When I first began slipping into the flow of marketing online, I did so from a position of anonymity. Fortune does not require fame, and a life can be adversely affected by renown. It was easy to use pseudonyms and aliases, pen names, noms de plume, maiden names, and etc.

From 2005 to 2008 I created an army of working names; many continue to represent me on sites created during that stage of development.  Some are kind of embarrassing like awkward relatives on an extended visit, but others are dear to me and amplify the best bits of my psyche.  They are only names but they speak with a unique voice.

Do I need to have a recognized name to be successful online? I don’t think I do. God knows I have found obscurity with this blog which no one is interested in but me. In many ways that is a good thing but it would be nice to have other people in the conversation once in awhile. I can talk to myself without posting here.

So the basic question is: Am I doing anything that will benefit from name recognition? And the simple answer is: Not at this time. I’m not sure I want name recognition on any of my other websites. I have put my real name on a few of them to see if it made any difference and have not seen any change in the numbers to indicate good or bad. But I feel better knowing I can create anonymous income. There is nothing to prove to anyone else. (Except Uncle Sam, of course.)

I’ve had 15 minutes of fame a couple of times but I did not enjoy the rush. I like being a wallflower. I enjoy observing more than being observed. I like a good distance between me and those who fabricate another reality.

So heading back out to the trenches this time, resolute and faithful to my goals; I feel stronger. I feel ready to accept the benefits of my achievements and I am grateful for the obscurity that swirls around my actions and my virtual real estate holdings.

I am the conductor. Obscurity is just another whistle stop on the long road to my final destination.

Tickets please…