General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why Women Aren’t Welcome on the Internet [View all]Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)I know that the right to post anonymously is something of a sacred cow in internet circles, but I see it as definitely contributing to the overall lowering of the tone (including abuse of women but also including many other bad behaviors).
When I registered for DU, and had to pick a screen name, I stopped and asked myself if I'd ever be posting anything that I wouldn't want associated with my real name. I couldn't think of anything so I didn't bother coining a pseudonym.
Certainly there are exceptions. I myself, all openness and transparency on DU, use pseudonyms on a couple other boards. One is my lurker/troublemaker account at FR. The other is one where I have good reason for not wanting some of the people in my life to know I even read that forum, let alone post there. I realize that some people have similarly valid reasons for wanting to be anonymous on DU (the wingnut boss or the like).
In the long run, though, I wouldn't be surprised to see a trend toward requiring the use of real names.