A Confession...

If you are a frequent visitor to this blog, you've probably noticed that most of the posts are written by myself, AJ.

While the above totally accurate, I have a confession to make.  My name is not really AJ.  I've taken that as a nom de plume or pseudonym for TheSmallBizPro.  The issue of anonymity is one the team has debated on several occasions and none of us are comfortable with the lack of privacy in cyber-space.  No, we are not felons or have any evil or malicious intentions.  Simply, some of us have been in the technology industry for many years and are well-aware of the nature of the Internet and the possibility of abuse.

The idea of fake names is, of course, quite old.  Mark Twain used one and some argue that Shakespeare may have (though this is conjecture).  Stephen King has written as Richard Bachmann in the last 25 years and many authors of adult-oriented sites and blogs use names other than their real ones.  Each individual must decide on a comfort level and whether real names are advisable or not.  Search the Internet sometime and see how many hits come up with your real name.  This may help in your decision one way or another.

Yes, I realize that a potential employer - and I am still unemployed - may like my writing and won't be able to contact me because of my name choice.   We have email for this purpose - thesmallbizpro@gmail.com . 

I am not advocating the use of a pen name one way or the other.  Much has been written and blogged on this topic; do some research and make an informed decision for yourself.  As for me, as Shakespeare famously penned: "What's in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Food for thought


- AJ