Also see:
- See Part I — How to Avoid a Blogosphere Scandal: Disclose!
- Part II — How to Avoid a Blogosphere Scandal: Don’t Plagiarize!
I’m not a big fan of the anonymous (or pseudonymous) blogger or commenter.
I blog under my name, spreading controversial ideas and unorthodox opinions that people like me usually don’t write about or utter in public.
Every now and then something I write generates a wave of dissent throughout the blogosphere. A couple of weeks ago, I endured the wrath of homosexual bloggers and commenters because I dared use the word homosexual in a less than favorable context. I used to think black liberal dissenters were the worst sort. I was wrong on so many levels. Tolerance is a word entirely devoid of meaning in this PC age, and those demanding it of others the loudest don’t practice it themselves. Hypocrisy and irony come to mind.
Last year I was called “anti-Catholic” because I made biblical assertions in reference to the recently departed Roman Catholic pope (at the request of Catholic readers, ironically), and several bloggers “de-linked” me. And the usual self-hater, race traitor rhetoric almost always sent by people using obviously phony names, appears in my inbox from time to time, though less frequently than it used to.
It takes nerve to write what I write and use my real name online, a virtual world inhabited by all sorts, including perverts, maniacs, and just plain old bored fools who get off cyber-harassing others. Don’t take it personally, anonymous bloggers and commenters, but my online experiences have biased me against anonymity, especially from commenters who do nothing but criticize my views.
For these and other reasons, I admire people who blog under their real names. But I understand why some don’t or can’t use their real names. Perhaps they’re whistleblowing employees trying to expose nefarious acts and avoid reprisal at the same time. Others may be concerned about their physical safety or worried that an idiot scoundrel will post their home addresses on the web. Some bloggers use their blogs as online journals, writing about their jobs, relationships, and other issues, and don’t want to be fired or hurt friends and family.
Although I believe people should stand behind what they say, write, and do with their real names, there are exceptions, of course. But one thing that’s unacceptable is taking on a different persona with the intent to deceive.
Sockpuppetry
The sock puppet is the anonymous commenter’s cousin. When someone comments on a blog, pretending to be someone else rather than merely commenting anonymously, it’s considered sockpuppetry. For example, let’s say I responded to a La Shawn-hating blogger’s nasty post in his comment section and pretended to be a “friend” or supporter of La Shawn’s. That’s sockpuppetry.
When discovered committing sockpuppetry, the person usually is subject to ridicule. Unless the sock puppet is using a proxy or surfing anonymously through some other method, it’s pretty easy to tell if the same person is leaving comments under different names. The clever sock puppet and/or a geek knows how to avoid detection; the rest don’t. The same IP address will be attached to all comments, which indicates the person is using the same computer or home or business network.
Personal Note
I wish I could say I’ve never done this, but I have. On an Air America discussion board last year, I posted a link to a controversial post on my blog that was related to the discussion. I used a different name but left my real e-mail address. Someone googled it, traced it back to me, and played the gnat buzzing around my head for weeks.
In my own defense, I didn’t adopt a different persona. The topic had nothing to do with me, so it wasn’t a sockpuppetry defense. But it wasn’t a mere anonymous comment, either. I used an alias because I didn’t want to be accused of fishing for readers, which is exactly what I was doing. Lesson learned.
Recent Scandals
The following people have been accused of sockpuppetry. I make no claims about whether some accusations are true:
John Lott — Several years ago, someone using the name “Mary Rosh” began appearing on the web, defending John Lott, author of The Bias Against Guns, in Usenet groups and writing favorable reviews of his books. Lott’s pro-gun books were controversial in their own right, but his “Mary Rosh” facade provided more grist for the mill. All it took was a few geeks to uncover the truth: Lott was most likely Mary Rosh. He eventually confessed.
Related:
Michael Hiltzik — Blogger Patterico exposed this Los Angeles Times columnist and one-time blogger as a sock puppet. Patterico’s niche is fact-checking the paper, and Hiltzik appeared under various aliases to defend his and the newspaper’s work and criticize Patterico.
One would think that people pretending to be someone else and/or leaving nasty comments would know all about IP addresses. You should see some of the filth left on this blog by people commenting from their work computers. Bird-brains.
With a little IP checking, Patterico realized that “people” leaving comments under the name “Mikekoshi” and several other aliases were doing so from the same computer. And get this: Hiltzik used his work computer. He was suspended briefly from the newspaper, and lost his business column and blog gig.
Related:
Glenn Greenwald — Several bloggers accused liberal blogger Glenn Greenwald of sockpuppetry. Leading the charge were Jeff Goldstein at Protein Wisdom, Ace of Spades, and Patterico. Commenters defending Greenwald under different names did so in a similar fashion. For instance, they mentioned his best-selling book, that he became a popular blogger very quickly, that a United States senator quoted his blog in Senate hearings, etc. Other bloggers noticed that “Thomas Ellers,” “Ellison,” “Wilson,” and others left similar comments from the same IP address, a provider in Brazil, where Greenwald lives.
Greenwald denied the sock puppet charges.
There are other sockpuppetry accusations floating around, but those are the most recent and most well-known.
