I am planning to register a domain, a LinkedIn account and Github under a pseudonym because my real name is very common. (Thanks mom and dad :P)
But will I get into trouble with potential employer/ contractor if I am not putting myself out with a real name? Is pseudonym/ alias a common practice in the tech sector? I read this threat but still feel a bit unsure, especially on domain name for personal website, it seems once I’ve decided there’s no going back. What’s your take on this? Many thanks.
Yeah, branding is tough. I had the same problem in that “Kevin Smith” is very common and there is already a semi famous person with that name. I decided to brand myself as “Kevin Smith Web Dev” - I set up a gmail account this that, registered the domain, set up a github account, linkedin, etc.
I don’t know if that is the best solution, but it worked for me.
I don’t know if a pseudonym is the best idea - someone might think you are trying to get away with something, but perhaps I am being overly paranoid. But if you must, rather than thinking of a pseudonym, I might come up with a “company name”, like “Blue Sun Web Development” or something like that - something that would be uniquely yours but it’s obvious that you’re not trying to hide from the mob.
Anything that you’re planning to send to prospective employers should probably include your real name somewhere, but using your most common username for things like GitHub and your domain. Most people don’t get their name as an available option.
I agree with @kevinSmith, branding can get difficult if your name is too common.
I highly recommend using your real name as often as possible when creating things related to employment. If that isn’t available having some “form” or “twist” of your name is probably a good fallback. The main thing is to keep it as consistent as possible. This way all your different accounts can easily be related back to one another, and not confuse anyone looking into your online presence.
I used to be concerned about people finding out who I really am when I was younger. However this totally changed once I realized I need people to know how I really am to hire me hahaha.
A few things to consider that haven’t been mentioned:
I wouldn’t recommend trying to come up with a “fun” or “humorous” name. Keep it professional. Don’t try to do something like “kennyisawesome” or “kennytheman”. You might come to regret that.
If you have a middle name, a string variant that uses your middle and last initials might be a good one - i.e., “kennykl” for example. If that happens to be taken, then add numbers, but I wouldn’t recommend more than 4 numbers, because more than that tends to look odd.
If you decide the route of a “company name” and are having a hard time coming up with one, there are actually company name generators; if you Google that term exactly you’ll find some.
Just because most people do tend to use their real names online, doesn’t mean you have to. You can use your middle name as your last name if you want to. While your LinkedIn profile should probably be your legal name, your GitHub and domain don’t necessarily have to be the exact same thing.
