Dennis Howlett

Sunday Panic! ;) - Dario Salvelli

Its been Up and Down a few times. Wonder whats up. - Roberto Bonini

For some reason it's always Sunday morning. I guess that's good because fewer people are affected, but unfortunately it cuts into my sleep :( - Paul Buchheit

Always Sunday morning? sounds suspicious. You got some kind of cron or scheduling that initiates on Sunday mornings? - imabonehead

Poor Paul!! - Susan Beebe

the API part is still down :( so my lifescript ain't working sniffff - Pascal

where's the whale? - Jeff Douglass

Api is down????? Gulp. - Roberto Bonini

Everybody just calm down! You can print few pages from Everyone -feed should something like this happen again. Then you can read FriendFeed offline and comment the shares with a "pen"... :) - Jemm

Jemn. Fab idea. And we can reshare by fax. - Roberto Bonini

LOL @ Jemm and Roberto. - Trish R

here it seems still unvailable - Giuliano

It may need some kind of bailout. :P - imabonehead

Yikes! - Charlie Anzman

First place people go for mortgage rates. This one may actually make sense - Charlie Anzman

YES! Except, I've not been a mayor =( - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

Couldn't fly around that much. I'd get dizzy :) - Charlie Anzman

fast company looks like a cool magazine .. is it on newstands in america? will it survive? does anybody read it? - Gregory Lent

Gregory we print about a million every month and wouldn't do that if no one was buying. It's expensive to buy newsprint (we're the only magazine printed on totally recycled paper, by the way). Sales of ads are up, by the way, although we're braced for advertising to slow down next year as the economy slows down. - Robert Scoble

Experience: FriendFeed, Twitter, sometimes I blog.. uhh.. I like the Yankees.. oo, I'm an English major.. - Shawn Farner

Very cool on the totally recycled ... and the numbers. Now if they included the videos on CD ..... :) - Charlie Anzman

Yeah, FastCompany Mag has been around for over 10 years: http://pigeek314.googlepages.c... - pigeek

Wow, that's a really terrific job!! how totally cool is that?! I'd love it but, I am no "expert" heeheheee! - Susan Beebe

Susan: you should have gone for a different job: being vice president! :-) - Robert Scoble

Robert - thanks I am qualified: I went to UCLA law school and I can see Canada across Lake Ontario! LOL!! - Susan Beebe

Susan: sounds like you're overqualified for the VP job, which is probably why McCain didn't ask you. - Robert Scoble

Shoot!! I need to get dumber now! Must re-watch those Palin interviews with Couric and Gibson again - Susan Beebe

Of course you take your life in your hands as well... - Dennis Howlett

old gamer lingo " for the win" i have no idea how the rest of the interent learned it. - Faboo Mama

For The Win or Fuck The World to others - Outsanity

More gamers I guess.. :) - Shawn Farner

I posted this same question a few weeks back. - Nathan Rein

thanks gang! - Ruth Ferguson

FTW means "use Google to find out what terms mean that you don't know." - Robert Scoble

Free The Willie... something to do with whales I think... - John Worthington

Robert- That doesn't always work. I googled "OH" because I didn't know what it meant and didn't want to look stupid asking. Think I found it? Sometimes asking the community is the best solution. Most of us are happy to help out :) - Matt Musgrave

FTW means "don't tell Scoble, but..." - Nathan Rein

lol Nathan ;) - Mel "Friend of Marco" McB

i had to explain FTW to a friend the other day. she came up with an example to use in the classroom: "it's pluperfect subjunctive conditional, FTW". i love the fact that i have smart friends. - .·*♥pea♥*·.

