Do you use your real name for your internet marketing business.

Well before I had the sex change I was call Harold....

No seriously, only you can do what's right for you. In your instance of having a full time job I would say yes go for an alias if it makes you feel comfortable.

I'm working with a client now who has an alias because of this one reason and they are comfortable with that and the way their site is styled makes it obvious it's not their real name anyway. It has worked in their specific niche before.

I think you may be over thinking a little as you say but that's cool. We all do at some point I think. I know I have on some things.

Vanessa (formally Harold :p)

It's just like being a book author, you can choose to your real name or go with an alias. Really it comes down to preference. Are you looking for fame and want to be recognized? If so, use your real name, if you want to stay incognito and just make money, use an alias.

If you are on the internet marketing something there are many ways ppl can look up real names of internet marketers. Yes, I understand where you are coming from with this whole alias thing. I too love and need my privacy on a regular basis.

If you are marketing articles, it's ok to pick any pen name. Heck, you can go with an alias, as no one has to know your real name. How about privatizing your domain registration. How cool would that be to shield your name from snoops!

Real name all the time. It's not a catchy made up name but it's mine. I feel for a student with an obvious fake name on my messenger. What I see is a frightened paranoyed person or ashamed of his real name and weak, or to the limit uses fake names to hide criminal activities.

Whatever it is, that's his problem. I use my real name everywhere anytime.

Bernard St-Pierre and proud of my name...

Pen names.

I just find it easier to write in a niche, and really get involved in it, if I assign a pen name to it.

Really feeling and knowing the niche is important to me, so I create a pen name for each.

I've been thinking a lot about this too, recently. I'm from Germany and my name is rather hard to pronounce or memorize for a native speaker of English, I think. So I'm just thinking about getting an easier name for marketing purposes. However, German laws force me to put up my real name in the "Contact me" section of web pages I'm creating, etc. which wouldn't make this approach very consistent. So I'm in a real dilemma here.

Probably I will just go with my real name, as it's easier :-) Next question I'm thinking about is the pronunciation. When I'll be doing a webinar or a video I might have to say my name, e.g. "Hey, John Doe here, welcome bla bla..." When I'm pronouncing my name as it is really pronounced native speakers of English probably have a hard time reproducing the sounds. However, it is also weird to 'mispronounce' my real name I'll just have to come to a conclusion, I guess.

I use an alias...and yes I dont want people searching for my name in the phone directory! My name was googled multiple times before and they kept on calling me by ,y real name whenever they mail me which seems so so personal and yet the mail does not concern business at all. Use an alias to keep your private life separate from your marketing venture.

Andrea

I use my real name but after reading some of the points above I'm starting to wondering if I should

just focus on making your business good - think of all teh main businesses that have silly names

even microsoft is wierd -- and apple - wtf ?

and peoples names too do not really matter ---- keep in m ind if you have a really good business peopel will still buy from you -- ie apple or asus - silly names big sales -

OR Actors alot of actors have v wired names - like dreyfuss - or others cant think of right now ya get the pictur though -

Of course, what have you got to hide? Me? Nothing. I'm an open book. Look me up.

If your in this to make money, use your real name. While sure, people like Kelly Felix (The Rich Jerk) stayed in the shadows and made millions, even he realized you gotta come out eventually.

I don't plan on sticking to IM for forever, gotta move on to larger and better things in the future. With a alias or pen name, that's not so easy to do...

But I do understand peoples urge for privacy, although I personally enjoy shouting my name around. Makes me feel special

It all depends on your preference and aim, if you are aiming at being famous, you can use your name, but if you intend to be remembered as an authority in your chosen field, I think you can go with whatever name you are comfortable with.

Using a fake name didn't do Eben Pagan (David DeAngelo) any harm.

I use my real name only on social networks and article directories.

I'm using my real name.. You have a points there but I think it's easier to build stronger trust with total honest.

I don't do internet marketing business so I don't know whether I should answer this question.

I use the name that my parents and people around me have been calling me since I knew I'm a human being.

Is it real? My parents know better than I do.

I prefer to use my real name, but I don't think it really matters.

