable to using a pen name. I didn't even know that David and Eban were the same guy.

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sarahberra

11 years ago

Yes of course it's okay to use pen names. There is nothing wrong with this. Just try not to use too many or you might get confused.

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Caiden

11 years ago

Dude I have loads of pen names floating around the interweb. Its OK!

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wpiercy

11 years ago

I say No, 1. the FTC will have something to say about it. 2. It is misrepresentation, and in this forum we all know that is Bad. 3. In Affiliate Marketing you are suppose to make it as easy as possible for consumers and authorities to find you. 4. If you are not consistently using your real name, then you will not gain your fame.... like ShoeMoney....

Steve said "two bit dick"

just sayn'

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JohnMcCabe

11 years ago

Originally Posted by wpiercy

I say No, 1. the FTC will have something to say about it. 2. It is misrepresentation, and in this forum we all know that is Bad. 3. In Affiliate Marketing you are suppose to make it as easy as possible for consumers and authorities to find you. 4. If you are not consistently using your real name, then you will not gain your fame.... like ShoeMoney....

Steve said "two bit dick"

just sayn'

1. The FTC is only a concern if you are deliberately trying to deceive people, and that deception is material to a consumer's decision. In the case of article or affiliate marketing, use of a pen name likely fails the second part of that test.

2. As was mentioned earlier, if you misrepresent your qualifications (like calling yourself a doctor or lawyer and you are not), that is bad. If the act of using a different name were bad, most of the members of this forum wouldn't be here, as they post under pen names or assorted flavors of screen names.

3. Huh? Where did you pick up that notion?

4. This is the closest thing you offered to a true statement. Even here, it's definitely possible for the pen name to achieve a certain level of notoriety.

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excoder01

11 years ago

Originally Posted by wpiercy

I say No, 1. the FTC will have something to say about it. 2. It is misrepresentation, and in this forum we all know that is Bad. 3. In Affiliate Marketing you are suppose to make it as easy as possible for consumers and authorities to find you. 4. If you are not consistently using your real name, then you will not gain your fame.... like ShoeMoney....

Steve said "two bit dick"

just sayn'

I kind of disagree.

1) The same can be said of using chat screen names. You can still provide something ethical and honest by using pen names. What about blog posts with the "admin" name? The FTC is about false representation of a product that scam others.

2) Many people use PLR products from diverse niches - and use different pen names. Now, it's not wrong to use PLR product and put your name on it, even though you did not write the content yourself. The same could be said of hiring freelance writers to write your articles, but why are using your own name if you didn't write it yourself?

3) It depends what niche you're an expert in. You can establish yourself as an authority in a niche you have keen knowledge of. But if you want to test different markets, you can use pen names.

4) As for Shoemoney -- he might have use different pen names for different market niches, but when it comes to the Internet Marketing niche, that's where he uses his real name. He's established as an expert in the IM niche by using his real name. Pen names for different niches, real name for the IM niche. And not everyone wants fame. I know I don't.

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Adam Carn

11 years ago

Hey thanks everyone, that makes me feel much better lol. Definitely not trying to deceive anyone, just think it's better to have a different pen name per niche. Sometimes I use one pen name for more than one niche if it's related.

And Adam Carn is a pen name too (arghhhhh).

Nice of you all to pop in and comfort me.

Thanks,
Adam

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excoder01

11 years ago

Just keep a spreadsheet of the pen names and the niche markets they belong to. I do that for most of my article marketing. That is, if you have several of them floating around.

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seoweb2000

11 years ago

Perfectly legal, David Deangelo is a pen name in the dating niche for a big internet marketer. I think J. Reese, but not 100% sure. He does really well, so you have nothing to worry about.

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excoder01

11 years ago

Originally Posted by seoweb2000

Perfectly legal, David Deangelo is a pen name in the dating niche for a big internet marketer. I think J. Reese, but not 100% sure. He does really well, so you have nothing to worry about.

Ya, even Ewen Chia is somewhat of a pen name (if you've seen screenshots of his checks) - the world's #1 super affiliate back then.

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Jeff Henshaw

11 years ago

If I see someone on an article directory who writes exclusively on one topic or in one niche...I think "expert". When I see a writer who uses only his own name and writes about gardens and debt and cats and tuning an engine...I think "niche marketer".

Kay sums it up. If you write in one or two niches then you can use your own or a chosen name. If you write in many niches, then keeping that name can make you look like a 'jack of all trades' and 'master of none'. So plan wisely.

In the UK, and many other countries, you can name your self just about anything that you like. In some countries and cultures, the naming process can be very complex indeed and certainly most confusing to a simple man from the UK like me, believe it!

Just my thoughts,
Jeff.

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Benjamin Ehinger

11 years ago

This is how I do things....I love golf and article marketing so I use my real name for those two niches, but everything else I use pen names....it is easier to track and nobody knows that they are fake people.

Benjamin Ehinger

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jhornung

11 years ago

Adam,

I understand your moral conflict over using a pen name. On the one hand, how can you be an expert in every niche and on the other you want to be ethical in your marketing. So really it boils down to whether in using the pen name you are in fact lying to your prospect in order to sell a product or not...