FTW FTW! - Alex "Chameleon" Scoble

Pluperfect subjunctive conditional, FTW! I love that! - Alex "Chameleon" Scoble

"For The Win" used in the context of "Bacon FTW" or "Cute gals who love to play video games are made of win (or just plain FTW)" - Glenn Batuyong

Tenses. Such things were NOT taught to kids in the UK in the late 70s/early 80s....my best shot at pluperfect - it happened in the past, twice.... - WorldofHiglet

It's funny, you Americans always assume that the US slang is the only one. The first time I saw FTW used here, I was shocked - in England it means something completely different! - Sally Church

Flog The Wick? - Outsanity

fuck the war :-) - Duncan Riley

hahaha +Duncan - Anna Haro

For The Win! (ignore everyone else except Mona, cuz she got it right! LOL Well, and Robert, cuz yeah, you could just google it ;) - Susan Beebe

At the Oracle OpenWorld Unconference, Jake Kuramoto (@jkuramot) had a session on geek-speak. The slides are on Slideshare somewhere. - Ontario Emperor via fftogo

I didn't really get FTW until the old U.S. game show Hollywood Squares was mentioned. Jake wants to popularize "FTB." - Ontario Emperor via fftogo

@Robert Scoble: I'm curious why you would advise a community member to 'go look it up' when it's so much more useful and rewarding asking it here? - Tsega Dinka

Pluperfect subjunctive conditional? Was this a Latin class? - Nathan Rein

She teaches french and french literature at the university level. - .·*♥pea♥*·.

Tsega: because I'd rather teach Ruth how to fish in Google than to hand her a fish here. - Robert Scoble

My son was almost sent home from school for wearing a shirt that said FTW! http://friendfeed.com/e/e08beb... - Trish R

It's the opposite of WTF - Andre Maltais

+1 Andre :) - Victor Ganata

For The Win - a bit like saying 'Yay!' - Dennis Howlett

It means we're all parrots. A few years ago, it was LOL, then ROFL, then WTF, then "FAIL!" now "FTW" - Andrew Warner

WTF, FTW. :) - Chris Luckhardt

Jay: has Hillary lost a kid or a spouse? Has Palin? If they had and they did this they wouldn't have been crucified. - Robert Scoble

If Palin did this, it would have "shown us that she's just like us" and that she's "a real person". The game goes both ways...I am sure we'll here about how it made Biden look weak tomorrow. - cmiper

Jay, if Palin had done this, she would have at least got a sympathetic word from Biden... - John Worthington

Choking up because of your love of your country and choking up because of the loss of a loved one are two totally different things and should in no way be compared. - ::Kristen::

I was shocked that Palin didn't even recognize his pain or address it all; worse yet, she just blasted out more robot-like canned spin phrases. Came across very callous and unconcerned. Totally selfish - Susan Beebe

People who turn personal emotions into an issue should be crucified. - JodyUnwired

I doubt it's a stunt. He brought it up for political purposes but does it choke him up to talk about it? Almost assuredly. Dead daughter, dead wife, two sons gravely injured with years of recovery ahead of them - that's what he faced in 1972 and it doesn't matter how much time has gone by. - Rob Sterling

I thought this was the memorable moment of the debate. Both Biden's unrehearsed humanity -- and Palin's total tone deafness. She's not a Reagan or Thatcher, no matter how bad people want it. - Chris Baskind

Sorry, I was referencing Jay's comment, not Biden. - JodyUnwired

Biden is, I'm sure, a wonderful, sensitive, compassionate man. I think some of us are quite selective here about compassion, especially in regards to Sarah Palin (and Hillary Clinton). My comment stands. How Palin reacted is another issue. - Jay Tannenbaum

Jay, first point is context. Palin had just made out that because she was a mother, only she understood the problems parents face. This wasn't contrived, and the worm thing at the bottom shows that voters didn't see it this way either - Duncan Riley

No I'm sorry Jay, your statement still doesn't stand. If Palin had lost family memebers in a similar circumstance then your comment would at least have some sense of stability but becuase you, by inference, imply that Biden chocking up was a political stunt, no dice! - John Worthington

It worked for me and appeared genuine - Dennis Howlett

I got a bit of whiplash as Palin headed in - like a bulldog- after this touching emotional bit. It made all of her other references to his family, wife, etc. kind of scripted and cold. If she'd realy been that sympathetic she'd have responded nicely - anna awesomesauce

I wonder if she realized the association to his family tragedy... - Jason Carreira

Jason: she should have, because she reads all the newspapers and they've talked about that part of his life recently. - Robert Scoble

she reads all the newspapers which is tons more than Robert Scoble reads, so she should have at least seen that story at least, i dunno, 1,614,234 times since second grade. - Nailed Jello

