Online Identity

This was a post I created for the students in our Online Teaching and Learning Graduate Certificate program: Branding vs. Pseudonymity When you decide to take your courses and your presence online, you start developing an online identity and an online persona. Some people don't mind a public or even branded online identity/persona. In fact, they foster it: See http://juliaparra.com It's important to have an online presence and an online persona in order to develop a thriving learning community and feel successful as a student and as a teacher.However, many people do not feel comfortable with their pictures and real identity being freely available on the web. Thus, it's a good time to reflect on how public you want your online identity/persona to be. My friend, Bethany is fostering a near-pseudo identity with her TekTrekker moniker. I say near-pseudo because her first name is scattered throughout the blog. So, depending on your attitude about the Internet, we recommend that you consider your online identity. If you want to brand yourself, use your real name. If you do not trust the Internet, consider a pseudo-identity, a way to interact with us and each other online yet remain somewhat anonymous. Creating Your Pseudo-Identity First, ponder a fake name that is unique and doesn't identify you. For example, a pseudo-identity that I might have considered is desertjewel. Second, set up your pseudonym email account. Gmail is our recommendation as you no longer need a secondary account. Hopefully, your pseudonym idea hasn't been used by someone else. This is where you might have to make adjustments to your chosen pseudonym. Third, create an avatar for your online picture. Yahoo Avatars is a fun still image avatar. Voki is great for your audio/video avatar. If you have a Second Life character, you can take a picture of yourself in Second Life and use that. More about avatars - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_(virtual_reality) Last, use your pseudonym and avatar image whenever you are asked to post something online. Resources for Further Exploration Why You May Need an Online Persona Your Online Persona Developing Your Online Persona Taking Care of Your Internet Persona Managing Your Online Persona Becomes a Key Career Skill Online Identity The Brand Called You Personal Branding What do you think about your online identity?