Design Pattern: What's my name?

Summary	Resolving issues of taking on a pseudonymous identity for protecting reputation and mitigating negative repercussions.
Status	seed	Confidence	1
details...		Group

Problem

Do you choose a pseudonym or go with your offline identity? ('Offline' here means the identity you use in your professional and civic life.)

Context

You want to make an argument or ask a question in a public online context which you perceive may have negative repercussions – because it is taboo, unpopular, or whistle-blowing.

Solution

It's necessary to understand the culture and practices in which you are operating in order to have a grasp of the risk and possible consequences of taking on a pseudonymous identity before you make a come to a decision.

Here are some of the concerns:

• There are issues of persistence – you lose control of what you post, and it endures. What does this mean for you?
• What are your responsibilities in your offline life?
• Can you meet them using your offline identity?
• Do you need to build up an identity that participate in a community?
• Do you want your identity to be an aggregation of what everybody attributes to you – do you want a brand?
• Or do you simply want to get ideas out?

Related Patterns

list other patterns related to this one, under categories such as component, assisting, conflicting, uses this, etc.

Notes, Links and References

Liabilities, potential risks, extensions, expected side-effects

======= Verification ========
See Scenario: Ethics Of Pesudonymity
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Licensing

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