My New Year’s resolution for 2011 is to be more public on the web. Thus I am changing all my usernames and identities from to reflect my real name.

I have been thinking about this for some time now, but have held off for two reasons: naming and timing. My full name (Chad Kohalyk) is far too long and difficult to remember, so I wanted a short, easy username. “chadk” is taken on every social network already. A friend advised that I make the “k” silent, but alas “kchad” is also gone. “chado” and various other Japanese permutations of my name are all long gone. A few months ago I thought I would go with “chadko”, but the just a couple of weeks ago that was taken too! This leads me into my next point: timing.

Short usernames, especially ones based on real names, have all basically dried up. I wanted to switch usernames for New Year’s but speed is imperative. Furthermore, with all the holiday traffic I think the announcement would get lost. People who do not follow my every post might not realize who I am (or who I’ve become). So I thought I would make the change during the run up to the holidays.

Years ago, when I first became active on the web, privacy was a concern for my future. I was still a student, and didn’t want to spoil a reputation I didn’t have yet. There were worries about lost job prospects. Nearly a decade later I sort of regret not putting my real name on all the content I have produced over the years. True, anonymity is a good substitute for bravery. I might not have done what I did if I didn’t have that warm, comforting protection. However, over the years I have come to think that the cost to my personal brand is too high. So, starting now, I am going to be braver.

You can find me online at:

• http://twitter.com/chadkoh
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandbaggerone (uneditable!)
• and of course at http://chadkohalyk.com