The End of 'Anonymous': Guidelines and Comments Area Fired Up, Ready to Go

In preparation for the end of "anonymous" comments tomorrow, I've updated our guidelines, put a note near the comment link and placed a link on the left about choosing an identity.

I appreciate all of the support I've gotten from our loyal readers and commenters. Please do not decide that this will keep comments down without giving it a chance...participate, use a Blogger/Open ID or be a little less than the word "Anonymous" by using Name/URL knowing it is really the same thing.

Tomorrow is a new chapter for BlogaBarbara but tonight is still young....

BlogaBarbara FAQs: What's in a Name?

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...although using the name "anonymous" when commenting will not be accepted beginning Saturday, you are not without the option of making an anonymous comment. Let's review the options:

• Google/Blogger Username: If you have a Blogger ID because you are a blogger, your display name will appear, along with a link to your profile and your photo (if you have one).
• OpenID: You can enter any OpenID account name like your AIM ID or LiveJournal ID, without having to have a Blogger account.
• Name/URL: You can enter a "Nom de Blog". This allows you to use either your own name if you do not have a Blogger or OpenID or allows you to become "Juan Jose Castillo de Cabrillo y Alameda". No URL or website address is necessary for this option to work.
  
• Anonymous: No identifying information is displayed. The comment is credited to "Anonymous" without a link. Any comments made with this button will be rejected beginning this Saturday, February 16, 2008.
  

I'm looking into whether I can just take out the "Anonymous" line to make it easier for all of us and those that might be new to BlogaBarbara.

Finally, I want to clarify what this effort is about. I'm not interested in taking away the ability to comment anonymously more than I am interested in having a more linear sense of flow to our comments and a sense of who is saying what. It will be much easier to follow who is saying what in our comments section if you were to even use a made up nickname on the "Name/URL" option. This will allow for anonymous comments but hopefully add a sense of responsibility to the process. Of course, the BlogaBarbara Guidelines still apply and I will not publish comments that are mean, use foul language, attack another commenter, etc.

In short, I am asking our readers to take another step which will take just a few seconds in order to improve the level of discussion and heighten our sense of community. I appreciate your understanding and welcome any questions you may have about this new guideline.

DIY FAQ: Noms de Guerre/Nombres de la Guerra

A faithful reader suggested I provide a tutorial on creating your own "nom de blog" -- I like calling them "nom de guerre" (name of war) even more than "nom de plume" (pen name)-- but maybe it should be "nombre de la guerra" in my case.

Answers.com provides some great examples of anonymity among writers: "Famous examples in literature are George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), Stendhal (Marie Henri Beyle), and George Sand (Mme Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin, baronne Dudevant)".

You can have your very own and not worry about getting a Blogger ID, setting up an anonymous email or whatnot....simply click on "Other" when you are making a comment and type in another name. I noticed the other day that someone called themselves "Marty Bishop" during the discussion about IP addresses -- if you have ever seen the 1990s movie "Sneakers" you would know that Robert Redford played that role and this was a fun reference to the movie and the subject matter.

There is a space for you to put your web page location but this is totally optional -- the name will turn out blue in the comment area if it has a link and black if it doesn't -- it isn't necessary to make a comment.

I'd love to see some creative names -- give me your best. You'll get kudos and street cred for your efforts :)