Originally Posted by thrawn_aj
..........Well, for one thing, if you've seen the heated debates elsewhere on the forum, one does see the wisdom behind remaining ? A social security number? I guess it does seem weird sometimes when you try to visualize the avatar speaking the words that you're reading on-screen, especially when the avatar ain't human :
..........I believe that being honest online has more to do with representing one's beliefs and opinions as truly and completely as humanly possible. Names and photos contribute nothing toward that end. There's absolutely nothing wrong with them of course (and they can even be pleasant at times), but I just don't see them as relevant to online discourse (and they may frequently, in obvious ways, be roadblocks to honest debate). In fact, that's the beauty of the internet - even a distinguished scholar may have to enter into a debate on the same level of credibility as others and may find that he can't simply appeal to the authority he enjoys in the outside world. Some grow as a result (learning valuable pedagogical lessons in explaining complex concepts to the
uninitiated); others sulk and try to emphasize their credentials in obvious
ways. Anyway, before I ramble on, these should give you a few (of many)
good reasons why people may not want to use real names or photos on
an online forum  . The bad reasons of course include trolling and flaming
(which kinda covers it all). |