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Why Being Anonymous Isn’t a Bad Thing

June 18th, 2008 by possible248

Many people on the Internet display their real names. Other people refrain from doing so. The people that display their real names on the Internet rarely are trolls, as they have an identity to keep up. Those that are anonymous on the Internet area almost always the group with the trolls, spammers, and so forth. Why? Because the best part about being anonymous is that you can change your identity. Being more mobile allows you to be a troll and then change your nickname. There are those that don’t like anybody that is anonymous on the Internet because of this reason.

I, being anonymous myself, don’t believe in that anonymous people should be treated worse than people that go around the Internet with their name publically displayed. See, plenty of anonymous people have built up a very powerful identity, and it would be difficult to move that to a new username to act as a totally different person.

If I decided to go be a troll, and then abandon all my user accounts and start using a new username, that would be difficult. I would have to abandon my Flickr photos, FriendFeed account where I have 382 comments and 727 likes. del.icio.us account with 31 bookmarks (I only started using it recently), and my blog with currently 87 posts (including this one). I would have to abandon the domain name too, which would destroy every link to this website, and mean losing a website where I get 300+ visits a day. Clearly, that would not be easy,

So, what is the conclusion? An anonymous person can build credibility as well as a powerful identity online. What people should really be wary of is new users. If I had this blog hosted on Blogger, and it only had three posts on it, I wouldn’t feel so bad about abandoning it. And who knows, after building a credible online identity, maybe an anonymous person might choose not to be anonymous anymore.

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Posted in Best Practices, Blogging, Internet |

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      ryansv 06/18/2008 11:05 PM 2 points

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      I don't automatically judge someone just because they choose to be anonymous, in fact I just found your blog very recently, so the only credibility I can give you is based on what I've read here. I'm not wary of new users, in fact I welcome them openly, but I will immediately judge them based on what they say.

      I use anonymity in two main cases. Either I don't want something written by me to be easily traced back to me, or I'm saying something trivial and it's easier to remain anonymous.

      I too started writing in my blog anonymously, but quickly decided that it didn't provide me any benefits, since anything I write there is not trivial (IMHO) and is something I wouldn't mind being in search results for my name.

      When someone reveals their identity online the associated content is usually higher quality, because you can much easier be held responsible for what you say. So, being anonymous isn't a bad thing, but I don't see what benefit it provides if you are producing well written and thoughtful content. And so far, from what I've read, you're doing a good job at it.
      reply  edit  reblog  flag
      3 /people/ryansv/ /people/ryansv/following/ http://duffsdevice.blogspot.com 29101638 pub/5/b85/725 ryansv ryansv
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      Voyagerfan5761 Yesterday 06:49 AM 2 points

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      I'm guessing this post came up because of that lengthy discussion in my FriendFeed (which has 1670 comments and 2954 Likes at the moment -- ha! :P ) about me not using my real name. People made cases for both sides of the issue, and I'm no closer to deciding when I should come clean. Perhaps remaining anonymous would be the easiest choice for now, considering the sheer number of accounts I've built up using -- and the huge amount of data associated with -- this name.

      I think that, when I reveal my true name (which will happen, I'm sure of it), I'll just put notes on my blog, Wikipedia user page, etc. but keep this nick.
      reply  edit  reblog  flag
      5 /people/Voyagerfan5761/ /people/Voyagerfan5761/following/ http://voyagerfan5761.blogspot.com/ 723001394 voyagerfan5761 voyagerfan5761 voyagerfan5761 voyagerfan5761
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      fyc Yesterday 07:10 AM 3 points

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      I know what you mean in regards to building up an online 'alter ego' (to use possibly the worst phrase imaginable for this context). I've attempted to completely shift between accounts a couple of times before and I was only successful once (more recent attempts have left me with the problem of being known by three usernames).

      Personally, I doubt I'll drop my anonymity (which is really one-sided since everyone I know knows exactly whom to blame when that idiot Cyvros or auldor or fyc does something generally idiotic). Of course, if I become a well-known webcomic artist (ha!) or a well-known blogger (*spit-take*), then I'll reconsider my decision. I just don't see much of a reason for lowering The Mysterious Shroud Of Mysteriously Shrouded Mystery of my identity.
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      3 /people/fyc/ /people/fyc/following/ http://fyc.tumblr.com fyc cyvros cyvros fyc
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      Voyagerfan5761 Yesterday 09:36 PM 1 point

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      I just had to upmod your comment because it was so awesomely written. :D Especially the part about The Mysterious Shroud Of Mysteriously Shrouded Mystery. ;-)
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      5 /people/Voyagerfan5761/ /people/Voyagerfan5761/following/ http://voyagerfan5761.blogspot.com/ 723001394 voyagerfan5761 voyagerfan5761 voyagerfan5761 voyagerfan5761
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      fyc 06/20/2008 06:34 AM 1 point

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      Thanks. I upmodded yours because it possessed a better quality - being interesting. :D

      Well, I just can't stop trying to figure out what your name is. Could it be Scott? Could it be James? Could it be Vincent Franklin?
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      3 /people/fyc/ /people/fyc/following/ http://fyc.tumblr.com fyc cyvros cyvros fyc
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      Voyagerfan5761 06/20/2008 07:58 AM 1 point

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      DMed you on Twitter about it. :-) Thanks, BTW.
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      5 /people/Voyagerfan5761/ /people/Voyagerfan5761/following/ http://voyagerfan5761.blogspot.com/ 723001394 voyagerfan5761 voyagerfan5761 voyagerfan5761 voyagerfan5761
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      fyc 06/20/2008 08:06 AM 1 point

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      Haha. *tips hat*
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      3 /people/fyc/ /people/fyc/following/ http://fyc.tumblr.com fyc cyvros cyvros fyc
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      chiya 07/06/2008 11:35 PM 1 point

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      Hi, nice to meet another anonymous person.

      I've created a character sort of, with a different colour hair and who looks different than me, but is basically just a very honest version of myself. Except for my name, and any other names I use in it. lol
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      http://paralian.blogspot.com /people/06f5f5e65e23906a61d03eb0f28d7166/
     
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      • June 19, 2008 at 5:57 am Tony Ruscoe
        Of course being anonymous isn't a bad thing. Being an asshole - anonymous or not - *is* a bad thing. But if you're using a name (albeit only a nickname) you're not anonymous. Sure, you're not identifiable as a "real" person but you're completely identifiable, so you still have to stand by what you say and do. Even in the real world, people can changed their names and identities if they screw up in life, it's just much easier to do on the Internet...

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