Why I changed my Twitter Name
AKA, some thoughts on my identity on the Internet.
When I first started creating an identity online, it was strictly around my main hobby at the time: Wine. I started using winenutnyc for my online interactions (mostly wine bulletin boards)- it protected my privacy a bit (it was never a secret identity), it told people a little bit about myself, and Charles Smith is an awfully hard name to capture on most services.
Fast forward 15 years and now that identity no longer suits the way I interact with people online, especially on twitter. It’s important to me that my tweets are not anonymous in any way. I don’t want any confusion about who is tweeting, nor my identity. I also don’t want followers who think they’re going to get info on wine in NYC. Follow my friend @grapeylyle for that! Wine is also no longer my main passion. I’ve stopped adding to my collection, preferring to enjoy the wine I drink, rather than obsessing about the latest and (possibly) greatest vintage.
My identity has not changed, but the identity with which I communicate online needs to be consistent. So I’m now @CharlesSmithC- the closest I could get to my name:Charles Calkins Smith. If you were following me before, nothing changes- you still are.
Thanks for reading (and following)!