I personally use pen names because I'm in many markets and do article marketing to drive traffic. As long as the information I'm dispensing to people is true and accurate, I can sleep well at night with pen names.

Just my 2 cents.

Jason

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skymarketer

11 years ago

I say, use pen names!

Just don't do stupid or 'clever' ones that incorporate elements of your niche into your pen name. Keep the names real.

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Nail Yener

11 years ago

Even the offline authors use pen names time to time. And, such sites(i.e. article directories) wouldn't let you have pen names if it weren't ok.

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theory expert

Banned 11 years ago

There is a big name marketer who I wont name who uses a pen name in this niche. If I mentioned what he is known for you would know his name(his pen name that is).

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wpiercy

11 years ago

JohnMcCabe

Re read that post I made but try not being so serious. There were 20 posts before mine saying it was okay, and no one playing devils advocate. It is obvious that it is okay for the pen name to be used. I was trying..... apparently Unsuccessfully......to be funny.

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JohnMcCabe

11 years ago

Originally Posted by wpiercy

JohnMcCabe

Re read that post I made but try not being so serious. There were 20 posts before mine saying it was okay, and no one playing devils advocate. It is obvious that it is okay for the pen name to be used. I was trying..... apparently Unsuccessfully......to be funny.

Fair enough...

One of the risks of text-based humor - you lose the voice inflections and such between putting the joke over and missing the mark.

This time through, I did get the Beavis and Butthead reference...

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Mac Deyak

11 years ago

Yea there are no problems as long as you're not doing any fishy stuff... Plus always remember that your name is essentially your brand, so it is in your interest to choose a pen name and stick with it...
and as everyone said, big names in IM and in history have used them, here are 'big-name gurus' who have pen names and consistently use them [some to this day]

Frank Kern - I know he uses 2 other names other than his own
Eben Pagan - David D

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Michael Oksa

11 years ago

One of the benefits of a pen name is that it can remove certain psychological barriers to writing.

Let's say you don't consider yourself an expert on tree removal, but can write articles that are good enough to get clicks to an awesome tree removal affiliate product. When you attach your name to it, you start doubting your ability to share information - even if it's well-researched. Granted, this may all happen at the subconscious level.

One of the problems with pen names is that they ten to sound made up (at least to the person making them up). A while back I found a neat little tool that solved that problem for me.

Random Name Generator

It's based on US census data and you can set a few parameters for how common the name is, as well as gender.

All the best,
Michael

Or, is it...

Raymond Hallmark, Jason Canty, or Juan Darras?

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Thaddaeus T. Hogg

11 years ago

Nope... nosir... not alright to be usin pen names. Folks oughta only be a usin their real God-given names! I was always a figgerin that if folks used a pen name that they was tryin to hide somethin!

Now Penelope has a pen name! It is called the Ponderosa and it is where she is a livin!

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Nahm D. Plume

11 years ago

Adam,

As others have said the use of a nom de plume or pseudonym is perfectly acceptable in the literary and creative arenas.

With the proviso, of course, that such is not used with intent to defraud.

Even here on the estimable WF rumors abound that some long time members are using names they were not either given at birth or later legally acquired.

Although I personally would never sink to such lows I can understand how some would do almost anything to keep their friends and families from discovering what they really do for a living.

Respectfully,

NDP

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Steve Sieloff 11 years ago

Don't worry about Pen Names. I use them all the time.

In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone here has read some
of my books such as:

Yellow River by I.P. Daily
40yards to the Outhouse by Willie Maykit
Brown Shorts by Betty Dont
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esterdsl

Banned 11 years ago

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oneplusone 11 years ago

It depends on the situation, pen names are a tool like any other marketing tactic.

If it will increase the conversion rate and profits, you do it. If not don't.

As long as you are selling genuine products which benefit people, sell under A, B, C or D - who cares.

Who is the BIGGEST pop star in the world right now?

A: Lady Gaga (Real name: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta)
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thebitbotdotcom

11 years ago

What about your website as a pen name?

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Marke Juster

11 years ago

hi ,It is just fine to use pen name .

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GarryMSayer

11 years ago

I use different pen names in different niches for my InfoProduct business.

Primarily I made this decision to protect myself for when I used my real name in the IM niche. I didn't want other IMers diving into my niche and swiping some of my profits away. Profits that took a lot of research, time and commitment ... not to mention the blood, sweat and tears!

With that said I've built relationships and syndicates with my competitors in these niches, but ironically enough, they don't know my real name and I don't know there's ...but it works.

So yeah, I fully endorse using pen names in niches, if only to protect your business.

Garry.

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HorseStall

11 years ago

There is nothing wrong with pen names it helps establish expertise in niches.

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Harold Lindsey

11 years ago

Oh yeah, writers use pen names all the time. I've just published a book on Amazon using a pen name so I can flip the book later to someone else.

Horror & Thriller author Steven King, uses the pen "Richard Bachman" in some his work. Sometimes people do this for privacy purposes. It is completely legal and ethical.

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IMStudentforlife 11 years ago

According to EZA they would prefer you using pen names rather than creating multiple accounts.

So I am guessing that would be for the whole lot of Article sites. From the ones I have seen they allow this.
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