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Anonymous Comments

September 17, 2009 by Nathan Bransford 367 Comments

Hey all, I’d like to take a time out from the world of publishing to discuss a blog community matter. Town hall meeting! I’ll bring the gavel if you bring the crazy guy who wants to open up the park for deer hunting.

A few weeks back the Ethicist Blog discussed the issue of anonymous commenting.

Ever since I had to close anonymous comments myself a few weeks back due to a single anon (they’ve since been re-opened), I’ve been toying with the idea of permanently closing anonymous commenting.

Here’s the thing – there are absolutely people who use the anonymous function responsibly, whether because they don’t feel like signing in or because they are writing about something sensitive.

But at least 95% of the rude comments on the blog come come from people using the anonymity irresponsibly, saying things they probably wouldn’t say if they signed their actual name. And sometimes these comments can get an otherwise good discussion seriously off track.

I’m wondering what you think – do you like having the option of going anon if necessary? Do you think it adds to the discussion to have people politely registering their anonymous comments? Should we just ignore the few bad apples?

Or would you prefer that people sign their own name?

And if we do keep anonymous options open, what should be the criteria for comment deletion?

I’m not too worried about a few bad apples and definitely don’t take the anons personally, it comes with the territory, but at the same time, it’s important to me that the comments section be a place where good, respectful discussions can take place.

Thanks, everyone!

Filed Under: Social Media

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Winne the Pooh says

    September 18, 2009 at 11:24 pm

    Even a bear of very little brain can do it.

    Reply
  2. Ginger says

    September 18, 2009 at 11:29 pm

    The advantage of having an account is that if you change your mind about something you posted, or think it might be taken the wrong way, you can always come back and delete it.

    Reply
  3. Piglet says

    September 18, 2009 at 11:30 pm

    But if you post without an account, you can't.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    September 18, 2009 at 11:31 pm

    Because changing my mind is what Tiggers do best!

    Reply
  5. Ginger says

    September 18, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    Ack! That was a mistake… and now I can't delete it. I accidentally moved the mouse too fast and clicked "Anonymous" instead of "Name/URL" to enter Tigger.

    See what I mean?

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    September 19, 2009 at 12:53 am

    Get a life, people!

    Reply
  7. SZ says

    September 19, 2009 at 2:43 pm

    Is possible to turn off the anonymous comments for one week and see what happens to response levels ?

    Not sure if you read response notes a day or days later

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    September 19, 2009 at 2:43 pm

    Keep anonymous open. I don't have a blogger account. I like reading your posts, and sometimes I like to comment, but I don't really want to have to create a blogger account just to comment.

    –Hoogly

    Reply
  9. Somebody says

    September 19, 2009 at 6:00 pm

    You don't need a blogger account to post comments with a name. Just use the "name/url" option under the comment box, as previously mentioned.

    Reply
  10. Somebody says

    September 19, 2009 at 6:00 pm

    You don't need a blogger account to post comments with a name. Just use the "name/url" option under the comment box, as previously mentioned.

    Reply
  11. Crystal-Rain Love says

    September 19, 2009 at 6:26 pm

    I've had a few people leave very rude and/or insulting comments on my blog and they are always "anonymous." My way of thinking is, if you're going to be big and bad enough to insult me, be big and bad enough not to hide like a little wuss. I vote for getting rid of it.

    Reply
  12. Kim says

    September 20, 2009 at 12:10 am

    Why would you be afraid to say who you are unless you thought what you had to say was controversial? My name is Kim. And I have an opinion. And it's my right to have that opinion.

    Reply
  13. Jenn says

    September 20, 2009 at 10:09 pm

    Sorry to weigh in so late.

    My vote is against anonymous comments. I think the quantity would go down but the quality would improve.

    I'm guilty of bouncing between two profiles (my "anonymous" Purple Clover and my real one with limited details that I'm signed in now). But I still try to own up to my comments either way.

    Purpleclover (Jenn)

    Reply
  14. Jenn says

    September 20, 2009 at 10:15 pm

    In all honesty, I also question how many anonymous comments are posted by the same person…

    You may be responding to several comments from the same person and wasting your time if its argumentative. I've seen you do it before and every time I thought…hmm I wonder if its the same person just trying to get your goat? 😉

    PurpleClover (Jenn)

    Reply
  15. Daniel Allen says

    September 24, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    Personally, I don't have an account on Blogger, but I always use my name and website so it's not anonymous. If you choose to take away the ability to post anonymously, I'd still use that option–if available.

    I feel that if you can't stand behind what you're saying, then you really have no business saying it in the first place. And if you're using a "pen name" (as I am), then create an online presence that USES that pen name! I've got my "real" accounts and "pen" accounts all over the place. If you're committing to that name, then commit to it.

    Really, I don't see a valid reason to keep anonymous posts except sheer laziness.

    Well, that's my two cents…do I get any change back? 😉

    -Daniel Allen

    Reply
  16. Marla Warren says

    September 28, 2009 at 3:07 am

    Aside from the civility issue, the problem with anonymous comments is distinguishing the different authors. So if the anonymous option is kept, perhaps the anonymous posters could be assigned numbers–solely for the comments on a particular post. That way if Anon 17 is disagreeing with Anon 23, we can at least follow the argument. As it is, we're already using times to distinguish a post by a particular Anon. The comments would gain some coherence if there was some way to distinguish different Anons.

    Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    October 12, 2009 at 7:53 pm

    Spectacular.

    Anonysaurus

    Reply
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