Nathan: come to think of it, it would have been very impressive if Palin had answered that question by saying "I'm reading hundreds of RSS feeds so I can't name them all." :-) - Robert Scoble

yes, i would have spit my cereal all over teh screen if she had said that. - Nailed Jello

Biden hands down - Stronger + Smarter - Nice Contrast to Palin - Bill Maher said it Nicely too Palin is a Moron + a Religious Kook!! ;)) Good Riddance Bush + McANUS + Brainwashed Flock!! ;)) Peace* - Billy Warhol

+1 Nathan - Brian Daniel Eisenberg

I like Biden. and that was why I do. he did a fine job tonight. Palin just did a better job. That said Palin has been through plenty of family tragedy. She is a kewl chick and I'm really looking forward to either Biden or Palin being president some day. - AnotherⓃⓄⒶⒽ

Billy - you're a credit to your party and exhibit all the best qualities your fellow Democrats possess. Next time, use more expletives or references to body parts, and I think your point will be better understood. - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins

Wow, as reality slowly sinks in, the lonely right gets mean. It's going to be a long month. - JodyUnwired

Palin did not need to respond to this and if she did, you all would just say she wasn't sincere anyway. - David Ward

David a) yes she did b) no I wouldn't. It speaks more what one doesn't say then even empty words. - John Worthington

+1 Jay. - Mona N.

It's interesting to see logic that an ill remark by one can then be attributed to an entire group. Applying that elsewhere - or anywhere - is extremely divisive. - AJ Kohn

Obama's legal team: Joe Sandler sandler@sandlerreiff.com of the Washington law firm Sandler, Reiff, and Young If Mr. Sandler's name sounds familiar it Should. He is the Legal Hit Man for the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR is an organization with terrorist ties, and has been as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Holyland Foundation Hamas Funding trial. this might be the death rattle for Obama - AnotherⓃⓄⒶⒽ

So, for Palin, are we saying that all is not lost? Or was it a total let down? - Roberto Bonini

He's a real guy, nice to know. - Mike Reynolds

If Palin had said something similar, it would be prudent to fact-check it first before tearing up, as she appears to be a pathological liar. http://tinyurl.com/54fujw - Rick Powell

Hopkins? Generalizing? Divisive? Prone to smears? No! - Rick Powell

Rick & AJ: It's not that I'm being divisive, I just at some point in the last couple of weeks got tired of the Obama sheeple here on FriendFeed. You guys broke my spirit of fair play. I'm no longer willing to cut any of you any slack. As I said before, I think Obama and I could have a really civil discussion on the issues. You Obamanauts? Intolerable most of the time. You guys generally have no shame and treat others beliefs and ideals like crap. I guess you could say I just lost respect for most of you. - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins

I have on occasion shared items critical of Obama, including a review in the Economist of Fredosso's book. I've criticized his reversal on wire-tapping and retro-active immunity and obviously don't see eye to eye with him on gay marriage. I'm no Obamanaut, whatever that is. - Rick Powell

I've also said before, long before his Presidential run, that McCain the senator was someone I could vote for. McCain the candidate however, seems to be a pod person. And Palin? I'm sorry, but she's a joke. Her selection is a farce. She's a pathological liar to boot. I reserve the right to be condescending to anyone who takes her seriously. I'm still waiting for a reality-based defense of their candidacies. Something other than smears, Mark. - Rick Powell

Look at my history, Rick. I've not been guilty of smearing anyone. I don't spread unfounded rumors. I do, however, show no respect for people who resort to ad hominem towards the candidates or the candidates' supporters, regardless of which side it is. On FriendFeed, all the ad hominem comes from people like you (Fanatical Obama supporters - or Obamanauts), who *smear the candidates* with unfounded labels like "pathological liar." You are the type of person I detest. - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins

In fact, I dare you to comb my history anywhere for a pejorative label like that where I've called any candidate something like "pathological liar." I disagree with policy matters on both sides (mostly with Obama, obviously but a number of issues on the Republican side as well), but never once have I applied an unfounded label like that to the candidates. The supporters who like to use words like that, I'll now attack without mercy because they've shown they aren't worthy of my respect. - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins

