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I’m no longer anonymous – Blogging Anonymously or Publicly

Last Updated: BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 113 Comments

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Lately, it seems like every single day someone who I know finds out about my blog. Now, EVERYONE knows, besides the people who I work with. I need to keep it that way for now…

I say that I’m no longer anonymous because all of my friends know, and because I am easy to search on Google. I’ve also started posting more and more pictures everyday. I also plan on sharing our engagement photos once those are ready. The engagement photos will be my first official photos released on my blog that show my face. I know, you guys cannot wait at all. The suspense is killing you!

I am completely joking of course 🙂 Also, sprinkled throughout this post are comments of what readers said in my last Should I still be anonymous post.

The other day, we were over at W’s friend’s house and his friend said “Hey Michelle, I heard you have some writing thing going on.” And also recently, someone ambushed me (of course I am using that term loosely!) and showed me my blog on their phone. ON THEIR PHONE! What was I supposed to say?

And then just last week, I received an email from a reader, and she was telling me that my blog is helpful. We then started talking back and forth and she actually went to the same high school as me, and she lives in the same town as me! Small world, right? I feel like I have nowhere to run now!

I'm no longer anonymous - Blogging Anonymously or Publicly

Everyone knows about my blog now. W’s parents asked me for my blog URL the other day, and my friends have found it all also. Probably doesn’t help that you can just type in “Michelle finance blog” and it’s on the first page!

I have W to blame for all of this.

He kept blabbing to everyone and everyone kept asking him for hints about my blog. Of course he gave enough hints and now everyone knows about it! Even though everyone knows, I honestly don’t think too many people read it. Not too many people have really brought up anything that I have talked about in a blog post.

Haha, but that is a good thing. I like not feeling like I am always hiding from everyone. Yes, I do not have any direct pictures of my face up yet, but I still want to be safe when it comes to my job. However, I am friends with many bloggers on Facebook and on my personal Instagram, so many of you already know what I look like. And most of you already know my last name.

I was anonymous in the beginning because I used my blog as a way to vent about the things going on in my life – the passing of my dad, the horrible things someone else in my family did, and so on. It was easy to talk about things on here, but now I’m moving past all of that, so it only seems normal to be public now.

I'm no longer anonymous - Blogging Anonymously or Publicly

Positives of being more public:

  1. I’m not as mysterious. I’ve heard a lot of people say that they would rather read a blog where the person is open about who they are. Well, this is something that I am working on. I can’t wait until I make the 100% freelancing switch and am then able to post awesome pictures of myself everyday 😛
  2. I don’t feel like I’m hiding from my friends and family. This is number one on my list. I felt like I was living a double life for so long. Now, I talk about my blog so often that they are probably annoyed.
  3. It’s more fun! And it’s easier to blog publicly. I’m no longer trying to hide things that could potentially reveal who I am.

 I'm no longer anonymous - Blogging Anonymously or Publicly

Risks of being public with my blog:

  1. Financials are now public. Do I really want to post our net worth on my blog anymore? What about my extra income updates and things about our jobs? 
  2. Certain things that I’ve said about my family and the situations that I gone through have been edited. I would hate for you-know-who to see what I’ve written. Even though she is in the wrong and has done absolutely horrible things to me, and I am in the right, I would hate to go down that direction and open everything back up. Right now, I am just moving on going forward in life…
  3. Nothing is private. This is a given. Everyone will know everything about my life now!
  4. Of course, there is always the risk that my work will find my blog and read my passion or money post. That would be an awkward conversation…

 

Are you anonymous or public? What would you prefer to do and why?

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About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  1. Shondell says

    I am still semi anonymous, and will eventually come out of the closet completely. I would be more concerned about coming out of the closet if I shared my complete income and networth. I’ve just seen a lot of fraud happen in my industry, so I am a bit cautious.

    Reply

  2. Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies says

    We’re still anonymous, mostly. Actually we did “come out” to Mr. PoP’s parents a couple of weeks ago through a weird series of events. It was strange at first, but now I don’t really think about it.

