Welcome to the first post of my blog.

I am Jack Howardson. At least, that’s my pen name…

A lot of people believe blogs are old school… there are a million ways to express yourself now. We have Facebook, Twitter, Medium, Instagram, Pinterest, Yik Yak, Youtube… the list goes on and on.  With so many options, why would one want to start a blog — especially an anonymous one?

Why start a blog — not just use social media?

That is a good question. Here are some answers…

1) I want a place to express my thoughts, experiences, ideas more fully and substantially than what social media is designed for.

– I can use my blog as an outlet to post anything at any length (even interesting school assignments), something that doesn’t work well with social networks which are focused on holding onto the short-term attention spans of the masses.

2) None of the current social media platforms are very good for long-form content.

– Medium is trying, but they are lacking a lot… including a commenting system.

3) I want to have my own platform, not be dependent on a social network.

– Blogs have the potential to grow a more broad and organic audience.

Okay – but why use a pen name?

First, I know that I am not truly anonymous at all. In fact, I am even sharing this blog with my social networking friends. If anyone really wants to find out who I am, then they totally can. I don’t have anything to hide or any big secrets to reveal, but I do want to use a pen name. Here are 3 reasons why:

1) I can write edgier posts than if I was writing as my true name.

– I don’t necessarily want potential employers/investors/whatever to automatically judge me if I post crazy (but true) stories of befriending Mexican drug-dealers, skiing across frozen lakes, or the successes and struggles of my latest startup projects.

2) It’s kind of fun to have a different identity — who wouldn’t want to have their own alter-ego?

– ‘Jack Howardson’ has a nice ring to it.

3) I can still share my real-life identity with whoever I want.

– In fact, at any point in the future, I could just switch this blog from my pen name to my real name.

Thanks for reading my first blog post here! Maybe this will be my last post or maybe it will be the beginning of many… who knows? Please let me know your thoughts… I am just starting the site, so any feedback is greatly appreciated. Would you ever consider writing a blog with a pen name? – Jack