In the end I think people are looking for value not what the persons name is - LOL

Thank you for articulating what I believe is such an important and completely underrated issue for IM'ers and anyone who is thinking of having an active public face. I have been laying the groundwork for years now for doing some things online and I have to admit---this has been a definitely-inhibiting issue. It's one of those things that really should be done right.

The people who have replied so far have been extremely helpful in my developing a view and strategy for all of this. I hope this thread stays extremely active and useful. Hopefully I will have something substantial to add at some point. One thing I am thinking of---there is a legal expert who promotes his service on WF---I don't remember his name offhand--who I would love to weigh in on this subject.

I'm cool with pen names at this point although I might pick a niche or product to use my real name (or legal variation). Let's just say for instance that your real name is John Kenneth Rowling. You decide to go by the catchy name "JK Rowling" which still allows you to accept payments in your name but which also gives you a certain anonymity (JK Rowling can obviously refer to lots of different people ) I'm just having a little fun using this as an example but the principle could apply to virtually anyone who doesn't have an extremely rare last name. Even "J. Smith" is at least ever so slightly safer than "John Smith" even though it would probably be everyone's first guess.

I personally use my real name. If you use a fake name, are you going to use a fake picture too? Where will the fakeness end?
I think people that use fake names plan on ripping people off.
I understand there are times when people will use a "pen name" or a "stage name" but why hide? Just my opinion.

I Prefer to use aliases for personal security reasons.... As a matter of fact I use nicknames related to my niche....

I use my real name always, for me it works as a writer.
But in your case you may feel more comfortable with an alias.

I use my own name on a couple of sites but Pen Names on certain niches. You can't appear to know about every subject so the pen names preserve the credibility of my real name.

I use my real name in the internet marketing niche. However, I generally create a pen name for each of the other niches I'm in. I started using pen names when a "stalker" in one of my niches starting sending things to my personal home.

Won't people be able to see that it's the same person?

I used pen name all the time so that people will remember my name easier!

I used to until someone told me to use an alias for personal security reasons.

I'm using an alias, besides I use some pen names and for my personal security and for myself...I'm writing articles on various themes and every theme has its own author )))

Nope, I used my alias instead. Anyways thanks for sharing.

I don't use a pen name -- this is my real name, it's a common one so it's not like I'm THE Eben Pagan, for example.

My philosophy is one of having real transparency; I see my business and online ventures as part of who I am and don't need to hide any part of my life from the other parts. So, my personal FB page has clients/customers/affiliates on as well as real life friends and relatives.

*I'm comfortable with this*

(I'm also in a fortunate position of having been self-employed since I was 21, so I don't have any employers or colleagues looking over my shoulder checking what I'm up to.. I totally understand how those people who are doing this part-time around a job wouldn't want to get caught out.)

I don't really care whether someone is using a Pen Name or not, but I wouldn't like to think I was being lied to about other things (an imagined family or home situation used as back story etc). I know of one very successful EZA author working within a female niche who goes by a female identity but is very definitely all man - that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Katie

In my own opinion it's very important to use your real name so that your clients or buyers will really trust you and that is one of the requirements to establish rapport to client.

I always use my real name. I have nothing to hidden and it's a part of name branding.

Yes i use my real name. I just think it's up to you whether you want to put your real name or not.

I use my real name... but it wasn't always my real name.

For the first decade or so that I was online, it was just an unofficial alias. Then I registered it as a legal DBA, so I could legitimately use it in business. And about fifteen years later, I went and got the legal name change.

You have every right to use whatever name you like online. It doesn't make you paranoid. It doesn't make you a criminal. But unfortunately, Bernard's prejudice about "fake" names is pervasive - especially in the banking industry. Only freaks and criminals have aliases. So using an alias, while perfectly legitimate, will often carry some stigma along with it... and you may want to give some serious thought to whether your business can live with that.

Mostly.

Although i have sites specific to women's issues where i use a female handle in articles.

As for the silly German law..i dont care (anymore) since i moved to southern spain, furthermore i dont waste my time trying to market to Germans since this market is extremely difficult.

