Sausser: Why Doen’t You Require Real Names?

Don Sausser: I’m rather new to the blogs but wonder why folks don’t use their real names (as in editorials), especially when they ask for credibility from others???

DFO: Huckleberries Online has attracted many new readers this falls. So, it’s time to revisit this question. An online comments forum is very different than a letters to the editor page. It’s immediate. It’s interactive. And it can attract unwanted attention from blurkers (individuals who read but don’t post). Also, in this town, an individual posting under his/her real name can attract retribution from movers and shakers. The anonymity allows a free exchange of ideas that wouldn’t happen otherwise. Too many in this town are afraid to say what they think in public. BTW, I know the identities of almost everyone behind those pseudonyms. That helps keep things in check.