"I have seen my name invoked on both sides of the debate... I am for preserving pseudonymity, and believe that eliminating it will never stop the worst of the trolls, griefers, haters, and stalkers. There are far better ways to help reduce the worst of anonymity-fueled behavior online including plain old moderation. [...]
"[...] If hate-fueled behavior is no longer reinforced *everywhere*, and communities are free to set their own cultural standards instead of all being a race to the bottom, some of the worst forms of anonymous behavior online will disappear.
"[...] If I had it all to do over again, I would not have begun my web presence under my real name. Not so much because of what happened to *me* (I chose to be public), but because other people I care about were dragged in and abused simply because they were related to me.
"That said, I have been part of long-standing, highly successful communities that used a 'seems kind of real' policy, and it worked surprisingly well. I don't think it is necessary, but it does support a level of civility in some groups when it 'feels' like you are talking to a real human based on the name. There's a speck of science that suggests why that might be the case... but again, I don't believe it is necessary and I certainly don't agree that eliminating pseudonymity is the answer to the deterioration of communities online. Keep the pseudonyms and lose the assholes."</i>
-- Kathy Sierra, 2011-08-01
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