In your opinion, or in your experience, is it better to use the same pen name on every writing platform you use (here, Squidoo, Wizzley, etc) or is it better to have a different name for each site? Just interested in some thoughts from experienced web writers as I try to sort out my own. I can see positives and negatives to both points of view.
I wish I had kept the same pen name for most sites. HubPages is the one writing site where I'm different. For twitter and Facebook I stick with barbsbooks, since I started them to promote my book business. On MyLot I'm completely different and don't want what I say there connected with my business because it's a site where what I share is much more personal than other sites. Only a few people there connect me with other profiles.
In the beginning I was just so excited about writing and being read I wasn't thinking about branding. Now I am. Although I do write in different niches, I don't see a reason yet to start different accounts with different user names on the same site. Seems to me it just makes things more complicated.
I don't think it is recommended to have a different Pen Name for every writing site you're on. Google looks for "authorship", last time I checked and if you have too many different Pen Names, then it will be harder for you to get "authorship".
At least that's my take on it. If I am wrong, then I hope others will say so.
A pen name is like a brand. Use pen names for niches -- like Ellis Peters using one name for historical novels and another for mysteries -- regardless of publishing platform.
I agree.
HubPages was my first online writing site. I really wish I had known enough to have kept my clinical topics separate from everything else. I've joined a couple other sites and published a few articles, and have chosen a couple names for different niches.
by Tim Mitchell 9 years ago
I use my profile name here 'tsmog' for many accounts everywhere on the Web for more than 15 years now. That includes forums I have and do participate with, former chat rooms, my eBay account name, Amazon review name, Twitter, and others too. The name has been registered years back several tims such...
by Shon Stallgraves 13 years ago
When are pen names good?Is it wise to write one book with a pen name and then use the same pen name to write another book that is very far away from the topic you want really do want to be associated with?
by Erica Sanchez 11 years ago
What does your pen name mean and why did you choose it?Well My pen name is bellawritter23!Bella as we all know Beautiful in Italian....My grandfather would call me his niña bella, so it kind of stuck as I grew. Writter.... with a double tt because hubpages would not allow me to duplicate a pen name...
by Elisabeth Ellis 10 years ago
Actually it is my name, but now I'm hoping that song is stuck in your head. Uh... HP's changed my name on my profile page. Kinda weird. Im not sure how it happened or why, but the name on my account is "Sed-me" and in that little fill-in-the-blank-real-name-spot, I had my real name which...
by Lisa Winter 2 years ago
As we continue to improve reader experience and traffic to our sites, we’ve decided to remove author bios from each article. This moves content up on the page and allows readers to reach the answer to their query as quickly as possible. It is more important than ever to update your real...
by Imogen French 10 years ago
Is it best to use a pen name or your real name on HP, and how easy is it to change your user name?I am considering a change of name here on HP, and wondering what the implications would be. Has anybody done it, or have an opinion about it?
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