Partly Enigmatic --

[partly]

I had a conversation today with powerpynt and he pointed out that I never mention my "real" name. And I realized that I don't. Not online.

And it's not really so much that I want to "hide" who I am. I am exactly the same person online as I am in real life (scary as that thought may be). I am -- slightly -- concerned that I keep personal information off the web, but that's a paranoia that comes from teaching Internet Safety to eight grades each year. No personal information. No identifiable descriptions. Yadda. Yadda.

Still, I think it's not that, either.

I've been "Partly" for 15 years. It was the first internet handle that I ever used. It is, in many ways, as much my name as is "Becky". In fact, when I'm online, even when I'm talking to people who know me in real life and who call me "Becky" all the time, I will more than likely sign my IM "Partly".

It's odd. I don't think of Partly as handle, it's my name. I don't ask people I meet in real life to call me it, but I certainly would answer to it if someone from online called me by it. With Wil having a LJ now (mosestaff) I'll probably be referred to more often as "Becky" because that's how he knows me. Someday I will relate the trouble I had when he decided to be Wil instead of Bill several years after we were married. I'm not interested in changing my name. Actually, I'm not interested in changing either of my names. I realize that an adjective is rather hard to visualize for some people. And in the world of throw away internet handles, I can see how they can be less real than a name.

So, if I don't give you my name, it's not because I'm thinking that you are all a bunch of crazy internet stalkers, rather it's because, in this media, where I type all my thoughts and communicate with little icons, I am Partly.

Which, of course, should make you all fear that I am a crazy internet stalker.

Comments

[celli]

I'm so well known as Celli, about half my mail comes addressed to that name. :) So I know where you're coming from.

[powerpynt.livejournal.com]

Well, I was a little worried, but as you vanish for longish periods of time I have to guess that you're a lazy or forgetful stalker if a stalker at all, and as such hardly a threat to get all worked up about.