Being a professional and having social anonymity is a crime

I have stolen this blog from the original article at 33charts by Bryan Vartabedian and changed Doctor to Professional – As a Chartered Engineer CEng and Fellow of both the Institution of Engineering and Technology and Chartered Institute of Marketing I totally agree but I see it as a wider issue than doctors.

 

Professionals should not be socially anonymous. We need to be seen. Here's why going underground isn't good policy for us:

Anonymity makes you say stupid things. When you're shouting from the crowd it's easy to talk smack. Come up to the podium, clear your throat, and say something intelligent. You're a professional, not a hooligan.

It's 2010: Anonymity died a long time ago. You think anonymity offers shelter? Anonymity is a myth. You can create a cockamamie pseudonym, but you can't hide. And if I don't find you, the plaintiff attorneys will. They found Flea.

Being a “nerd” is no excuse. Just as you're unlikely to consult a lawyer before speaking at a cocktail party, commenting as “You” is unlikely to kill you or land you in court. Just a few pointers: Don't talk about anything that is confidential, secret or private, don’t tell someone what to do, and be nice.

We need you, darn it. There are very few senior professional in the free world with regular blogs (doctors less than 100) leaving all the rest are either working or peeking from under their desks hopin' this social stuff all goes the way of the hula hoop. If all the professional spoke up, we could change the world.

Anonymity soils credibility. Dr. Val Jones once said that "the Internet needs lifeguards." Of course we can swim. No one needs to be rescued, but there's nothing wrong with a few strategically placed lifeguards to blow the whistle every now and again (mind you, these aren't paternalistic lifeguards, but lifeguards seeking a partnership with empowered, engaged swimmers.)  "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the Internet." In the end, no one trusts a lifeguard in a ski mask. Unless we know who you are, you don't count. If you're anonymous, I have to assume you're actually a disgruntled professional assistant with an axe to grind. Show your face and create a digital footprint that we can all see. Look at me. Look at my blog. I'm real. The links are real.

Go and be real so that your voice can be credible. What am I missing here?