It's not just a pejorative tossed out for dramatic effect; it's the truth. http://tinyurl.com/54fujw Palin is a demonstrable liar. She seems to simply make stuff up as she goes, and some of it is flatly untrue. Here's a new one to add to the list: http://tinyurl.com/3vexqf I guess she can't help herself. She's a know-nothing who's never even thought about serious issues - she heard about the surge "on the news." And THIS is McCain's first serious executive decision? - Rick Powell

And sorry, but you have a long history of broad generalizations and smearing, such as when you assumed that every Obama supporter would like Soderbergh's Che Guevarra biopic, without even having seen it yourself, or asking anyone who had. Called on it, you're unable to admit what you've written is a smear. And there's all the rot about midwesterners. Etc, etc. So yeah I know you're history. Add to that name-calling, "you are the type of person I detest," blah blah. And my rhetoric is extreme? - Rick Powell

Rick: once again you've proven you're the very thing you accuse me of. "All that Rot about midwesterners..." Generalization, much? You smear and misrepresent my opinion on the biopic. Methinks you don't understand (like many of your comrades) the meanings of the words you use (like pathological. also, liar.). Worse than just a mean partisan, you're apparently a moron. The only other explanation is that you use words to exaggerate your case in the cynical belief that those "less intelligent" masses .. - Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins

It's been a whale would have been a catchier title :P - Mike Lewis

ahahahahahaha - Loic Le Meur via twhirl

I`ll be in Friendfeed meanwhale :) - santiromero

Weird - only yesterday was my identica faith wavering and I was thinking 'It would be good to hook up with my Twitter friends again. After all, the platform is much more stable now.' Forgive me, Father. - Andy C

I was almost starting to miss seeing this graphic, well not quite. - Jeremy Campbell via twhirl

Site redesign results in more Fail whale - D'oh!! I just shared this to the twitter failwhale fanclub "room" - Susan Beebe

Tharrrr she blows! - LouCypher

That's sound interesting Dave, because ads are the natural path for revenue in social media. I'd be interested in hearing about a different approach. - Hutch Carpenter

I'll give you a hint: wordpress.com. Basic service is free, users pay for add-ons. Instead of being gerbils and eyeballs, we're either: 1. users, 2. developers. 3. entrepreneurs. 4. millionaires. Or any combination thereof. The user experience is vastly different (better!) and the opportunities for recurring revenue and growth are much much better. Ultimately ad-supported nets will collapse because ads don't work. - Dave Hussein Winer

FriendFeed is one service I consistently use and something I would probably be willing to pay for. - Arthur Guy

"ads don't work" - really? Remind me where does Google make its money? - Toby Graham

Toby - ads work, but there's a context element to them. Google's ad words are tied to user intent via search. Ads on a lot of social media lack the intent aspect. Users are there to interact and discover things. So when an ad pops up on a social media site, it's kind of passive. Easy to ignore. - Hutch Carpenter

Toby what if I'm not an idiot and there was some thought behind what I wrote? I bought Google stock at $100 and rode it up to $400. So I'm not a *complete* asshole. Anyway, I meant they won't work long-term for a latecomer like FF and eventually they won't work for Google either. I've written extensively about this on my blog, scripting.com. Perfectly targeted ads aren't ads, they're information. People search for commercial info all the time on the Internet. As people get more skilled at search and... - Dave Hussein Winer

...search gets better, ads disappear and become info. I tripped over this when I noticed one day that GMail was trying to sell me accounting services when I was emailing with my accountant. Great. Then I realized I had never even clicked on one of these supposedly "targeted" ads, but I use Google every day to find commercial info and buy stuff (ie spend money). Google and their advertising customers don't get one cent from any of those transactions. Eventually they're going to learn how to be found when... - Dave Hussein Winer

...I search and avoid paying Google anything. THis of course is called SEO and it's a science and art that advances all the time. That's what Google is up against longterm. I don't think there's time for a small player like FF or even Twitter to get rich off that. Google started in 1998, Toby. You can't start another Google in 2008. You have to zig to their zag. Or probably even more subtle (there's already been a lot of zigging). - Dave Hussein Winer

@Hutch: "ads are the natural path for revenue in social media" is a crock. Dave's right on this. - Dennis Howlett

