As I entered my second career, as programmer, I made a very conscious attempt to use a very personal handle for services that were even remotely professional. F

As I entered my second career, as programmer, I made a very conscious attempt to use a very personal handle for services that were even remotely professional. For most, that meant something like 'jnovinger', which is my first initial and full last name. The reason was that I wanted build a professional reputation. I wanted to say smart things and have them associated with me as opposed to some handle I used long ago. I said some really stupid things when I was younger and much, much more naive. Plus, seeing my real name at the top of the page reminded me that what I was saying was public, permanent, and subject to making me look like an idiot. Having said that, I chose 'nantes' for HN, because, well, you all intimidated me when I registered. It took a while reading HN before I really felt like I had something useful and relevant to add to the discussion. Even then, my experience was dwarfed by HN and I worried that I might post something poorly thought out or downright dim-witted. I've started to get over that. A little bit.