Full time IT Engineer, should I use my real name for building online business

[letmein]

Hi everyone,
My first post here. Glad to be here and part of this community.

I work as a full time IT Engineer at my day job. I want to build an Internet business online that will start with a blog ( a blend of affiliate marketing and growing the tribe).

Down the road, I may do seminars, coaching calls and other events where real name will have to revealed.

My questions are:

1. Should I use my real name while building online income esp. when I want to be known as the expert in my chosen muse?

2. What about using a nick name or a pen name but then I may be branding something which I will have to keep explaining?

Have others been in the same situation and how have you dealt with it?

Please share your thoughts and ideas.

Cheers!

[AlexMoen]

Is your name difficult to spell or remember? Would you get in trouble for working outside of your company? Do you have any nick names? Is there anyone else more popular with your name that might overwhelm it? Would having your name displayed even matter?

[letmein]

Thanks for your reply Alex!
I have a foreign name (Non-English) which is not a whole lotta difficult to spell but then again it's not a common name. The only trouble I could get into is that employer might think that I'm spending more time on my own business than theirs.

Also they will start taking me less seriously which matters in that I'm still in the traditional job market and prospective employers could see that I'm the entrereneur type, they may be reluctant in offering the the job.

I could use a nick name or come up with one.

I am branding myself as the expert in my field online so having the name displayed will matter.

[NickG]

Honestly it's up to you. If you're just making small niche websites you can still achieve market dominance with a pen name. In the end being at the top of the search engines and having good content will be the primary factor in being a market leader. A picture isn't required or anything like that.

I'm in the process of setting up a few websites and I'm using a pen name on some. =)