    Reply

  3. DC @ Young Adult Money says

    I’m public and I have been from the get-go. I think when you’re public you just have to be careful about what you say (especially if you have a 9-5 job). I only write about things I would say in public social media anyway, but it’s also why I tend to avoid the posts about how much money I make on the side and whatnot.

    Reply

  4. Lisa @ Cents To Save says

    My blog is not anonymous, and I have told my family about it. Do they read it? Not that I know of. To them, it is my hobby of sorts. And that may be true. But I love to blog and will continue. In fact, I will be dedicating more time and effort to both my blogs ( Happy Girl Thrift) . I am who I am and I hope I inspire and motivate others.

    Reply

  6. Desi says

    I’m pseudo-anonymous. I say pseudo because I’m trying to be anonymous so I can talk about money, but my face is all over my blog, and I use my real name – and Desi is a pretty unique name 🙂 I have the same concerns as you about being public – if my friends know everything about my money, I worry they’d be judgey about how I choose to spend it (as it is I get a lot of people asking why I’m trying to pay my student loans back so aggressively.) I’m happy for you though and super excited to see engagement pictures!

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      The only thing I don’t do is put direct pictures on my blog. However, a lot of readers think that this isn’t my real name. Haha if only I were that clever! Then no one would have found my blog.

      Reply

  7. Holly@ClubThrifty says

    Congratulations on coming out of the closet!!! I didn’t mind when we were semi-anonymous because I felt like I could say anything that I wanted. Now that I’m public, it’s fine too but I’m slightly more careful not to offend everyone I know. Slightly.

    Reply

  8. Joe @ Stacking Benjamins says

    I hated it when I was blogging anonymously. I always felt like I had to hide tons of facts about myself (I was anonymous because I had a non-compete….and although I would say my blog doesn’t compete, it was a financial company, so I needed to just take precautions). Now everyone knows I have a blog and they visit sometimes….but there wasn’t the “wow!” factor that I thought there would be. I’m lucky that I have pretty cool, accepting friends.

    Reply

  9. My Financial Independence Journey says

    I stay anonymous because it allows me to be truthful about my finances. I don’t think I would ever blog publicly about anything since I don’t want someone Googling my name and finding out way more about me than I would like them to know.

    Reply

  10. Laurie @thefrugalfarmer says

    We are more or less public. The few people we did share with shared with others, then it became gossip, and now most everyone knows our situation. We don’t care too terribly much, because we know we are helping others, and that trumps embarrassment or shame. 🙂

    Reply

  11. SuburbanFinance says

    I’m so happy being anonymous that I just don’t know if I’ll ever completely come out, unless it’s on a different blog altogether. You gotta do what works for you!

    Reply

  13. Grayson @ Debt Roundup says

    I am public, but I did that because I have been public on the web for over 10 years. People can find old work, old blogs and anything they want. I don’t really care about being anonymous, but it doesn’t bother me if people are.

    Reply

  14. Kyle @ Debt Free Diaries says

    There are a couple people in our life that know we have a blog, and even fewer actually know the URL. They haven’t mentioned anything about it since we originally brought it up, so I’m assuming they don’t read it. Which is fine.

    Reply

  15. Keren says

    I’m only semi-public. The Mr. obviously knows about it but doesn’t actually read it, haha. My sister, sister-in-law, and cousin-in-law might occasionally read it, but otherwise nobody I’m related to reads it. And I don’t share it with anyone at work.

    Reply

  16. Katie says

    I’ve always been public but I don’t blatently share my blog with my friends and family. However, I just had a job interview where they had read my blog prior to the interview (it wasn’t on my resume) and the interview consisted of a lot of questions about my blog. Fortunately, they were impressed but it definitely caught me off guard! My blog is certainly small enough that I forget anyone besides my Godmother reads it! Enjoy the freedom that comes with being public!

    Reply

    • Ree Klein says

      This is a common mistake people make. Employers make a thorough search of the web for any information about you that could make them question whether you would be a good fit for their company. Some articles I’ve read say that they ask interviewees for their FaceBook password or ask them to log on during the interview. I think that’s wrong, but hey, that’s what’s going on.

