Pseudonymous blogger meme

I have so many memes saved to my drafts from random blog surfing.
They're kinda useful for days when I can't think of anything to say
and, although I don't tend to tag, I like reading other people's
responses to the questions. I guess they're "getting to know you"-type
exercises.

1. Is your blogging persona more serious than your real life persona?

My online persona has definitely changed over the years. I think that
online, I used to be always lighter, sillier, funnier than the real
me.
But these days I'm a lot less focused on trying to win over people. I
don't care all that much about trying to get a huge readership - or
blog fans - and once you have that change of focus, it changes your
style of writing. I'm not trying to be funny or posting just to invoke
a response so much as I used to.
So these days, my online persona is pretty much my offline persona -
it's just me being me. Although, I can't ever be 100% sure, someone
who knows me offline will have to vouch for that!

2. Do you think the only safe way to write honestly is to write anonymously?

Perhaps. Although I'm not truly anonymous here. If you want some real
anonymous honestly, you'll need to head over to
http://truewifeconfessions.blogspot.com
Laurita posted that link some time ago and I've been addicted, and
have even posted at that site (but I'll never tell which post was
mine!) It's a great idea, and I think it's really important that women
express what they're going through - whether it's funny, sweet, sad or
devastating. Women are so focused on trying to appear to be perfect
all the time, and it's very refreshing to read about what people are
*really* thinking on the inside.

3. Do you think that your blog could ruin your career?

It depends what you write about. Of course, I have to point out that
my workplace is fantastic, best place to work. Great staff, employees,
everything. lol

4. Do you use a pseudonym out of fear?

Well, I do know that a few of you use real names are are quite easily
identifiable. I'm not *that* fearful that someone will work out who I
am, and I probably have written enough details about myself here so
that I could be identified by someone if they were really keen. My
real name is googleable and I'm in the phone book and it would just be
dumb to use my real name and to be that obvious about it.

I don't post pictures of myself online like I used to. But that's not
so much fear, although stalky people can be creepy. For me, not
showing my name or what I look like is refreshing. It means that I'm
meeting people who like me for who I am, not what I am. (Although if I
wanted to do that more sucessfully, I wouldn't reveal my gender, age
or job description either.) What really turned me off posting
pictures, was seeing other blog with younger women using their
pictures to try and win over an audience ("omg, look at this photo of
me being all cute!") - I can't stand that kind of crap these days from
women.

5. What is the biggest drawback to writing pseudonymously?

People can steal your ideas without citing you as a reference? I
dunno. It's not a problem for me.

6. Has anyone stumbled on your blog and found it accidentally?

I don't know. I don't check my blog stats anymore so I don't know who
reads if people don't comment. I used to only post on the blogs of
people who lived on the other side of the world as I didn't want any
Australian readers who might know me. But it's different now. Even
though I don't, as a general rule, tell people I know about my blog,
it wouldn't matter to me as much, say, if my Mum accidently found it.
Although I'd rather she didn't!

7. Have you outed yourself to any other bloggers?

Do other bloggers know my real name? Yes. A lot of them know my real
first name and a few of them know my full name.
There's only a couple of readers who have actually met me, and one
fellow blogger, Ginchy, who was the one to get me into blogging in the
first place.

8. Has your blog allowed you to experiment with writing?

Yes. Although I'm not as creating with what I write as I used to be,
say, at the start of last year. Probably for the reason mentioned
above - these days I write more for me and to get things off my chest.
I'm less concerned about "audience" and of course that will affect the
quality of my writing.

9. Why do you use a pseudonym?

Because I'm the only one with my first name who has my profession in
this city at the moment. lol
Oh, not just that. I wouldn't use my real name anyway - one shouldn't
mix the professional with the personal on any level. Because I write
about some intensely personal stuff here, I'd hate for someone who
was, say, examining my PhD thesis, to Google me, and find *this* crap!

10. How did you choose your pseudonyn?

Well "Jez" is what my school friends still call me. I've had that
nickname since I was about 14. It was originally short for Jezebel and
I can't quite remember how on earth I got that nickname as I am no
"painted jezebel"! Anyway, "Jez" stuck and a small handful of people
still use it. Only the ones who knew me when I was 14 though! So
that's where "Jezzy" comes from.
Other than that, I actually don't have a nickname and am usually
called by my full first name.
Except by my husband, who tends to call me "bubbles" or "bubby" or any
number of such terms.

Okay, so grab this meme and post it if you so choose. And let me know if you do.