I want to clear up a huge misconception about the internet:
You are not anonymous online, no matter how hard you try to hide your identity.
Everything you do online is recorded and traced back to your computer with the time and date stamped on it. Everything you post online is indexed by the search engines and is there forever. You may not even remember the time that you used a nickname years ago but if you ever use the nickname again, Google will make the connection. You don’t have to be a detective anymore to find the clues, the search engines do the work for you.
You Can Find Anything Online
I am one of the admins for a blog that received a nasty comment. When looking into it, I noticed that the name given in the comment was the equivalent of a “John Smith”. Just for the fun of it, I took all the information that was provided in the comment and entered it into Google. Within 2 minutes and 3 or 4 quick searches, I narrowed my search for the commenter down to a person who lives within a few blocks of the blog owner along with his full name, address, phone number, possible relatives, websites he recently visited, his current job and his work history. I’m not going to do anything with the information but I’m just saying that it is all out there and easily searchable.
Most People Leave Their Digital Fingerprints All Over the Net
Most people, whether they realize it or not leave some sort of digital fingerprint when they comment online. They may use a certain alias or user ID (when trying to be anonymous), use a word or expression that can be traced back to them or some other piece of evidence they can leave without realizing it. It may even be different variations of a word such as adding a number or using that word for an email address on several providers (yahoo, hotmail, aol…) Any of that information can lead you right to the commenter. If all else fails, the internet provider can be court ordered to surrender the commenter’s identity if need be.
Participate Online as Yourself
That being said, there is no reason to be afraid of getting online if you are honest and authentic. Treat the online world as you would treat the offline world. Be transparent and friendly and you will attract friends and loyal fans. If you choose not to be transparent, your customers will be wary and if you try to do something anonymously, you will be found out. It’s just so easy.