The Grave Consequences of a Name!

Our friend Alan49 just published “What’s in a name” – (https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/alancross/blog/whats-in-a-name), in which he nicely made a point that has also been bogging me ever since I joined WA! I used a pen name because I actually thought that we were supposed to do so. I know it was my fault for getting too excited in having decided to join WA and paying attention to this important issue.

Is It Just a Name?

Thank you Alan49, or Mr. Alan Cross, for stating that you wished you had chosen when he joined WA as well. Alan is so right in his blog to question the use of pen names in our beloved WA Community, which has always bothered me too. However, there is so much more at stake that COULD be badly jeopardized if we don’t pay attention this matter. Allow me to elaborate, if I may…

What Difference Does It Make?

For the sake of not creating any misunderstanding amongst my dear WA friends, I am going to use myself for purposes of illustration. You see, I use the pen name JAY-B, which stands for Jay Barnelli – I just used my last name’s initial in my pen name. It now doesn’t make any sense to me at all – like Alan. Well. Let’s see why!

Why?

In my humble opinion, it comes down to one thing and one thing only! What is it that ONLY thing that I am trying to convey to my audience that happens to be visiting my website? What is the MOST IMPORTANT thing that my site’s content is asking my audience to do? What is the ONE thing about me that will make my audience feel comfortable and at ease to invest the time and focus on what I have to say and recommend to them?

Did You Guess?

If you guessed it, then you share my opinion as well. It is TRUST, TRUST, and TRUST!

How Is That?

I had the misfortune of having to spend over a month rewriting about 90% of my site’s content from pages into posts, which was actually a blessing in disguise! In doing so, I realized that I had been hiding behind my first name only, while I was asking my audience to give me their precious TRUST! When I put myself in their shoes and asked myself “How can I trust this person and what he is telling me, if he doesn’t trust me with his full name? I want to know who he is and what he looks like!”

I Fixed It!

Of course, my above illustration does not apply to everyone, but it did apply to me because, while I did have my picture on my site, I had been using my first name only! This is a personal decision and everyone has to make his/her choice based one’s own reasoning. We must, however, be fully informed of the consequences of our decisions. I now have my full name on my site in order to give my audience the full respect and the utmost courtesy they expect and deserve. This is only my own personal opinion!

My Closing

I must confess that I used to feel somewhat uncomfortable before I had my full name all over my site, as if I was looking over my shoulder all the time. Now, I feel great! I have nothing to hide - “Jay Barnelli” is who I am and a “WA Online Marketer” is what I am doing! I am not ashamed in any way, but in fact I am proud of it! My mission is to help others realize their goal and dreams of a successful online marketing business, right? So, how can I accomplish my mission, no matter how legit or honorable it may be, and earn anyone’s trust if I give the slightest perception of deceit? Again, this is only my opinion!

I would like to sincerely extend my appreciation to Alan Cross who inspired me to publish this blog, that I have had (in rough form) in a Word document on my computer. Thanks Alan!

Thank you everyone in the Community for putting up with me... again!

All the very best to you all… Jay Barnelli