Over on Twitter I decided partly as an experiment and mostly just for fun to create a sub character to my already very decidedly caricature of myself.. I created Freelance Ad Guy and since his wisdom would be sporadic at best he became a sub character instead of having a whole new account. I like to think of my Twitter account as a sitcom with an ensemble cast. Why would there be a need for Freelance Ad Guy? Well he takes all that goes wrong behind the scenes not only in Advertising and Marketing but the whole creative workplace and then relates it in an entertaining manner. Now in doing this I have offended some people because he does hit a little too close to home for some and.. well… I get to see Freelance Ad Guy as an acronym.. some people are just not very nice. The more fun ones are when I get accused of giving out “trade secrets” sure sometimes Freelance Ad Guy gives acceptable wisdom but for the most part its a joke, not to be taken seriously. I wouldn’t hire Freelance Ad Guy and I would hope you wouldn’t either. Obviously people out there are because I would’ve ran out of material before I started if Freelance Ad Guy wasn’t getting work. I look at this little Twitter show of mine as an extension of what I try to do with my interns, I don’t so much focus on teaching them how to use particular software because they should already know that, I focus on trying to impart all the things I learned the hard way doing this for almost twenty plus years. Now if they listen I don’t know but I can at least say I tried…

Why?  It was more given to me really.  I had a coworker once that was fond of saying “Do it up Captian” or similar just referring to people as Captain.  Nothing really odd, I know.  But in this same group of coworkers, it was common to ask me if I had my Angry Pants on that day.  I can be a surly cuss at times.

Once and while, my handle is used in real life, but usually more so when someone is making a joke or if I am being a surly cuss.  But on a daily basis, I am Eric.  That is my name.  I like it.

Ok, ok, so I am rambling.  But it is at least partially at heart to my question:  Why do people use their very obviously fake names in real life?

Now I can understand having a stage name, cause well, we need our strippers and pornstars.  But it seems really queer to me to for the more average person even the “internet special” person to be using a stage name in real life.  You go to some meeting or convention and they want to be referred to as the stagename.

I’m sorry?  I wanna call you Bill or Sam or Angelica.  It just seems impersonal to call them by their handle or it seems douchey on their part to want to be called by the monkier.  I want to communicate to the person inside, not the faux shell.  And don’t even get me started on those special types that desired to be called their Wiccan, Werewolf, Fae or Furry names.  *shudders*

I guess I live too much in a closed off world or are they just douchebags?