Candidate 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	Digital Identities

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?

Notes, Links and References

Liabilities, potential risks, extensions, expected side-effects

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

Licensing

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.