Posted by Abdul on April 11, 2010
Mr. Anonymous
An anonymous blogger is one who blogs under a pen name. He doesn’t reveal his identity to the readers, doesn’t matter what the reason is. Since I started blogging I have seen quite an increasing trend to this.
Conventional blogging is, well, just normal blogging where you don’t hide your identity from the readers. There may be a million and one ways why people choose the anonymity way to blogging, I will not be getting into that. But I will just be analyzing the merits and demerits of choosing to blog anonymously.
Instead of having you read through a huge pile of text, I’ll take the privilege to present it to you in form of a table. 
| # |
Anonymous Blogging |
Conventional Blogging |
| 1 |
Not suitable if you want to build a community on your blog and increase interaction from the users who visit your website. |
Much more suitable and reader-friendly in terms of receiving feedback from the visitors and creating interaction on your blog. |
| 2 |
Hardly any chances of becoming some kind of an authority blogger or a ‘mover’ in your niche due to your anonymity. |
Since you’re giving users a much better way to get to know you, a ‘real’ person’s opinion would also matter to them and you have a much better chance of having some importance in your niche.  |
| 3 |
Quite odd chances of making blogging friends unless you reveal your identity. I mean, you can’t be anonymous and a friend at the same time! |
If you’re a friendly kind of a person and allow your readers access to your profiles on social networks, you might as well make some very helpful blogging friends. |
| 4 |
Much harder to build user trust. This is very important if you’re trying to sell something on your blog or are trying to collect your reader’s email addresses. People are becoming more concerned about spam and scams. |
When you get personal with your readers, your trust builds automatically. The problogger’s successful launch of his ’31 Days to better blogging’ is a good example of the trust and authority factor on the success of an e-book launch. |
| 5 |
You’re in a much safer position to try something shady.So, you can go ahead and try those traffic logs and other shady traffic ideas because even if you get caught you’re not losing reputation. |
This is a big NO for the not-so-anonymous bloggers. Your reputation count goes to negative if you try something shady, others will think of your website as spammy and you have almost to recover from that. |
| 6 |
There are times when you just want to go too controversial and expose some bad side of a kind of a big blogger. When you’re blogging anonymously, you are in the most safe position because any flaming from them would just be hitting a blank face. |
You have to watch your mouth. The blogosphere is a big community you might not want to trash-talk and seem like the rude and arrogant blogger in the community and turn your blogging experience into a hell. |
| 7 |
Better for MFA website. If your website is one of those throw-away websites that you make just for adsense then I would advise you to go for anonymous blogging. You can simply put up any type of content and make money. No worries about that. |
Not to mention, the nonsense content we marketers put up there. You don’t want to lose your reputation again and get flamed by people accusing you of trying to ‘make monies’ and providing them low-quality content. |
| 8 |
Just not suitable for branding, in most cases. |
Perfect for branding. Provided that you choose a good domain name, make yourself and your blog brand-able. |
That’s it for this little comparison between the two blogging ways that you could adopt. Now while I provided you with a more obvious side of the anonymous blogging thing.
For a new blogger wanting to achieve success, I would definitely recommend conventional blogging. There are many, many, many bloggers on the internet which may be a million times better than me at blogging and making money, and they are blogging anonymously.
My comparison was for the average start-up blogger because everybody does not have terrific humor like Internet marketing sucks or mastermind seo ideas like Slightly Shady SEO which cut out the anonymity part for the average reader.
So, go through this list again if you’re one of the double-minded people who just can’t decide which one is better.
P.S. You would NEVER want to reveal your identity on an money making auto blog. Take my word on this one. *gulps*
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Comments:
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Hiya! I'm Abdul Rehman, the 18 year old behind this awesome blog. I started off as a regular blogger and over time I have made my mark in the field of internet marketing, receiving many accolades in the process. Starting from nothing, today my blog gets over 40,000 visitors a month.
sandy said,
I think people who leave comments as anonymous are wimps, they want to say something and not really discuss it. I tend to delete all anonymous comments; unless they see to be from someone who’s not a regular blogging and therefore doesn’t have an url to connect to. Or is signed up elsewhere. But the the obnoxious, spammy anonymous comments get deleted post hast.
Now to actually write a blog anonymously seems like a waste of time to me. The whole point of blogging is in fact to have interaction; so to me it makes no sense. Feel the same about people who have comments turned off. They want visitors, they want readership; but have no intention of returning the readership or comments if they have their blog closed to members only or comments closed. Again it seems that’s not consistent with the actual definition of a blog…it’s an interactive diary of sorts. Interactive being the key word to my way of thinking.