The main problem here is actually that IF you dont have a proper site containing your name/address/phone etc. ...there is lawyers who do nothing else than scouring the web and looking for sites where those elements are missing. BIG fees for anyone who DARES not to have his full name/address on a site.

Its ironic since otherwise Germans are EXTREMELY paranoid when it comes to privacy.

I use my real name for business purposes. My personal information, such as a home telephone number and address, are not listed in my local telephone directory. I try to maintain a high level of personal privacy whenever possible, such as not revealing my Social Insurance Number. When it comes to business, however, it is easier to use my real name. There are enough bases to cover properly without adding this issue to the mix.

Privacy is somewhat a personal and personal matters requires for consideration for personal gain....as for me....I always consider the welfare of my privacy, as I value it so much, and the impact it will bring on my business.....so personal matters I maintain my provacy but for business matters, I am as transparent as a glass....

Do not use your real name. There is no benefit. I have been running successful websites and magazines for a long time, and there are a lot of mentally unstable and just plain weird people out there. If you become big, you will have people looking you up and wanting to communicate with you for all sorts of inappropriate reasons. If you intend to stay small and local, then sure, use your real name.

i´d also say - use your real name. in the end you want to maybe do real business with real people. the internet is so anonymous, imagine you build up a good amount of followers and all of a sudden people realize for what reason ever that you are not who you said you are. i know i would immediately run away.

To me real names becomes relevant depending on what you want to market, your product or yourself... but that's just me...

Sarah is real, Russell isn't - I started out with a pen name because my maiden name is ridiculously complicated and very unique, which would have made it very easy to track me down in real life (more of a concern when I was first getting started than it is now).

But now I like it and it isn't worth the effort to change it. Although with my married name, it is a little mroe confusing to have three distinct identities

Nope.

And considering some of the comments I've gotten on my Youtube vids (some of which promote products I'm selling or link to sites I own) I'm perfectly happy with that choice. Lots of attention-hungry wackos out there.

In my line of work (b2b software) i have no choice but to use my real name. I end up meeting clients on the phone and or in person....I'd have to have fake business cards and so on. however, outside of my main niche, i may start adopting an alias after reading this thread!

never. Unless I decide to brand myself as a "guru", then it's a different story.

When I first started in Internet Marketing, I used pizzatherapy. It is my main website, and I thought it was good for branding.
I use my own name more and more now.

But the pizzatherapy branding has kind of taken on a life of its own.

So I use both...

I use my own name for my writing business. I try to emphasize that I do my own writing and never outsource, etc. So it seemed important to build a reputation with my real name.

However, when I write my novel of adult erotica I'll probably use a pen name. (If only I had the time and imagination!)
rose

Seems to be a topical debate elsewhere at the moment as speculation rises about facebook entering the blog commenting game very very soon apparently. FB say you have to use your real name, but will they try and enforce that when commenting?

There are many many reasons why a lot of folk won't use their real name when generally doing IM. For starters, 'Link Anchors' are more powerful when using your niche keyowrds as opposed to your name. Secondly, there are people in every nook and cranny who would love to know who in reality their niche competitors are. Not everybody for the friendly reason of sending a sporting birthday card. Thirdly, you touched upon employment.. How many budding IM 'ers are actually working from their PC at work during lunchtime, slack time or even while they are supposed to be working! It wouldn't take long in some circumstances for some brain ache in the IT department trolling through server logs looking for errors to see real names popping up visiting sites that are obviously not work related. Then of course there is the very real, albeit slight possibility that you might just upset somebody enough for them to really want to find you. From a 'name' the privacy hacking search engines and data gatherers (you already know who is the biggest), will be able to stick a name on your house in some underground version of street view. Or of course, just like Google accidentally gathered people wireless data and a whole bunch of passwords while gathering data for streetview in the UK, perhaps a different accident will reveal your name, on your house, on some public map along with details of your websites. Fine if that's what you want. No good if its not.

