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.
4:37/5:37, nope I’m in no trouble whatsoever, but nice try. Asking you to prove me wrong is hardly defensive; it just proved what a total fraud you are who has failed miserably and makes empty threats. You’re pathetic to think I would be scared of you.
Nokilissa, thank you so much for the support; you’re a sweetie. But rest assured that nobody has my real email address or identify. I’m certain of that. And honestly, even if anyone here did know everything about me, I wouldn’t be concerned in the least. I have nothing to hide. Have a wonderful weekend.
Dave, I concur! With the exception of the part about you and Biff, 6:02 was spot on. It IS amusing when people get all riled up and begin to froth. And it is one of the things that keeps us interested in a thread… how did guest A get out of that one? How did Guest B come back after that attack? How did Polemicist explain him/herself? Why does Biff retain his devastatingly dashing sense of humor even in the face of pummeling comments? 😉
I think also that as long as this discussion is happening, we need to acknowledge the occurrence of and the relief in the “mutual pleasantries and the “lovey dovey” admiration club that develops among those of us who sign in. It is called commaradarie (sp)! And damnit, we need it sometimes.
dave at 6:27 proves logging in is useless
in his use of unnecessary, unpleasant, and unwanted vulgar language
6:02…despite the part about me and Biff I like your comment about restarting with a good insult…just let them be geographic insults or insults towards someone’s taste, etc…lots of true asshats on here and real racists
Hmm….my post didn’t show up. Sorry Dave- I said that I didn’t know of any other way to associate the user name with personal information except through the typekey registration. Is it possible that registration was a little different last year? I just know that the troll had a field day with that persons number, name and username.
bxgrl
– anonymity is what provides such relief on this website – 11:38 is absolutely on target. With names, you have to be polite, which is NOT fun. This site is for venting pent up real estate – and free-floating – hostility, not for exchanging pleasantries about so-and-so’s “insightful comments.” When Biff and Daveinbedstuy (for example) get all lovey-dovey in their mutual admiration club it is unbelievably dull unlike when anonymous slopers and carroll-ers are hurling insults at eachother. It also immediately shuts down the thread (unless someone re-lauches it with a well placed insult).
i think people should have the option to post as guests.
in my observation, logging-in often fosters an environment where one or two folks carry on an extended back-and-forth conversation — but in a public forum. seems like they could do that over email. this dynamic appears to be exacerbated by an inclination on the part of some logged-in folks to respond to every single comment that is (or might be) addressed to a comment they’ve made.
i would also submit that logging-in, rather than reducing the hostility in a comment forum, can increase personal attacks. anyone who wants to know what i mean should simply read back through the comments to this thread. there appears to be an unfriendly and extended discourse involving some folks who are logged-in. (to those who would argue that anonymity gives the guests free license to attack the logged-in commenters with impunity, and that that’s the reason they feel free to engage in personal attacks, let me say i’ve seen similar personal attacks based on username identity on the brooklynian boards, where all commenters are logged in.)
finally, am i the only person who simply skips posts that i don’t care to read, whether uninformative, hateful, incorrect, or offensive? this alternative seems lost on some people, who would rather silence the guests altogether rather than skip over the guest posts they don’t care for.
oh, i also agree this new ‘the what’ imposter is lame. the old ‘the what’ was way better.
I have tried numerous times to register at brownstoner. I have waited for that email and I never get it. I have literally tried 6 times. I have no choice but to post as an anon. It makes me sad to be so unwanted.
Hmmmmm… this has turned into one nasty little thread.
4:03, I am definitely not holding my distance. I was working and my youngest managed to blow right through naptime today. No rest for the weary as they say.
I’ve already posted my .02 cents with regard to the login issue, so I’ll not do it again. But I am puzzled by the idea that logging in is somehow annoying or time consuming. Don’t most of us at this point have computers that simply “remember” us? All we have to do is click a login button once and off we go?
Finally, I think the threats to post Biff’s email or identity are reprehensible. Please don’t do it.
Peace, people, peace.