Friday, July 29, 2011

Blog Nicknames, and Why I Chose Use To Them

If you've been reading Stress Case for a little while now*, then you may have noticed that I don't ever use actual names on this blog (other than my own and other bloggers who reveal theirs).  I thought I would explain why and how I came to that conclusion, and which blogger actually inspired me to do so.

While many many bloggers choose to use nicknames instead of birth names on their blog, the one who really inspired me to do so was That Wife.  She refers to her husband as 'That Husband' and her son as 'That One,' or 'T1.'  I thought it was so cute, and her nicknames are adorable and I love that they all go together.

I chose to use nicknames on this blog for two main reasons:

1. I think it flows better, and is more entertaining to read.  It's fun to choose the nickname that I think best encompasses the people I write about!  I think it sounds more fun to read about 'Hat Dad' or 'Dimples' or 'Best Friend Swagger' than it does to read about Joe, Mandy, or Melissa (not their real names).  It makes my blog (which is obviously inspired by my life) read like a little storybook, and that is something I am in to!

and

2. I don't think it is my decision to choose what people want written about them.  While I write about my life, which includes my friends and family, I don't necessarily think that everyone wants to be 100% associated with every little thing I write.  I don't have the time nor energy to run everything I write by all the important people in my life whom I mention on here, and so for me, it is easier to just exclude their names, and somewhat hide their identities.  While I still show photos on the blog, I have asked permission from those whose faces I show first, and without their name to a face, it helps to keep them mostly anonymous.

With that, I am happy to announce a short series I am working in which nicknames will be explained!  While some are obvious (have you seen my husband?  Handsome Husband was a given), others are a little more curious (what exactly does Ms. Does it All do?).  I hope you'll enjoy delving into my life by getting to know the people who make me me a little better!

Do you use your friends and family's real names in your blog?  Why or why not? 

*If this your first time - hey, what's up!?  Thanks for coming by!

Smart and Trendy Moms

6 comments:

Betty said...

I'm very excited to hear how people got their nicknames...I've been SO curious about that!

I use real names on my blog but when I started blogging I wanted to use nicknames. My SIL uses our last name on her blog so it wasn't really possible to hide my name information too much. So now, I only use first names.

Holly said...

I really like that you use nicknames for people, and I often think of doing that for my blog but I've already put people's names out there so I don't know if I can switch over! I don't put my last name out there, though. I'm excited to read how they all got their names!

Tricia said...

I use my husband's name sometimes, but other than that I am using nicknames. I agree, it's not up to me to have identities revealed etc. I'm trying to think of some cute ones for my sisters other than "sister one" etc. Fortunately, we've always had one for my dad: The Sarge. It works exceptionally well.
Can't wait to hear how everyone in your life got theirs!

Mary @ Redo 101 said...

Hi, I'm visiting from the Social Parade. Like you, I use nicknames: Mr. Redo, Ms. E., and Redo Jr. It works for us, just for a little privacy. I'm your newest GFC follower and would love a follow back!

Hugs,
Mary

Sister Singer said...

I'm really interested in learning why you call me Sister Singer. I really have no idea where that nickname came from...

Unknown said...

So far I've been using everyone's real names, but I've been considering giving all my friends nicknames on the blog because I'm not sure they'll always want everything I say about them all over the internet. I haven't really decided what to do about this yet.

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