Dennis - that was more of a look-back statement. I was thinking of "natural" as the most common way people look to make money. Not as a principle of design. There's probably a better way to put that. - Hutch Carpenter

Could/will FF move into the entreprise market, competing with collaboration tools with a different biz model than pure social media+targeted ads? - Mathieu Ayel

Dave – I'm sorry, mine was bit of a ninja post, but it worked well as I really wanted you to expand on your initial statement. I enjoy your knowledge and writing style greatly but enough fanboy sentiment. On the whole I agree but I do disagree that as a long term model advertising will fail. You're obviously an advanced user so to draw on your own experiences of using Google ads is somewhat flawed. I also rarely use the ads which you mention and yet Adsense makes pretty much any website money, how I don’t know. - Toby Graham

Longer term I really think that advertising has its place. Sadly (for business reasons) I can’t go into too much detail about this but I appreciate your vision for how this might/might not work. I like to use when explain the future of advertising given in the Minority Report, “Hey Toby Graham, you fancy renting some more dwarf porn?” or something similarly embarrassing. Advertising will never go away. – Please Note: I’ve never rented dwarf porn ;) - Toby Graham

design-wise, ff could place ads on a zemanta-style mouse-over popup, where additional information and links come up for a given topic or post or link, and an ad is there too .. innovative idea, don't you think? keeps the main page clean - Gregory Lent

I've already said a few times that I don't believe ads are as useful in today's marketplace as they once were. The early adopters among us who use Friendfeed will be the same ones who block and ignore ads. I'd like to see pro accounts or premier services, but those too have not been too popular on the Web. - Louis Gray

When does a service "cross over" and become one that people would actually pay for? I'm sure it happens, I've seen discussions about Twitter going that route. - Hutch Carpenter

@Hutch What about Pownce or Flickr? They do it. Flickr lets you post x number of pics then charges annual "Pro Account" for unlimited uploads. Pownce does similar thing with size of files that can be shared. - Brian Daniel Eisenberg

Classic for everyone to say when in Berlin :) - Niclas Strandh

Man I wish I had a jelly donut right now. - Jordan Hofker

@Niclas - refine that: for those that don't speak German and want to look like 1st class tourists. - Dennis Howlett via twhirl

Dennis, ja, Ich spreche kein Deutsch.D - Robert Scoble

Ich bin ein boston cream - Marco (aureliusmaximus)

Eat a schnitzel for me, please. Oooh, and some good red cabbage. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

Uhh. - abacab

Does that mean you are in Berlin? - Michael Tefft

TWO BEERS PLEASE (holding up two fingers) - Andy C

Nowaday irony is so subtle that one doesn't know if people are ironic nor plain ignorant... :) - Niclas Strandh

fly safe! - Francine Hardaway

"Did Scoble just say that he was a doughnut?" - Bryan

+1 Bryan, for that little know version of the translation. - Michael Tefft

1UP Jordan - Akiva Moskovitz

Dennis, Robert's Mom was German. There is more truth to that quote than meets the eye. Robert, I am happy you made it there safe. I knew I could find you here :) We miss you goofy. - Maryam Scoble

So, according to wikipedia, the whole jelly donut thing is simply urban legend: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I... - Shannon Jiménez

First he takes Manhattan - Now he takes Berlin - Chris Loft

@ Chris Loft: That makes Scoble sound like a Muppet! ;) - Chris Luckhardt

Robert is already asleep but ROCMANUSA is still chugging along! Berlin is a LOT more awesome that I imagined. Sans the language gap. Some knockouts and even quite a few Drop Dead Gorgeousnesseslyisms - Rocky Barbanica

Rocky: just say "ein mal bier bitte" and you'll be OK. :-) I'm up now working on my Fast Company column. - Robert Scoble

Ya gotta be a fan of Eddie Izzard, folks - he rocks, the executive transvestite :) - Cheryl Allin via twhirl

"noch einmal" works nicely too. And yes, Eddie Izzard is brilliant. - Abby Martin

I really miss Tiergarten, almost the best park in Europe. Mein deutsch ist nicht sehr gut :-) first you take Berlin unt zen ze werld! - Majento™

Heh I know the odd perception of the quote AND Eddie Izzard's bit on that phrase. Great show, hope you enjoy Berlin, Robert! - Bryan

