why a pseudonym

I've recently read a few gemlog entries about pseudonymity by others, two who are pseudonymous and one who is not.

So I thought I might add my two bits, as I myself am a pseudonymous entity.

Like Szczezuja, I began using the Internet with a nickname. I later began using my real name as I began transitioning into finding work as a freelance software developer. At the time, I thought I wanted a degree of fame. With fame would come more work. I almost achieved it in a small way, but in doing so I came in close proximity with people who had achieved that kind of success and realized it would have utterly destroyed my mental health.

Juan Martinez writes:

> What is the point to communicate with other if I can't be me? So I got to the conclusion that if I'm in a forum that I suspect it would need an anonymous identity, that means I should probably not be there.

First, of course, to use a pseudonym is not necessarily to *not* be yourself. It's to be a particular facet of yourself, to be mindful of what you choose to share, to keep sandboxed the facet of your life represented by the pseudonym. The trouble with making every facet of your life accessible from any other facet is that it allows anyone familiar with any facet to then involve themselves in other facets. If one ever becomes well-known for any reason whatsoever, one runs the risk of being targeted by every criminal, crank, and unhinged person who ends up somehow hearing about you.

I also am not comfortable assuming that my opinions and actions, though perfectly legal and politically safe today, may not one day be the sort of thing that could make me a target later in life. So I see using a pseudonym as a sort of insurance against the future as well. If I were to apply Juan Martinez's standard to my own life, I would not ever engage in any sort of public discourse at all. I would lose too much sleep, using my own name.

I don't expect everyone will agree with me or feel I'm being reasonable, but I know my own mind. If I'm to do any more work publicly, it will only ever be under a pseudonym. To do otherwise is to invite more stress than I'm willing to deal with.