There's this weird thing that happens when you contribute something to a static profile. You have to worry about how this new content fits in with your online persona that's supposed to be you. It's uncomfortable and unfortunate.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I've had people break into profiles on my Internet; they got into my accounts. This was at the beginning of my career. There is a fair bit of alarm when something like that happens. It definitely bothered me a lot at the time. But you move on from these things.
One of the things I find really hard and view as a massive drag... is that I'm losing my ability to be completely anonymous.
There's this large trend - I think the next trend in the Web, sort of Web 2.0 - which is to have users really express, offer, and market their own content, their own persona, their identity.
Having a profile means you have to be cautious of who you let into your world, as you don't know if they're being genuine or not, but it's more that it can be a strain on your relationships.
I feel I'm anonymous in my work. When I look at the pictures, I never see myself; they aren't self-portraits. Sometimes I disappear.
I don't think of my characters as people I create, I think of them more as people I have met and whom I'm exploring on the page. I don't actually think of myself as having 'created' any of these people.
I'm not on Facebook. I have a sort of anonymous account that I check, like, once every six months every time Facebook rolls out a new feature.
I know that on my own sites, a picture of me with my mom or me with my dog does well, but when I put up a picture of myself shirtless, it does get a little crazy.
I sublimate different parts of my personality through my characters. Which is worrying, as some of them can be a bit nasty. I'm pleased the stuff on the page isn't inside me any more.
You know, I'm always surprised when I read profiles, and they make me sound so jaded. I am so not jaded.