My student just told me that he had a sudden surge of likes on his Medium blog. He said he didn't know why. I told him that I posted it in my corner of the internet, and there were over 50 comments. He said, "Send me the link." I hesitate. Should I let my students know that I have a secret life? I might have to be more discreet. On the other hand, they deserve a visit to the Hubskiverse.
No. Don't do it. That is a genie that never goes back in the bottle. People get fired for stupid, misinterpreted shit, every single day. You have no idea how someone else is going to read/interpret one of your posts, and if they decide it is about them, then there is nothing you can do to disabuse them (or a jury) of that notion. The internet is a big place. Everybody doesn't need to crowd into one corner. Should I let my students know that I have a secret life?
I have five people in meatspace who know my Hubski identity. Dala and PlaceboEffect are two of them, the other three don't have Hubski accounts but are discreet, trustworthy, and understand the significance of a pseudonym. I'd be more than happy to share this site with others, but I think I'd do so without letting them know my screen name, though I'd doubt it'd take long to figure out who I am. Not really a constructive response here, just my situation and maybe some food for thought.
Screen name = real name. Ha ha. I'm so transparent. I'm usually pretty thoughtful about what I write. I try not to be too (publically) stupid too often. In addition, I tend to have one consistent identity. It's a privilege to be able to finally not live a double or triple life.
I hear that. I have so many people in my life that I know would love Hubski, but it's a hard sell. It's something you have to participate in or visit regularly before you really start to get it. Much of the site is knowing the personalities, IMO. If you visit a dive bar once, you might think it's just four walls and some liquor but once you visit a number of times you realize the people that inhabit it are what make it unique. It takes time.
I would like to see what your students could bring here but then again it's easy for me to say that when I'm not encountering them on a daily basis.