I have nothing to hide
I use my full (unique) name on the net
I'm not afraid of people looking me up on the internet. I am well aware that anybody can look me up, including the government, potential employers, credit reference agencies (sometimes working on behalf of the government), family, friends and criminals. No wonder I was afraid of the internet to begin with, but I eventually overcame those fears and I've had no problems arising from my openness.
Some time ago, I decided that anybody determined enough could track down everything that I've posted anyway. I therefore made it easy by using my full name, which allows me to track everything, as you can see by doing a Google search on my full name. A Google search on Peter Harris is useless because I have a lot of namesakes, several of whom are important enough to be listed on Wikipedia, but other clues would allow a determined person to get all the information they want about me anyway. Note that I never bother with my middle name in real life, except to include it on a CV or other document that requires it.
It is possible that a job opportunity might come via the internet. Maybe somebody will see something that I've posted and decide that I'm worthy of consideration. In September 2008, I received a message via Facebook from somebody who had noticed my predicament. Sadly, I would have needed medical experience to be of use to that particular person, but that contact illustrates what is possible. Actually, I was surprised that Facebook was the contact point, since I had done very little with my account there at the time; I had done much more on MySpace and Amazon. Eventually, I committed myself more fully to Facebook and I spent a lot of time there in 2010. I deactivated my Facebook account in January 2011 because it was too much of a distraction, but I will return one day.
One of my cyber-opponents wondered on their own now-deleted blog why I use three names, but I didn't respond. That person probably won't read this blog, but now you know why. Being as open as I am, I know that anything I post, anywhere on the internet, can come back to haunt me. I do have some secrets, but fewer than most people. As long as I make sure I keep anything too sensitive off the internet, the advantages of being open far outweigh the disadvantages.
I want employers to read about me
Of course I recognize that employers looking for what I've posted on the internet are likely to find some things they enjoy reading and some things that they don't like, but nobody can please all of the people all of the time. But through it all, employers can assess my writing ability, including spelling, punctuation and my use of language, as well as my IT skills and general level of intelligence, irrespective of what I write about. They can find out plenty else about me too, and if they don't think I'm right for them, so be it. Yet there is always the chance that somebody, somewhere, will like enough of what they see to contact me about a possible job. If I end up being interviewed by that person for the job, I'll go there confident in the knowledge that the person is genuinely interested, though whether I secure the job would still depend on the interview.
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