I'm thinking about ditching the "Karsh" moniker. Let me explain.

I came up with Karsh about four years ago in an IM conversation with Nova and since then, it's kinda been with me. Almost four years of blogging, nearly 1,000 posts and it's still here. And I never really gave any thought to going with my real name on here because:

a) I talk about my job and the people that work there (although I don't mention real names or my actual place of employment)
b) there's a few real life, non-blogging people I've mentioned on here -- most who don't talk with me anymore -- who would be surprised to see what I think about them (which wouldn't be anything they've already heard from me)
c) me -- the man behind the Karsh -- and this blog operate offline as two separate entities

Yeah...two separate entities. About that last point...I'd say in about the past year and a half, the two merged. And while a blog is nothing without its author, it really started hitting home right after I got canned for blogging on the job in 2005. Soon there were interviews from reporters, calls from TV stations and honestly, I didn't even want to talk about it. Shit happened, you know? I took it like a man, looked for a job and had a new gig in less than three months. Need we keep bringing it up?

So after that, I started getting people in real life who didn't know me, but read the blog, then discovered the man behind the Karsh...and that was a bit interesting and odd. Granted, it got me a few dates, but dudes were surprised that I wasn't "like I am on my blog", which is really a crock. I'm a bit more shy in person, but once I open up, you know it's Karsh.

The latest nod from the universe that it might be time to give up the name actually started from SoCon '07. That was my first techie conference that wasn't work related and had to do with this blog...and I went under my real name (which I ended up scratching out and writing KARSH over it).

And honestly...it felt kinda silly.

The point really started getting hammered in my head once I started gathering information for the new Infoglut section and stacking it up to my Internet presence under my real name. And the difference was startling; the man behind the Karsh is barely a blip on the Internet radar. Karsh on the other hand is #6 in a Google search for the name, and pretty spread around on the 'Net. 9rules, the Black Weblog Awards, Ultimate Blogger...you get the idea.

I even started to think about if it got out at work...you know...Karsh the Black Gay Blogger in our midst. I mean hell, they already know I'm in 9rules from the button on my bag, but I doubt anyone's done the research. And if they have, so what?

Anywho...PodCamp Atlanta is coming up, and I'll be Karsh. And on this blog I still talk about my job and give my opinions. And ditching the Karsh could open up a Pandora's box of future problems. I guess that for what it's worth, Karsh and I are the same. I go by both in real life with no problem. I guess it's just something I'm going to have to learn to get used to. Again.

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Previous T-Minus Tens
Stuck (2006)
Uninspired (2004)

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