The Reality of Being Real

With the requirement of real names for Google+, I've found it has scratched a mental itch that I never knew I had.

For most of my adult life, I've gone by my middle and last name, Alan Jackson. I recently starting using my first name, Curtis, after moving to Miami. BUT...I don't feel like a Curtis and so am going to transition back to using Alan all the time. If you look at my profile, it's simply "Alan Jackson".

In the past I've looked for witty and/or cute nicknames/screennames/etc. but I think that I'm going to enjoy being just me for a while. One persona to show everyone. I don't mean that there were some kinds of lies and deceits in the past. I just never really felt fully me.

What I posted on Facebook wasn't always the same as what I posted on FriendFeed. The first more serious and specific, the second more of my whimsy and randomness.

As I continue to wade into the waters of Google+, I see it as a chance to bring those not so disperate parts back together again.

I can still drop some silliness on some circles while "keeping it real" on others. I think that's why I like Google+ so much. It gives me a place to be everything to all people...one Circle at a time.