hi all. anonymous/pseudonymous blogging is a whole new phenomenon. there were influential anonymous pamphleteers since the dawn of the printing press, but the widespread phenomenon of blogging is a real game changer.
thomas paine was one of the most influential pamphleteers of all time and a very prescient 1995 wired article acknowledged the similarity of his style to the modern internet blogger.[9]
Id like to make a list of the "most influential anonymous bloggers". it would take awhile to figure it out. maybe you can make some suggestions in the comments.
three of the most influential come to mind. the particular links below are quite fascinating & much better written than I ever could, I highly recommend reading them and I hope you enjoy surfing some of them.
* * *
Belle Du Jour
the big news this week is that Belle du Jour has "outed" herself.[1-5] Belle is one of the most famous anonymous bloggers ever. her fame was esp high in britain as newspapers got into the act of speculating on her identity and trying to "out" her. but it really spiralled as the HBO show "secret diary of a call girl" came out and has had 2 seasons, and as far as I hear will have a 3rd season. Ive watched it all on DVD. pretty good, I recommend it. (Id say if you like "girls next door" you will probably enjoy belle's adventures)
one newspaper article said that she was going public because she feared an exbf would "out" her. has a little bit of an extortionist smell to it if you ask me. she is a highly accomplished scientist-- she has a PhD. I read this book, and I was impressed with her writing. I do feel she was kind of affectless at times. kind of emotionally distant. she didnt write much about her childhood, but I suspect she had a kind of cold one, maybe.
belle kept her identity secret for many years, maybe half a decade or so. apparently even her literary agent didnt know her identity. thats quite a feat.
* * *
Minerva
one of the most remarkable, phenomenal cases is Minerva.[6] he was commenting on the south korean stock market & economics, and starting to influence the markets themselves with his prognostications. the korean mass media started to speculate on his identity, and he became nationally famous in his anonymous identity.
he was "outed" probably by someone at his ISP, and something like 5 police showed up to knock on his door and arrest him. what you definitely call a "worst case scenario".
theres an excellent article on wired on the dynamics. last I heard he was in jail for 1.5 years awaiting his trial.
* * *
Fake Steve Jobs
another famous one was the Fake Steve Jobs, aka dan lyons.[7] he was quite brilliant. while senior editor of forbes, he revealed himself & stated that he never made much money at his blog, even at the height of his popularity.
he was a [presumably!] well paid writer before he tried his hand at blogging. seems like you'd have to be kinda desperate to try blogging to make money after being a senior forbes editor.... as they say, whats wrong with this picture?
I gotta hand it to dan, though-- he couldnt have picked a better target. Jobs was just named "CEO of decade" by money magazine.[8] now, I usually "dont believe the hype" or "drink the purple koolaid", of which there are copious quantities in the tech biz. but man, jobs really is the real deal. nice job stevie wonder boy. my hat goes off to you.
(fine print caveat: I think googles brin and page deserve some kind of award for managing to not merely avoid the artillery-tank treads of microsoft but to thrive. maybe 1st 21st century company and ceos!)
it is a sad story that very talented writers seems to be commodified by the web in a kind of "race to the bottom". I do hope that better models for remunerating writers arise in the next few years. I think it will happen, slowly. but anyone who wants to make money at blogging really needs to see his excellent essay 1st as required reading!
theres a great dramatic movie plot in all this somewhere, and I bet hollywood is gonna discover it in a bit. starring, lets see, as the intellectual, dynamic, edgy, erudite blogger..
Keanu Reeves? Ashton Kutcher maybe? Megan Fox? Ill be 1st in line to see that one. hey, Megan could fill up a blog just transcribing her tattoos....!
* * *
[1]
Scientist announces that she is call girl and blogger Belle de Jour
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/15/belle-de-jour-blogger-prostitute
[2]
British scientist says she penned call-girl blog
Internet star blogged about the experience in the guise of Belle de Jour
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33952098/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/
[3]
I’m Belle de Jour
Finally the anonymous sex blogger from Diary of a London Call Girl comes clean to The Sunday Times. She's Dr Brooke Magnanti
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article6917495.ece
[4]
Autobiography: Belle de Jour
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article411134.ece
[5]
Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Diary-Call-Girl-Belle/dp/044654082X/
[6]
The Troubles of Korea’s Influential Economic Pundit
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/mf_minerva/
[7]
Time to Hang Up the Pajamas, by Dan Lyons
I learned the hard way: while blogs can do many wonderful things, making huge amounts of money isn't one of them.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/183666
[8]
The decade of Steve
How Apple's imperious, brilliant CEO transformed American business.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/04/technology/steve_jobs_ceo_decade.fortune/index.htm
[9]
The Age of Paine
Thomas Paine was one of the first journalists to use media as a weapon against the entrenched power structure. He should be resurrected as the moral father of the Internet. Jon Katz explains why.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.05/paine.html
[10]
The World's Brainiest Call Girl
This week a research scientist was unmasked as blogger Belle de Jour, inspiration for Showtime's Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Olivia Cole on a sex scandal's surprisingly happy ending.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-11-19/the-worlds-brainiest-call-girl/?cid=topic:mainpromo1
[11]
Billie Piper, the star of Showtime’s steamy comedy Secret Diary of a Call Girl, talks about the third season of the sexy show and meeting the real-life diarist behind the series.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-01-24/diary-of-a-not-so-secret-call-girl/
[12]
I introduced Belle to vice girls: It showed her the 'human face' of sex trade, says father
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1228424/I-introduced-Belle-Jour-Brooke-Magnanti-vice-girls-says-father.html
[13]
Belle meets Billie: The more I did it the more I came to enjoy it.. you must feel like that when you've absolutely nailed a scene
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1243471/Billie-Piper-meets-Brooke-Magnati-real-life-Belle-Jour-Secret-Diary-Of-A-Call-Girl.html#ixzz0ddqtZqqG
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Juliet Waters
the traveler
Nocheapshots
Darla Carmichael
Jeanine T. Abraham
Zaki Hasan
Salon.com
Comments
R
"At trial, the government argued that false information published by Park had rattled currency markets and panicked thousands of citizens into selling off dollars, at a cost to the government of $2.2 billion. This, asserted the prosecution, violated a law forbidding the use of a computer to “spread a false rumor maliciously intending to damage the public interest.” They asked for a prison sentence of 18 months."
he was eventually acquitted but the govt is "appealing" the ruling. hah. he was in jail a long time awaiting trial. more:
“I felt so isolated,” he says. “They accused me of selling out my country. No! I’m not a spy. I wanted to help through my criticism. I had thought that South Korea was a democratic country. I felt as though my nation betrayed me.”