      It’s critical to keep that front of mind when posting anything anywhere online. Even if you don’t want to work for Corporate America and want to freelance or be a public speaker instead, web eyes are watching and what you do/say online can be used to your disadvantage.

      Sorry for being such a downer but it’s a really important point you bring up, Katie!

      Reply

  18. Alexa says

    I have told a couple family members and one friend about my blog that is it. I have a picture of myself up so I am not exactly anonymous but I don’t go around telling people either. It’s something I still feel a little self conscious about.

    Reply

  19. Girl Meets Debt says

    I blog anonymously but I’m also not that anonymous because J is so freaking damn pubic with his blog so it’s not too hard to find me either lol. I’ve only become Facebook “friends” with a few bloggers who I’ve really connected with but I’m hoping to make many more in the future. I think it’s so cute W is a blabber mouth 😛

    Reply

  20. Johnny @ Our Freaking Budget says

    That must feel pretty liberating! And a little scary.

    We’re obviously pretty public, but we haven’t told anyone we know about it. We’ve made sure to not attach our personal social media to our site. We’ve only slipped once or twice with accidentally posting something to a wrong account, but we were quick to delete it. That being said, one of my sisters randomly found our blog. Needless to say, it was a really weird conversation. We enjoy our semi-anonymity, but those days might soon be gone.

    Reply

  21. Christopher @ This that and the MBA says

    I started out anonymous, but that changed when everyone was wondering what I always was so busy or doing research on. Then i spilled the beans, and i dont think most people that know i blog check it anymore anyways.

    Reply

  22. Christine says

    I think it’s pretty brave to go from anonymous to public! Sometimes I wish that I was anonymous so that I could vent more! 😉 Oh, and the other day a friend from work was like “OMG I FOUND YOUR BLOG!” which is fine I guess, but I did ask her not to share it with anyone else. We’re pretty good friends so I’m sure it’ll be fine. In other news, can’t wait to see your engagement pics!

    Reply

  23. #Broke Millennial says

    I’m a bit of a hybrid here. I use my first name (just sort of came out) and regularly post pictures of myself, but currently I’m not disclosing my last name. Most of my friends and family know about my blog so it prevents me from discussing anything too personal. However, when I write for other sites (under my real name) I can’t link back to my blog without disclosing who I am. Feeling a bit of a tug-of-war about whether or not to just go ahead and start using my full name. You raise some really great points in this post, Michelle so it’s more for me to think about!

    Reply

  24. Emily @ evolvingPF says

    We’re not anonymous to friends and family (our blog is on our personal FB pages) but we are a tiny bit anonymous on the blog. That is, a dedicated reader would be able to figure out what our last names are and what university we attend, but we try not to say those names outright because we don’t want searches to find out blog. But aside from our professional associations we don’t care much who can connect us to the blog. We’re pretty open people, generally.

    Reply

  25. CeCe @Frugalista Married says

    Eeek! You’ve been outed. Sounds like you are taking it in stride. I’m kind of the same. I’m not anonymous on my blog just in that people don’t know the link or where to find it even though a lot of them know that I blog. If I get outed I’d be okay but for as long as it’s meant to be a secret I will keep it that way. Can’t wait to see yo face!! : )

    Reply

  26. Francieidy says

    I’d say that work and my coworkers are a good reason to not share my blog. They know me, but they don’t really know me and I’d like it to stay that way. At least for now. Also, I agree with your passion or money post, that would be super awkward.

    Reply

  27. Jason B says

    I’m mostly public. I haven’t really put up many pictures yet. Most of my friends and family know about. Half of my co-workers do as well. I didn’t want everybody to know because they may try to make me do more work lol.

    Reply

  28. Ree Klein says

    I was faced with that difficult decision when writing the About Me page on my blog. I struggled with letting the universe (including my parents) know that I had declared bankruptcy over 20 years ago and didn’t know if I should let the cat out of the bag about my net worth.

