The LA Times has an insightful commentary piece about their commenting mechanism: “On the Media: Your words, your real name”. The basic question asked is: If posters were required to attach their real names to post, might the dialogue become more civil and reasoned. Much as I like the ability to post by handle, I tend to agree with the Times. I’ve bemoaned quite often the lopsided power of the anonymous or pseudonymous commenter to abuse, attack, slander, and push discredited notions. It certainly won’t solve the problem, and we’ll see various fake accounts created just for the purpose of commenting, but I do think it will help with the low hanging fruit.
What’s your thought?
