How to navigate potential self-plagiarism when using different online and professional personas?
I have a decently big online following (~40,000). This includes a blog, YouTube channel, Etsy, and other social media. My biggest thing is writing articles and blog posts, among some other content such as videos and graphic design work, specifically for students. All under my pseudonym.
However, I also write for newspapers, magazines, and have an internship running a website and creating content for my college's Academic Support Center that includes this writing as well as some graphic design work. All under my real name.
I want to separate the two because my blog is slightly personal (which has helped me accrue my following) and thus potentially bias-inducing if professionals could find it. But good work is still good work. So I'd like to repost certain works from my blog into a more professional portfolio that can be accessed under my real name, without mention of my online pseudonym.
Would it be considered plagiarism if I reposted (or updated/adapted) my blog work for work I can put in a professional portfolio? Or are there any other concerns I should have?
For context, I'm an undergraduate student soon to be graduating. Meaning I want to add some sort of portfolio to my LinkedIn.
Thanks.
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1 answer
The Web is an open book. If you make a connection between two personas it is there for people to find. How likely are they to find it? That is very hard to say. But if you don't acknowledge the relationship between the two personas, people will be free to construe it how they may. If someone discovers the same work under your pseudonym and your real name, they may conclude that either one had plagiarized from the other.
There are tools for detecting plagiarism online. I have no idea how often people use them in hiring situations. There are also online vetting companies who specialize in this stuff. I have no idea how often employers use them.
But if you do this there is clearly the chance of the relationship being discovered. At that point they may conclude either that A is B or that A stole from B. Not knowing A and B I can't say how bad the first is for A's job chances, but the second is certainly fatal for them. It's not like they are going to ask or dig further. People with a stack of resumes in front of them are looking for a reason to say no. A whiff of plagiarism will be all it takes.
In short, if you want to keep the two personas separate, you are probably well advise to keep their work separate.
On the other hand, your pseudonym has a following and has therefore demonstrated the ability to build a following. That is a huge plus for anyone looking for a communication job. Unless the work there is really unsavory (in which case, why would you want to reuse it anyway) that pseudonym may be your biggest asset in landing a job or clients.
Audience is the currency of the Web. If you can deliver eyeballs, you are golden. Your pseudonym proves you can deliver eyeballs. Own it.
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