Annonymity is not just a right, it's an obvious necessity of dealing across the worldwide web where not everybody is who they say they are. For example,, from My username here, can you tell if I'm male or female, black or white, young, old, ugly,,? You get my drift. For the purposes of this forum I might want to be,,, 67 years old, bald, fat, wheezing consistently, eyes glazed with constant muck, hair growing from my nose and ears and a rather rank smell eminating consistently from my backside. Not a pretty picture, but perhaps better for me than, young tart with pert tits and long blonde hair. Granted being the young tart would probably get more business.

When you drive down the high street of your town. You don't see the 'owners honest credentials' plastered all over the shops and restaurants. you see what the owners 'want' you to see. The internet is not much different when it comes to how people 'perceive' your business or even your self.

Even if people like facebook 'try' to make people use their real names, there will always be a work around until the day all computers have biometric scanners locking folk into their identity. That day, I hope, will never happen.

One more thing... Many of us represent many different interests. Some of us have clients, some have lots of niches products, some have multiple businesses, some usernames are shared among groups of people or might represent a business. It's always good business sense to represent your immediate agenda with a username, persona, skill set that matches what you are looking to achieve if indeed you want to others to read into that. On the otherhand, if you just want to stay secret, quiet, humble, you can always stick up a nice cuddly avatar and have a cute username that people automatically dismiss in from their mind as 'not important'. it's your call...

If you think you need to remain anonymous for future employment then by all means go with an alias. But I also think that if you are serious about being successful with "Internet Marketing" you should focus on that and maybe you wouldn't have to worry about another job.

Unless you have something to hide, I don't see why you couldn't use your own name.

I use my real name for most marketing, however someimes I like to not disclose my age so people have a sense of security. I will however, reveal my age when asked about it. I make sure the only information I give out is -

Name: James Paterson
Picture
Country: UK

I use my real name for anything Internet Marketing related and then a pen name for all the other niches I am in.

I think it can confuse people if they see your name as a make money online, tomato growing, party planning, dog training expert.... but that's just me!

I don't use my first name neither do I use an alias. I use my middle with my last name, I don't know why but I just feel more comfortable with using it and yes I do love my first name.

I would suggest you use your real name for credibility. If a prospect finds out you are using a fake name they will run as fast as they can and never trust you again. Online reputation is extremely important and if something like this shows up on the web about you it will be very hard to recover.

When I first started online I felt really shy and uncomfortable about using my real name. I was concerned about drawing attention to myself, security issues and besides it wasn't the easiest to pronounce. I actually changed my name (legally) about 18 mths ago and since then I've used my real name. I decided if I was going 'brand myself' and expect people to trust me then I needed to be real. Similar to what Justin Dupre said - I prefer to have total honesty with prospects.
As for the not liking attention bit, well gee - I got over myself and thought - I'm in business aren't I? I need people to pay attention to me :-) So personal preference really. If I was more than a newbie and had lots of different niches I may use aliases or 'some form' of my name.

I personally use my real name, I think is easier to build complete trust with complete honesty.

Just use the short form of your real name for your first name and your surname can be one that's spelt backwards?

I have used pen name in the past, but now these day It's about engagement and connection. People buy from people they know, like, and trust.

If you are you it goes further with people.

David Dangelo may have been a character but it was a person there and a way for people to connect with that person, it may have not been his real name, but it was a person in that slot.

I guess it's like an Actor you know that that is not truly them, but you can connect with their character.

Using pen name you can only do so much if your not involving yourself.

You can buy some stock photos of some random person from iStock but you won' be able to make a video or go any further unless you have an actor playing the role.

I think is Best to use your real name, I find that I get to trust someone when they are real down to earth person who has nothing to hide.

That's a really good question, and one I hear a lot.

I would say that success in this industry happens most easily when you are truly being yourself, and when this comes across to those who you are selling to. My decision in this context was to be me, and to build this brand online for products and services that relied on me as the main feature of the product - training products for example.

I can see why privacy might be a concern, and only you can answer this - you need to choose whatever makes you comfortable. Whatever decision you make, communicate as much of your personality as you can in what you do. This personal branding is increasingly the differentiator between you and others doing similar things in a crowded marketplace.