I've obviously missed something. Why are you in Berlin? - Dawn

I'm here to see the IFA show (huge consumer electronics show -- 200,000 attendees). I hear I'll be seeing new hyper efficient washing machines later today. Not sure that's a good thing, but someday I'll tell you about my experiences selling refridgerators and washingmachines along with cameras in a Silicon Valley discount store. - Robert Scoble

Now if it had Twitter on it, then it would be awesome. '@Washingmachine Cycle 1'... I just realised how lame my suggestion is... :( - John Worthington

As somewhat of a sidenote, I've never really considered going for my personal brand with my own name. Having a name as common as Lindsey Smith makes it too difficult. - Lindsey Smith

I use both methods online: I'm the 'real me' on Facebook (and one other site that is business oriented) because on those sites I'm interacting with people who know who I am in a literal sense. However on FF or other social sites, I'm not a Scoble or Brogan (or Mona, for that matter!), so the interactions aren't about who I literally am, it's about what I bring to the conversation. I find it rather freeing. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

Lindsey that's also a really good point: in the ever widening internet circle, the odds that your 'personal brand' will conflict with someone else's get greater and greater. Then neither one of you reap the rewards. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

I'm avoiding a "Personal Brand" too. I want to keep who I am online and who I am offline separated. I don't want to be categorized. I also want the freedom to say what I think/feel/believe without having to worry about my employer (or potential employers). Especially since I write cheesy, gay, supernatural romance. - Nine (sawsome aus)

I was never a fan of using my real (full) name online. I'm not really paranoid, but I like to maintain some measure of control of what comes up when you plug in my real name into Google, which some future prospective employer might be prone to do (or my parents, for that matter). Segregated identities let me be free to speak my mind on politics, sex, religion, etc. without worrying too much about social consequences. - Eric

Names, superficially, are just rigid designators like anything else, so why not use whatever you want? Names have a real purpose: they designate humans. It's a constant reminder that what the designator represents is a warm-blooded person who has hopes, dreams, aspirations, idiosyncrasies, and ideas. I may not agree with anything a person says, but knowing that I'm talking to a person and being able to envision a conversation with that person allows for a greater degree of respect and admiration for that person. Not using your name is akin to a faceless company: I don't know to whom, or what, I'm talking so why bother? You may say you're x, y, and z, but if I can't put name to a face to an idea, it's relegated to a lesser level of interest. The lack of the name makes the opinion as valuable as if I got it from Coca-Cola or Phillip-Morris. - Mark Trapp

To everyone saying that they're able to hide stuff about who they are from potential employers: you're only postponing them finding out. Who you are is unchangeable. You may fool or deceive someone in an interview, but when you start working for them, anything about you comes out really quickly. Your privacy is an illusion. If you're doing things that you don't want people to find out about, you might want to reconsider what you're doing in the first place. - Mark Trapp

@Mark, depends on the person. I've been with the same company over 10 years and very few people know much about what I believe and what I do outside of work (there are people who don't know what I do for the company, either). There's only 30 people here, too, so it's not like I can just blend in with the masses. - Nine (sawsome aus)

As I'm one to play devil's advocate I have to ask, Mark: who's to say that the name that was given to me represents who I am better than a name I choose for myself? Bear in mind I'm not necessarily talking about my particular name on FF, but the concept of given names versus handles in general. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

I don't care what you call yourself, but it sure makes it a lot nicer if you use the same name everywhere so when I meet you at a conference I know what to call you and can have a conversation with you about what you write online. - Robert Scoble

To play the devil's advocate here, aren't you still developing a personal brand anyway? - Shey

I'm also going to say that my interests in my life do not affect my performance at any job. I'm not afraid anyone will find out who I am, because I put that out there every day. But I do think my life is private and I should be able to enjoy my non-billable hours however I choose, free from judgments. If that means I have to be eclipse115 everywhere .. . then so be it. - Lindsey Smith

Also, if an employer is that damned determined to find out what I do with my time online then they can take the time to find out my online alias and then a wealth of information will be at their fingertips. - Lindsey Smith