    I decided to just bite the bullet and come clean, be honest and transparent. For me, it was a show of good faith. I wanted people to know that you can go through the first half of your life making stupid decisions and come out the other side wiser, happier and wealthier.

    I’ve only been blogging now for a little over three months. So far, no one in my family has even brought these two facts up. I don’t know if I’ve made a fatal mistake by revealing so much but time will tell.

    Good luck on your big reveal!
    Ree

    Reply

  29. Debt and the Girl says

    I am mostly anonymous. Although most people know my first name and even a few know my last name, most people don’t know what I look like or even what state I live in. I am uber paranoid so I keep things that way for a lot of reasons. My bf and one other friend know the URL to my blog but a lot of my friends know that I blog. I like it that way actually. I don’t know if I will ever “come out of the closet” completely, though.

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      I never thought that I would come completely out. However, now that I want to be a freelancing 100% of the time, I feel that it is needed.

      Reply

  31. femmefrugality says

    My man does that same thing—drives me crazy! He says he does it cause he’s proud of me, but I’m not really wanting everyone I know to read. Oh, well…more blog hits? Can’t wait to see the engagement photos!

    Reply

  34. Brian @ Luke1428 says

    I’m not anonymous but I don’t share every detail of my life either. I understand why people share their monthly incomes and debt levels but I’m not prepared to go there yet. Even though I’ve chosen to share my thoughts openly to the world, I still long for some privacy in certain aspects of my life.

    Reply

  37. Pauline says

    Congrats! I am not anonymous but don’t talk about my blog. Even my BF doesn’t know about it and he spends 24/7 with me. Only the curious (or creepy) people who googled me know about it.

    Reply

  38. Cassie says

    I’d like to be able to be 100% public on my blog, but I still do it somewhat anonymously and keep certain details private (like which banks I keep my money in) for the sake of security. Like you, there are no (clear) pictures of my face on my blog.

    Reply

  39. Lindsey @ Cents & Sensibility says

    Hey Michelle
    I am semi-anonymous – I say semi because while I have a picture of myself and lots of financial details about my life. The anonymous part comes from only telling three people in my life about my blog and only two read it sporadically. I think you do what is right for you. I’m looking forward to seeing your engagement pics though!

    Reply

  40. Matt Becker says

    I’m not anonymous, but I’m also not announcing it to the world. I’ve told people, and for the most part they’re like “oh cool”, maybe ask a few questions, and then forget about it. I think the only person I really know who visits it with any regularity is my brother. One difference between me and you is that I’m not posting detailed financial information. But I also think, like Mrs. Pop says in your screenshot above, that even if you’re anonymous, if you stick around long enough then people will probably be able to figure out who you are.

    Reply

  41. Cj says

    I’m not plastering my full name out there….but if someone figures out who I am, I’m fine with that. My real name is unique, so initials are nice. which is the main reason why I don’t use my real name, but it is real…everything I post is me and Tim…even my initials.

    Reply

  45. Greg@Thriftgenuity says

    I struggled with this at first, but now am pretty open. Although, my blog is pretty new, so the chances of someone I know stumbling upon it is pretty remote. I try to keep the things I write pretty positive in regards to work and friends/family, so I don’t think I have an issue there. But, if I were planning my escape from my company :), I would definitely be more paranoid about who discovered my site.

    Reply

  46. The First Million is the Hardest says

    I started out trying to be anonymous, but I didn’t really work too hard at staying that way. It makes me self conscious sometimes when I give updates on my investments, but in the end I really don’t put out any information I wouldn’t tell someone who asked me anyway.

    Reply

  47. Mike says

    Hey Michelle! I’m still mostly anonymous because of the day job thing, but some of my offline friends and family know about my online adventures. Not all of them take it seriously or treat it like a “real job” though, they just don’t understand that you really can earn a living online.

