I mostly go by Michele online, which is my legal middle name and the name I use socially ("Michele" was taken when I tried to sign up for HN or that would be my handle here). I used to go by my first name and last name online, both of which are uncommon so I am in the same situation you are in. I stopped doing that in part because no one could ever spell or pronounce my name and I thought my more common middle name would make things easier in that regard. It really hasn't. For now, I persist in part because I currently have a job with BigCo and if you google my first name and last name, you find zilch about me in spite of how much personal info is plastered all over the web about me. So it does provide some separation between my IRL life and my online life. At some point, I imagine that separation will disappear, whether I want it to or not. I'm okay with that.
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I mostly go by Michele online, which is my legal middle name and the name I use socially ("Michele" was taken when I tried to sign up for HN or that would be my handle here). I used to go by my first name and last name online, both of which are uncommon so I am in the same situation you are in. I stopped doing that in part because no one could ever spell or pronounce my name and I thought my more common middle name would make things easier in that regard. It really hasn't. For now, I persist in part because I currently have a job with BigCo and if you google my first name and last name, you find zilch about me in spite of how much personal info is plastered all over the web about me. So it does provide some separation between my IRL life and my online life. At some point, I imagine that separation will disappear, whether I want it to or not. I'm okay with that.