Taking the Pulse on Anonymous Commenting
We’ve been getting more and more requests from readers to eliminate anonymous commenting. (The topic has also been on the front-burner because of a certain article this week.) There are clearly major flaws with a system that allows commenting without accountability, but doing away with it carries its own set of drawbacks in the form…
We’ve been getting more and more requests from readers to eliminate anonymous commenting. (The topic has also been on the front-burner because of a certain article this week.) There are clearly major flaws with a system that allows commenting without accountability, but doing away with it carries its own set of drawbacks in the form of diminished information flow, opinion and overall energy on the site. We’re curious to know how the community feels about the issue so please take a moment to fill out this survey and chime in below.
Thanks,
Mr. B
p.s. Just to clarify, just because you register, and comment under, a username, does not mean that your true identity is on display for the world to see. It means we can easily block a disruptive commenter, or contact him/her by email about bad behavior. It also means that other readers can begin to associate comments over time with a particular online identity, theoretically improving the ability to carry on discussions.
Man, The What gets written up in NY Mag; the PLG troll got interviewed on WABC radio. What next? Will the “this site had jumped the shark” guy get his own reality TV show on A&E?
“2:55, yes, it’s easy as pie to create a new identity, but one would really have to be unbalanced to want to say something so outrageous that they would then feel the need to have to create another email account and another identity to hide behind.”
And you don’t think we have unbalanced people frequenting this site? Are you kidding me?
“Plus, one can recognize new identities from old ones. After awhile, when you see someone like, say Putnamdenizen comment, love or hate him/her, you know that he/she likely isn’t going to run off and create a whole new identity after posting one controversial comment. If that was the case, I would be on my 1,000th identity by now.”
No, he would create the fake identity before making his controversial comment so that the outrageous comment would in no way be associated with his Putnamdenizen identity. On the other hand, if Putnamdenizen wants to say something controversial and is prepared to own it…that’s totally different. We don’t need registration for that to happen, just a group of responsible commenters. My point was merely that registration will not FORCE anyone to be accountable. If they want to avoid accountability, there’s always a way.
3:24 you must be new here after reading about The What. Aside from the fact that there are now too many What impersonators (male and female), The What is just an object for our entertainment.
“More Biff equals more hits equals more ad revenue for Brownstoner equals keeping this site running…thanks to everyone who’s helped contribute to that today.”
“WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh man, chill What!! Biff, you are a narcissistic Bastard! I was going to chill but homeboy get over yourself!”
Hilarious. Biff got punked by The What! Amazing. Ironically, Biff’s dream is to be as popular as “The What.”
I LOVE anonymous posting!
Biff..i guess 3:09 has just joined us for the first time. He probably saw the New York Magazine article in his dentist’s office.
Is it really so important to create anonomous posts to post “controversial” stuff? Isnt this a real estate blog, this isnt NAMBLA or KKK is it?
Either way, I dont really care, log in or not, I flip through all of the posts spending less than 5 seconds on each before I filter it out as interesting and worth reading or not. Its just a blog folks, why are you guys so passionate on the issue (for or against)? Your posts arent going to win you a Pulitzer or prevent you from getting elected to city council.
Didn’t the author of the new york magazine article go back through all the posts — even deleted posts! — to try to piece together personal information to create a real identitiy profile of a poster that brownstoner states above in his “clarification note” “does not mean that your true identity is on display for the world to see”?
Apparently with a little time on your hands and some searches, someone can piece together your personal profile?
I check in on this site daily. I weigh in from time to time (anon of course). I like the way things are currently. Brownstoner tried registering posters recently, and while the story content was the same; the commentary sucked big time.
Except for the occasional key board-thug, and race/class instigator; the way things are fine.
All of the registered posters here say their boring stuff on their handles and then sign in as guest to say their rude comments.
It’s a KNOWN FACT!