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One of the double-edged swords of online forums is that one must accept what a poster says about himself/herself at face value. Anonymity, or at least partial anonymity, is a protection for some. Sometimes it’s because their employer isn’t accepting of a presence in social media, sometimes it’s because the individual doesn’t want to share their “real self” for personal reasons. In some cases it’s even been because the user sometimes posts from a COUNTRY that considers social media to be a threat to the government. On the flipside, I know some members here are very open about whom they are, and I’ve met some of them in real life.
On the other hand, there’s a downside to anonymity. Some people become keyboard commandos, and build up an online persona that either enhances their real-life existence, or is even completely fraudulent. Examples: Claiming a title, position, or training that the user doesn’t have, or claiming to belong to/work for a service that they don’t. This issue isn’t just limited to forums. I’ve seen the same issues out in the blogosphere, and on the microblogging website, Twitter.
This thread is NOT to talk about specific incidents/users. The past is the past. What has been done before is done, and we can’t change it, only learn from it. What I am looking to do is open a dialogue about anonymous versus non- anonymous posting, and benefits/risks of any form of verification.
Our CL team has long discussed this issue, and aside from the maintaining the status quo, we’ve been unable to come to a consensus. What I’m looking for is YOUR thoughts:
• Is there value to some form of outside identity verification?
• Do you have any suggestions/examples for implementing a verification program?
• Should it be optional or mandatory?
• What should the response of the community be in the future for a fraudulent user?
I’m asking for your ideas and suggestions. There’s no guarantee that we’ll do ANYTHING at all, or we might do something else completely.
Thanks,
Jon
On the other hand, there’s a downside to anonymity. Some people become keyboard commandos, and build up an online persona that either enhances their real-life existence, or is even completely fraudulent. Examples: Claiming a title, position, or training that the user doesn’t have, or claiming to belong to/work for a service that they don’t. This issue isn’t just limited to forums. I’ve seen the same issues out in the blogosphere, and on the microblogging website, Twitter.
This thread is NOT to talk about specific incidents/users. The past is the past. What has been done before is done, and we can’t change it, only learn from it. What I am looking to do is open a dialogue about anonymous versus non- anonymous posting, and benefits/risks of any form of verification.
Our CL team has long discussed this issue, and aside from the maintaining the status quo, we’ve been unable to come to a consensus. What I’m looking for is YOUR thoughts:
• Is there value to some form of outside identity verification?
• Do you have any suggestions/examples for implementing a verification program?
• Should it be optional or mandatory?
• What should the response of the community be in the future for a fraudulent user?
I’m asking for your ideas and suggestions. There’s no guarantee that we’ll do ANYTHING at all, or we might do something else completely.
Thanks,
Jon