    Reply

  48. E.M. says

    I am anonymous, mostly because of my job. I don’t really want anyone at work finding out anything they shouldn’t. I have told my boyfriend, a close friend and my parents. I don’t think my family would care at all, or really know what a blog is! I don’t have much to report on my financial situation because it’s honestly nothing amazing. I don’t mind being open about my student loan debt if it helps others, and it helps me too! Maybe things will change, and if I ever do go public I would make sure that nothing is on my blog that would paint me in an unflattering way for potential jobs down the road. I agree that for freelancing it’s probably best to be public 🙂

    Reply

  49. Lauren {at} Life.Love.Lauren says

    I am public but there are tons of times I really wish I wasn’t because I could truly speak. I have a problem where I say too much and it can def and has gotten me into trouble. But the people that I have met through blogging not being anonymous has pretty well made up for it!

    Reply

  50. Budget and the Beach says

    I’m a little bit half and half…some people (like the producer I work for and my parents) know I have a PF blog and am easily searchable based on that info (they may or may not have-but have not admitted it). I also have a lot of real life friends who know now, which makes me slightly nervous about what I’ve written in the past, but I think probably less of my “real life” friends are actually reading my blog anyway, so I’m probably OK. I do like being able to share more, but I also do have to do a little more self-editing to make sure I protect and future job possibilities and/or pissing off friends and family. BTW if you want to friend me on facebook in real life I’m pretty sure you know my full name. 🙂 I’m so easy to find.

    Reply

  51. Brad says

    My website is extremely new but this is definitely something I struggled with from the outset. I initially included our last name on the site, but I almost immediately removed it after further review.

    If all goes well we’ll make a name for ourselves in the Richmond, VA area, so I suspect (and hope?) our anonymity will short-lived in that regard.

    In any event, it’s really courageous of you to come forward publicly and I thoroughly enjoyed this article and your site (this is my first visit).

    Reply

  52. Tina @ My Shiny Pennies says

    I’m anonymous because like you and others have said, it allows to vent freely about what’s happening in my life. If I were in a bigger city, I may consider going public since the chances of running into someone I know are lower.

    Reply

  54. Frugal(er) says

    I’m anonymous still and unlikely to change, though my closest friends know about the blog and read it. I think it’s a bit more freeing to at least be semi-anonymous, but the real reason I do it is because I’m a public employee and just don’t want random folks talking to me about my money. I personally don’t like to be photographed and will most likely never put a picture of myself online (except my private facebook) because I’ve had far, far too many creepy men think that I am their friend to risk having them know more about me than I tell them face-to-face. But on the other hand, I love reading blogs where people post pictures of themselves and you really feel a part of their lives. Maybe I’ll change someday…

    Reply

  55. simple living says

    Great article and I think many bloggers, especially beginners struggle with being anonymous or not. I guess it comes down to a persons comfort level with putting them self out there. For those who are anonymous in the beginning, I think their views change after they have blogged for a while and slowly start to use their actual profile over time.

    Reply

  56. Jacob @ iHeartBudgets says

    I’ve been public since the beginning, and it is kind of a bummer that I have to limit myself on posting certain things. I can’t talk about my job, my income, or a handful of other things, but I do like putting a face to a blog to get a sense of personality and it really does make it more relatable. Glad you’ve decided to come out! 🙂

    Reply

  57. John@MoneyPrinciple says

    We started out semi-anonymous but have come out some time ago. It is difficult to write a blog as an inconnu. Much easier and more engaging for the reader if they think there is a real person behind the blog who is not afraid to be seen….

    Reply

  58. thepotatohead says

    We are sorta anonymous. We use pseudonyms on the website, but anyone that has emailed has gotten our real name. And we’ve told friends and family. So not exactly public knowledge, but not trying to be completely hidden. I think it would be weird though for someone in the office to know about the blog, so mainly trying to keep that at a minimum.

    Reply

  59. Peter says

    Great article and I find that people who are anonymous when they add comments, change how they comment and give more value after they become public and slowly start to use their actual profile to validate what they have to say. I am also a blogger on debt free living and totally agree with the idea of being public with your comments. My site http://www.simplylivingdebtfree.com/blog/ also promotes open comments, so should you have any advice or comments on debt consolidation, or debt free living articles I write, I would be happy to receive them.

    Reply

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