Many visitors to social media sites and forums use a nickname or "handle" when posting, and may use a cartoon avatar or something other than their real picture. This has often left me wondering what the benefits are to using your real name and picture.
Admittedly, until very recently I used a nickname, and did not show my picture. Why? I am not entirely sure, but my rationale included the fear of identity theft, not wanting old high school classmates to see what I look like now, and other similar irrational reasons. After thinking about it more and posting a thread about it on a forum, I realized that I had really been missing out by not using my real name or picture. The benefits of doing so are huge - and when I analyze how I view someone on a forum whose face I see and name I know, it really does change my entire perception, and makes it much more personal. I would be way more likely to do business with that person than someone who I knew merely as a nickname and a blank face or logo.
Here's a great thread by Dale King that I came across on the Small Business Ideas Forum:
http://www.smallbusinessbrief.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10789
Dale makes a great case for not hiding behind a "moniker." He's got me convinced!
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