I have to say that I haven't experienced very many bad consequences of being myself online. For some reason, even though I sometimes swear, am often outspoken, make outrageous jokes, I still seem to have a real-life social circle who enjoy me. And I still have regular freelance employment. I can't see the NEED for segregated identities. I'm with Scoble on this one... I prefer knowing who I'm speaking to. And I prefer them knowing me. - Roy Blumenthal via twhirl

I'm myself online. I'm not necessarily myself at work. - Nine (sawsome aus)

I think most people brand themselves just by existing and participating online. Someone knowing who you are doesn't necessarily put you into a specific category. I also agree that it's preferable for someone to use the same ID everywhere so I can keep their identity straight. - Trish R

I've never felt comfortable with using my real name online and I agree with your comment above "who's to say that the name that was given to me represents who I am better than a name I choose for myself?" However, I did put in a picture instead of just an icon in order to straighten out the gender issue. «Rebkin» doesn't really say whether I'm female or male and like in your case...people just assumed that I was male! - Rebkin

Robert: that's a perfectly valid point, but does the same name necessarily have to equate to real name? I don't do blogger conferences and it's likely I won't have a need to, but if I were somehow invited to do so for my current blog I would likely use the moniker people recognize on my name tag. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

I'm on both sides here.. While I use the name "Haggis" pretty much everywhere online, you can easily find my real name as well. My RL friends even occasionally call me "Haggis", even my boss! In fact during the interview process he asked me about the name, and I wasn't the slightest bit embarrassed. I am Haggis, Haggis is me. - Haggis (Sean)

Just as a side note, not using your real name does not protect your anonymity. - Trish R

Shey, I appreciate that you think I developing a brand cause I really wouldn't have thought so. But is developing *a* brand different than developing *my* brand? I don't know... - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

No one at work knows I'm an atheist. I don't have a problem divulging that online - or getting into religious debates - but it'd cause needless friction if my co-workers knew. So I'd rather not have that information pop up if they put my real name into Google. - Eric

@Eric - Yes I've noticed that atheists, agnostics, or pretty much anyone with a non-Christian religion tend to get persecuted a little more in the workplace. *trying not to derail current topic* - Lindsey Smith

I understand why someone would choose to mask their identity online - I've lived through the aftermath of being too open, but that's another story. Why though, as a woman, would you choose the name stupid blogger? Whether or not it's a joke, you are automatically associating yourself with negative attributes. I think it's sad, because many of the smart things you say online will be ignored just because of your "stupid" handle. - Jennifer Van Grove

I think the people that matter won't hold it against her. - Lindsey Smith

Man, I wish I could reply to specific comments. GAH! Part of me choosing a moniker is a safety issue: when working in a call center we (obviously) had to use real names and I received a death threat from someone after they already new my name/location. I have an uncommon name for my area so the odds of someone actually finding me & my house are high. And Jennifer, I picked this particular moniker on a whim based on the fact that I like to blog about things that strike me as stupid/amusing, what have you ... - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

... and 'Stupidity Blogger' (which more accurately describes what I tend to blather about), didn't work well in my head. I've debated off 'n' on about changing up the name, but have yet to receive any good suggestions or ideas. Perhaps a separate thread? - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

I'll also add though that there can be a balance between using your own name and a unique handle. When I finally get my online portfolio done it will have a creative name for a url but I will also list my own name throughout the site so they can connect with me as a person. I doubt I can refer to myself as eclipse115 - Lindsey Smith

Yep, I felt like 'SB' when I first started blogging. I didn't want anyone I knew knowing I blogged for a variety of reasons. 7 months later and I'm starting to look at it in a different way. Blogging has opened up a whole world to me that I never imagined when I started and the personal conflict (I don't think that's too strong a word) I had about keeping the 'real me' hidden and only blogging as 'worldofhiglet' has receded. But I enjoy my WoH persona and that will remain even when I work under my real name - WorldofHiglet

WoH: I think that's definitely part of it. The chance to try on a new skin for a while, to see how it compares to the one you wear every day. The longer you wear it, the more the persona and the person intermingle (at least, that's been my experience). And for those that are curious, I've officially been outed =) - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

So do you have a Private Brand instead? - todd

Todd, I'm not really sure what you mean by a 'private brand'... - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)