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Trent | Online Business said,
I usually put my name on all my main sites/blogs. But there are times when I am anonymous such as if I have a really good niche site and I don’t want anyone to be able to find it and use it by searching my name. Or if it’s a blog that I don’t intend to be social or build readers on. Both ways can be good and bad as you explained.
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Teen Blogger said,
Nice post.
I think it depends on what kind of post your creating. For example if your just a blogger and write in a more friendly and funny way, then its best to reveal your real name and build relations with your readers.
I myself always use my real name and have almost never used pen names.
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California Reverse Mortgage said,
I haven’t tried adding my name to articles or blogs that I’ve written.. I guess its a great way to create a sense of “branding”; people will recognize your name I guess and visit back more.. Good stuff I’ll give it a try
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Ganesh Iyer said,
Hey Abdulrehman, Anon Blogging may get you into trouble and it is best to create an identity of yourself, this will also create a positive image in the minds of the readers, But it was a great and a well researched post
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Jonathan Beebe said,
Great comparison chart you have posted there!
My favorite point you made is that it is MUCH harder to build readership trust when you blog anonymously. I’m a big fan of email marketing, and I know that my efforts would be pretty much “nil” if I didn’t let some of my personal self show to my list.
I give them a pretty descriptive about page, I write to them in the same manner I would write a friend, I let them know how I got started, what I’m all about, etc.
If you want to earn money from your blogging (or online) efforts, I think that building trust is a HUGE factor… so in that case I’m all for conventional blogging.
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Tom said,
I think there’s something in between. Somebody who doesn’t want to write with a name, but also does not hide identity. For example, if I run a business that I want to associate my name with, but I have a hobby and I would like to keep it separate. It is pretty useful to pick a different name or a nick name. This helps you track your business results much better as well.
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Julius said,
I like Trent’s idea of using his real name in his main blogs and staying anonymous in those he doesn’t wish people to know him in. I think this is an effective example of being anonymous that is put to good use.
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Cosmos said,
More advantages are there in conventional blogging than in anonymous blogging.
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russ said,
thank you so much for sharing your great idea about both conventional and anonymous blogging. It helps me so much. I hope we continue to share whatever good idea we have in enhancing our blogs, not for our sake but for our friends who always tagging and visiting us. I consider myself a newbie in this. but i also believe there is always a space to improve.
Thank you so much Abdulreman Agha. More Power!
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Internet Business Opportunity said,
Internet Business Opportunity and How to Start a Online Business Success
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Febap Liew | Making Money Online Today said,
heya abdul rehman,
well apparently this is the second time i have read such a post. the first time i read was on problogger – a guest post by Treacle.
Here’s the link if you want to read up on it.
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2010/07/04/anonymous-blogging-101-a-quick-and-dirty-primer/
well it does gives you much more versatility and freedom when you blog/comment/chat anonymously. Imagine taking up an identity the first day and switching onto something else the next . its really like ‘acting’ where your roles differ the way you want them to be.
. unless i wear a cape and wrap myself up, i think i would better stick to being just me and let the world know what i will be achieving. 
I personally have such during my younger days. nope not for making money online, but just for sheer fun.
but as i grew older and so taking great importance in making money online, i have decided to just stick onto my real identity. yes, being me isn’t half as bad as being ‘nobody’
who knows, one day, if i ever make it online, i may appear on some host show
cheers
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anonymous blogger said,
many people blog anonymously for fear of reprisal or judgement, many anonymous bloggers have become somewhat famous (and I include e-identities, screennames and pseudonyms not tied to a real name as anonymous)
to say that it’s not appropriate because you won’t get famous or rich, or that anonymous bloggers are ‘wimps’, is to not fully understand the world we live in. and there’s a word for that: naïve.
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Raea said,
This was poorly written and clearly slanted. There are plenty of valid reasons why someone would choose to blog anonymously. Usually because they want to share something personal about themselves and feel self-conscious and restricted doing so in front of friends and family.
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A Blogger’s Invisibility Cloak –Anonymous Blogging. « VT’s Tech Blog said,
[...] person.To know more, about how Anonymous blogging is different from Conventional Blogging, do visit here.Whatever the reason to blog anonymously, make sure it is an honourable one that does not defy the [...]
ladystou said,
I read your post and all your comments so far. And I have to agree with Raeas comment. There are certain things that I wouldn’t like to share with some people. It’s not a bad thing I chose to write with a pen name. Besides many people who know me already know my pen name as well. So I’m still taking a risk there.
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