WriterShelf is a writing platform designed around privacy protections.  Because your privacy is protected, you enjoy greater freedom to present your thoughts, knowledge and stories.

Your blog is leaking your privacy

When you blog, you reveal a great deal about yourself, if even inadvertently. Readers can discover where you live, facts about your family, your income and political leanings. They may be able to see where you work and elements of your social life. In addition to issues around personal security, such information can influence how readers view your opinions on unrelated issues. That can change the way they relate to your ideas and limit opportunities for discussion.

It can put friendships and important relationships at risk.

Internet forums not only lack privacy, but can also breed incivility and extremism

Internet forums also have serious privacy problems. Most people don’t approach forums with privacy top of mind. Over the course of posts and comments, attentive readers can discover personal information about your lifestyle, issues you’ve faced and your professional background.

In addition, forums are susceptible to trolls and bad faith actors who poison the atmosphere through personal attacks and misinformation. When conditions become toxic, people give up rather than participating in an unhealthy environment. They choose silence and their voices and expertise are lost to the conversation. 

This is a loss to society. Good ideas are not put forward and debate skews to the extreme. 

Privacy is a cornerstone of democracy

If there is no privacy, there can be no democracy. Privacy is the most basic protection we have for free speech. At its core, privacy isn't about concealment, it’s about freedom. Privacy means the freedom to be yourself and share with the world on your own terms.

Unfortunately, because of growing extremism there are calls to impose controls, increase surveillance and limit privacy. This is a fundamental mistake. The result will be to chill debate and drive healthy discourse further from the digital public square. People will be more reluctant to express their opinions for fear of unwanted repercussions, leaving the voices of extremists and speech that meets approved norms to fill the void.

Toward privacy as a solution

WriterShelf is a publishing platform that puts privacy at its core through the use of pen names. Pen names are as old as writing itself, but they serve an invaluable function. They let authors separate their writings from their true identities so you have the freedom say what you really want to say. The privacy of pen names that WriterShelf affords is designed to enable anyone to share their true thoughts, feelings and ideas with confidence.

Multi-dimensional privacy

Just as we all have different faces we use for different situations, it doesn’t matter how many pen names you choose to create. They are all you! WriterShelf gives you the ability to shape the right persona for any given conversation. Use one pen name for hobbies and interests. Another for politics. Or a romantic name when you write about love. You may even choose to use your true identity to share professional advice – while potential customers seek guidance using pen names.

Being able to safely share your thoughts can serve as a valuable release. WriterShelf is an opportunity to share honestly for personal benefit and society as a whole. WriterShelf is free, but every pen name must be unique. So think about the pen names you’d like to use and register them today.

Authentic Conversations

WriterShelf promotes authenticity.  While you can have as many pen names as you wish, you can only use one in any given conversation. There is a system of transparent feedback so that everyone can see how a given pen name chooses to participate. Bullies and trolls have nowhere to hide and risk being blocked or banned if they choose not to follow Community Guidelines.

Join WriterShelf today