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re: Why are people anonymous on this great list
Posted by: Singapore/Fling 09:34 pm EDT 08/17/17
In reply to: re: Why are people anonymous on this great list - Naughty_Rob 10:43 am EDT 08/17/17

On my end, there are a few reasons why I choose to remain anonymous on this site (and why I am careful about how much of myself to reveal here):

1) I learned in the late 90s some of the problems that arise when you use your real name in a public space on the internet.

2) Being anonymous allows me to speak honestly about things that I see in the theater in a way that don't in public. Sure, when I'm with my friends or my colleagues and we're dishing about what we've seen, I say most of the same things that I say here, but those are private conversations. One of the reasons that I never pursued criticism as a career is that once you begin criticizing artists, it's difficult to work in a creative capacity in the theater. I would be much more guarded on this site if I was going by my own name.

3) Feeding into that, this site is also a place where I don't have to worry about presenting myself professionally. I still have to be careful about the words I use, as I should, but I' I'm also allowed to be looser and to make mistakes here that I can't make in the real world.

4) This site doesn't always have the best reputation in the business. A couple years back, I told a colleague that I frequented this site. He gave me a withering look, said, "oh, you're one of those people", and our relationship never recovered. To be fair, it wasn't a great relationship to begin with, so I don't blame ATC for my lack of advancement at that particular company, but it did teach me to stay quiet about my appreciation for this board.

5) I like being anonymous because it means that the only context I have here are the words that I use. Over the years, that has taught me a lot about my communication skills, which has actually made me a better writer and participant in the world at large. It's more work to be anonymous and contextless, but I find it more valuable as well.

I've answered your questions, so I'm going to ask one of my own: what do you gain from using this site as a source of self-promotion?
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