How to Share Your Research Online Without Sacrificing Privacy

Faceless academic outreach is easier than you think

The thought of putting yourself (and your research) out there online can be really daunting.

Thoughts about potential stalkers and trolls lurking in the shadows can fill you with dread…

But not everyone needs to be the next Mary Beard!

You can 100% do academic outreach and make some killer impact without ever showing your face.

But will anyone trust what I say?

Sure, it is helpful to be able to point to your achievements and past education (which you can still do without revealing your identity by the way!) to build trust with your audience but remember it is about protecting your peace.

If you know that you won’t fully embrace online outreach if you’re self-conscious or nervous of being visible online then a faceless mode of engaging is going to be a way better option.

So what does this look like in practice?

You can create an alias- if you think about it this is kind of fun and glamorous.

Who doesn’t want to have a super hero name? *Captain Classics to the rescue* 🏺🦸

But in all seriousness, this is a perfectly legitimate option.

With the help of an avatar or logo, you can still create a recognisable brand that has nothing to do with your own identity.

You can then further prioritise modes of communication that aren’t dependent on you appearing or presenting (and that doesn’t even exclude visual mediums!)

Newsletters, blogs, short form content and podcasts are all totally non-visual and can help conceal your identity.

BUT

If images are important to your work- for example you are an art historian or an archaeologist, just make sure that your posts focus on the visuals of what you are working on.

Your instagram account can showcase art and finds, without ever showing your face.

And you can even make amazing documentaries for Youtube without putting your face in front of the camera. This tutorial might help:

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If you missed my article on how to choose the best online platform for your outreach

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Other online security to consider 🔐

Having done all that, it is good to also think more about some more detailed ways of protecting your privacy online- for some this will be overkill but if you want to feel confident showing up online these tips might just make you feel that extra layer of security:

Have a specific email for outreach: Keep your outreach life distinct from your academic or personal accounts by setting up all accounts with dedicated, non-identifying email accounts.

Be mindful about metadata: Strip identifying metadata from images, PDFs, or audio files before sharing them.

Prepare for questions: Decide in advance how you will deal with people asking about your affiliation or identity- it’ll take away a lot of stress if you have a prewritten response.

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