Anonymous Blogging

People blog anonymously for a whole number of reasons.  There is absolutely nothing inherently sinister about it: it might be because they're in a job (e.g. Police) where they wish to be candid and therefore must protect their identity.

In my case I work with teenage Americans on educational tours around Europe, as a part time job.  I've absolutely no desire for them to google my name and find my blog and Twitter account coming up, where I can be frank, personal and relaxed about what I say.

Last year I was accused by a legal professional of being a fraud.  I think his exact words were "I'm unfollowing you, Peter.  Spidey Sense tells me there's something wrong about your account."  We had quite a few mutual followers and the discussion went on for a day or so, with my asking him to say exactly what was wrong with my account and his refusing to do so.

Some people, apparently, have "Spidey Sense"

Finally, a disability campaigner came out and said that she thought my blog about HIV might be a lie, presumably designed to get attention and/or sympathy.  When you take trust and integrity in social media as seriously as I do, and you write so frankly and personally on a topic that matters a great deal to you, this really hurts.  I published a box of my medication with my name on it (PME are my initials) and told her to google Efavirenz and Combivir.  She did, and immediately apologised.  Mr "Spidey Sense" has not apologised, ever, nor explained what his concern was.

I feel quite insecure at being banded in with "legal bloggers".  I am not one.  I read law at Cambridge, followed by and worked in a major City law firm (Clifford Chance) from 1996 to 2002.  I am a qualified solicitor and remain "on the roll", but have not practised since then.  I am now building a spa retreat in East Anglia.  I do not currently hold a practising certificate and have never held myself out as providing a client with legal advice (which is of course, illegal).  This is why I deliberately and carefully use the words "sometime lawyer" in my bio.

Last night, again, my identity as a solicitor was called into doubt.  In addition, Andrew Gilligan of the Telegraph was dismissive and rude about bloggers in general, and "anonymous bloggers" in particular, with reference to my post about the fraud Matthew Brown (see the comments section here).

If you've followed me for a while, you'll know I blog on a few serious things and a whole load of crap in between.  I have a very real legal background, but I do not pretend to be up to date on law like the "proper" bloggers out there.  What I am not is a fraud, and I don't tweet lies.  I know over 150 people off Twitter in real life: there are enough of them to call me out on anything I tweeted or wrote that was untrue.  It does my head in when people suggest I might.  I'd really rather like anyone to stop suggesting it.

I try to keep my name off Twitter and this blog for a reason, but if it settles it once and for all, above is my name and my law society membership number.  I'm doing it this way, as a Google search won't bring up the words on the image.  Please feel free to call the Solicitors Regulation Authority (their online search engine only lists practising solicitors) if you think this somehow magically makes what I write more trustworthy and deserving of being taken seriously.  Personally I don't and I think Gilligan is a knob for suggesting it does - but hey, that's just my opinion.

And apologies for my grumpiness and insecurity about this: normal service will be resumed.

See? I'm happy now