Goodbye, Anonymous?
When I like this blog best is when conversation takes place among blog contributors and commenters.
One barrier to conversation is the tendency of some to move quickly to judgement, rejecting different opinions and perspectives. But other than encouraging people to keep an open mind and listen to others' ideas, there is not much we can do about that.
Another barrier to conversation is the habit of many to comment as "Anonymous." I understand why people comment anonymously: for some it is because of technology issues; for others out of a need or wish to remain anonymous. But in both cases, nothing prevents you from creating an identity for the purposes of discussion on this blog.
For example, if you comment as "Anonymous" because of technology issues, you can still sign your name at the end of your comment, as Gabrielle, Leslie, and several others have been doing recently. And if you comment as "Anonymous" because of a wish to shield your identity, just create a blog identify, whether it is another person's name or a made-up name, and use that consistently when you comment.
If everyone identifies themselves in comments, whether by a real or fictious name, it will make it much easier to respond to individual comments and maintain a feeling of conversation in this online discussion place.
One barrier to conversation is the tendency of some to move quickly to judgement, rejecting different opinions and perspectives. But other than encouraging people to keep an open mind and listen to others' ideas, there is not much we can do about that.
Another barrier to conversation is the habit of many to comment as "Anonymous." I understand why people comment anonymously: for some it is because of technology issues; for others out of a need or wish to remain anonymous. But in both cases, nothing prevents you from creating an identity for the purposes of discussion on this blog.
For example, if you comment as "Anonymous" because of technology issues, you can still sign your name at the end of your comment, as Gabrielle, Leslie, and several others have been doing recently. And if you comment as "Anonymous" because of a wish to shield your identity, just create a blog identify, whether it is another person's name or a made-up name, and use that consistently when you comment.
If everyone identifies themselves in comments, whether by a real or fictious name, it will make it much easier to respond to individual comments and maintain a feeling of conversation in this online discussion place.
Comments
Just because one person twisted your comment doesn't mean other readers would. I think the thing is, if the rest of us readers were able to track who is writing what, we would be better able to give more credence to those who speak up in a thoughtful manner. As it is right now, some anons are thoughtful, some just snark. (And even then, folks don't always agree on who to listen to. One person's Maureen Dowd is another person's Ann Coulton)
If each anon commenter used some sort of identifier, readers would decide who is offering food for thought and who isn't.
Especially if someone has something important but perhaps challenging that they want to persuade folks to believe. If it is from someone completely anon with no history of commenting, then it's too easy to believe that it's just a troll with a hidden agenda.
This doesn't wholy help, someone trolling or being unreasonable for other reasons could just use different names, but it would be better than a whole slew of anons.
In choosing an identity, I click on the "other" button and type in my first name. Now that I think about it, while this is better than being anon, it leaves me open to two problems. A. someone else could comment using the same name, either because they share the name or want to be damaging to me. Well, Melissa and Charlie both know me, so I might be able to get that sort of thing addressed. B. I cannot edit my comment. With a blogger identity, one can edit or delete their comment after it's been published.