Who says you can't use a pen name and build relationships with your customers?

Rob brings up a good point about Rich Jerk... the angle he used was a fantastic one for getting attention, and would it have been nearly effective if he used his name and just acted like a jerk? Of course not no, and obviously the ability to sell the brand is greatly amplified if it's detached from you personally. I have a couple pen names for lists, in fact only my traffic gen IM products, and one fitness product uses my real name.

This also helps you create your own competition and "JV" with yourself.