Anonymity Will Always Challenge Productive Online Community

[Patrick]

http://www.managingcommunities.com/2010/04/15/anonymity-will-always-challenge-productive-online-communities/

Thoughts on anonymity?

Thanks,

Patrick
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Patrick O'Keefe - CommunityAdmins.com Administrator
Author, Managing Online Forums - A Practical Guide to Online Community Management

[Ryan]

In the infamous words of gaming on Xbox Live: "You wouldn't say that to my face, you hide behind your microphone."

Never has a statement been truer. Xbox Live unintentionally allows people of all ages to get online and say the nastiest things to people, and unless the user provides information, you'll never know who it is. The idea connects with your blog post.

If there was no anonymity on the internet, I think it would be a vastly different world that we would live in.
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[sosasoser]

While anonymity often does lead to people acting up and posting things that they would never say in person, I can also help some people join a community. Some people just wouldn't be comfortable expressing their opinions without it. Maybe they're shy. Maybe they don't want their boss knowing all of their interests and being able to look them up on the internet, even if those interests are benign.

I like internet anonymity because it helps to start conversations. People who abuse it can and should be managed by site administrators and moderators.

[Patrick]

Thanks for the replies, Ryan and sosasoser.

You do make a good point, sosasoser. The low barrier of entry to many online communities not only makes abuse easier, but it also makes it easier for people to join in.
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Patrick O'Keefe - CommunityAdmins.com Administrator
Author, Managing Online Forums - A Practical Guide to Online Community Management