using a psuedonym for article marketing?

hey roomates!


in this era of stolen id's and such I really do not want to put my name and pic
associating me with the articles I submit?...besides I'd rather be anonymous...

When I go on sites like "ezine" or "articlebase" I see the authors first and last
name accompanying the article and frequently elsewhere on the site it shows their profile
and a photo of them, I imagine it gives the author the "credibility" factor...

MY question is this:

does anyone know if using a "psuedonym" is very common?

when I say psuedonym I don't mean a name like "the phantom writer!"
no, instead I mean you see what you believe is the authors first and last name,
but it's just a made up name, not really the authors true identity....?

Does anyone have the "skinny" on this question?

your view or knowledge is appreciated ...!
hali~

I do this, people think they are calling me by my real first name and it brings it to a whole new personal level

I know it may be a silly question

but do you use a "photo" as well?
just a PD photo I imagine?

hali~

Tons of people use fake names on these sites. Including me for the same reasons as you.

Sometimes a pseudo gives you a whole new character ppl can relate to.. works!

I have probably a dozen names on Ezinearticles, all with different photos and profiles relevant to whatever I'm trying to promote. It's very common.

Yes, it's very common for people to use a fictitious name (aka a pseudonym). Sometimes this can be done because the name is more memorable, other times it can be done for privacy. For writers the common term is usually "pen name" or "nom de plume" and is usually done to conceal the author's true identity. For actors, singers, and other entertainers the common term is usually "stage name", "professional name", or "screen name" and is often done to create a more marketable name or in some cases to disassociate the person professionally from their ethnic background.

There are many reasons why it's a good idea to keep your true identity private, but you don't want to remain totally anonymous either. If you want to make a name for yourself, but don't want to put your true identity out in public view then a pseudonym, or pen name is totally appropriate. That way readers will know that everything you write is all from the same person, but your true identity remains private.


It's actually a very time honored and respectable practice. Here are just a few famous examples from before the internet.

writer Lewis Carroll real name Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson
writer Mark Twain real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens
writer Oscar Wilde real name Fingal O'Flahertie Wills
writer John Lange real name Michael Crichton
writer Richard Bachman real name Stephen King
writer Leigh Nichols real name Dean R. Koontz
writer Richard Paige real name Dean R. Koontz
writer George Orwell real name Eric Arthur Blair
writer Anne Rampling real name Anne Rice
actor Tony Randall real name Leonard Rosenberg
actor Jack Palance real name Walter Jack Palanuik
actress Susan Dey real name Susan Smith
actor Danny DeVito real name Daniel Michaeli
singer Bob Dylan real name Robert Allen Zimmerman
actor Cary Grant real name Archibald Alexander Leach
actor Charlton Heston real name John Charles Carter
actress Jayne Mansfield real name Vera Jayne Palmer
actress Marilyn Monroe real name Norma Jean Baker
singer Alice Cooper real name Vincent Damon Furnier
comic George Burns real name Nathan Birnbaum

here's a good reference regarding the typical usage of pseudonyms in various fields
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonym

For internet marketing the use of pseudonyms is pretty crucial. In fact because of the unique nature of the internet it's easy and common to set up a complete fictitious persona to go along with the pseudonym. If your setting up pages in several different niches it isn't really a good idea to use the same name in every niche. If they see you're selling many other items in many other niches then people will realize that you're just promoting anything you think might sell.

You want to establish an identity in a particular niche that people will trust and want to buy a product from you. It's a good idea to create a seperate identity for each niche that your promoting. The more complete the persona you create, the more you can establish that persona as an authority in that niche.