Astroturfing
If anonymous commenting is sockpuppetry’s cousin, astroturfing is its brother. Astroturfing is a mainly business blogging phenomenon. The typical context: a company asks its employees to leave favorable comments about its products or clients’ products on blogs and discussion boards, playing the role of satisfied customer. It’s a form of viral marketing that just doesn’t work in the blogosphere. Bloggers fancy themselves “transparent” and place great emphasis on open and genuine conversations in the age of citizen journalism and social media. When a public relations flack tries to infiltrate the blogosphere and manipulate opinion based on deception, they’re in for it.
Pierce Mattie PR — A beauty blogger named Jackie Danicki accused the PR firm of using minions (employees?) to leave favorable comments on beauty blogs, pretending to be customers. PR blogger Steve Rubel and others reported the story. The president of the company responded on Rubel’s blog.
Related:
- Astroturfing (Wikipedia)
Just Don’t Do It
Believe me, I understand the frustration of having a bunch of nimrods misread and mischaracterize your writing. But sockpuppetry is not worth the embarrassment, and it reveals a serious lack of judgment and foresight.
Bloggers, there is no point in committing sockpuppetry and opening yourselves up to ridicule and damaged credibility, especially if you’re blogging under your real names, anyway.
PR firms and other business, if you think astroturfing is a clever way to generate publicity about products, services, and clients, you’re right. Once bloggers find out what you’ve done — pretending to be satisfied customers commenting on blogs under phony names — you will indeed generate publicity.
We’re all connected, and as long as net neutrality is still the law of the virtual jungle, even the smallest blog, the tiniest voice, has the power to expose you and ruin your hard-earned reputation.
Just don’t do it.
Update (9/2): More sockpuppetry.
Update II (9/5): High profile sockpuppetry. How embarrassing for the unfortunate man, who brought it all on himself…
I like your writing style. Good stuff here. Thank you. When I first started blogging, I made alot of stupid mistakes. Mostly out of innocent ignorance, not out of blatant deceptive stupidity. I did make one comment as “anonymous” to defend a friend whom they were irresponsibly bashing. It was during a time that I just did not have time to deal with the backlashing that would be inevitable if I revealed who I was. Though I did leave my real e-mail address. I have since learned that it is better to either not post at all than to resort to anonymous commenting. Leaving that comment proved itself to be worthless. I also avoid the invitations to blogs that I get via e-mail to post on controversial subjects I have written about that they do not agree with. I liken going to their blog to join their futile discussion to going into a strip bar to share the Gospel.
Comment by lisa4given — 08.30.06 @ 10:15 am
Hi LaShawn! Thank you so much for being an honest breath of fresh air. I thouroughly enjoy reading your posts and admire you for speaking out on many “hot” topics! I am from New Orleans and, as you well know, we just marked the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I am so sick and tired of the black community screaming that the government blew up the levees on purpose to destroy their communities! Would somebody please tell me, then, what happened to Lakeview? Lakeview is a wealthy, predominately white neighborhood that was devastated by the breach in the 17th Street Canal levee. How do they (the ones crying “racism”) explain that? And what about all the homes in Metairie and Kenner(also predominately white areas)that flooded because the pumps were not turned on? Jefferson Parish president, Aaron Broussard, is a white man. What does this mean? The rest of the nation must know the truth and not what’s being fed them by the liberal, bleeding heart media. If you get the time, could you revisit this issue and let me know what you think? Anyway, keep up the good work and may God be glorified in all you do!
Comment by LIBBY — 08.30.06 @ 10:45 am
This is very helpful La Shawn. I have just started blogging and I hope to have my own blog sometime in the near future. I’ve done Anonymous blogging to protect my identity since I work in a ultra-liberal workplace. Any conservative view is usually bashed.
Comment by dbennett — 08.30.06 @ 11:26 am
LaShawn,
Please excuse the obvious pseudonym. I’m one of those people who deign to protect their employment, family, etc., by blogging under an obviously false name and persona based on my dog. Rather pathetic, isn’t it?
I expressed a similar sentiment in the only entry I posted on the Case of Glen Greenwald and the Crazy Internet Sock Puppet. It takes one possessed of either a) incredible insecurity or b) an inflated ego to enage in these kinds of antics.
In any case, I only recently began reading your blog and will be adding it to my roll soon. Feel free to reciprocate if you don’t find the CP unduly offensive. Most people do, however.
Regards,
-the Canine Pundit
Comment by Sirius Familiaris — 08.30.06 @ 11:28 am
How To Avoid Scandal In The Blogosphere
La Shawn Barber has posted the third installment in her series about how to avoid scandal in the blogosphere. This one addresses sock puppetry….
Trackback by Wizbang — 08.30.06 @ 12:05 pm
How to Avoid a Blogosphere Scandal: No Sockpuppetry!
And people wonder why I don’t even bother with comments anymore.
Trackback by http://crabapple.cc — 08.30.06 @ 1:00 pm
Correct me if I am wrong, but Ms. Barber does not have a conventional job where extreme views, or just the stupid occasional off-the-cuff comment (hole in the ground) can be held against you.
The only anonymous bloggers/commenters who upset me are people who hold fake conversations using multiple names, or claim credentials they don’t have - like granny’s who write like teenagers, but have “been there” at every important event and have “seen” the “truth” (fake events) with they own eyes.
Of course lying is so typical, on C-Span, every fourth “Democrat” starts with “I used to be a Republican, but….”
Comment by UNK — 08.30.06 @ 1:56 pm
You make a good point, UNK. I don’t work a 9-5 job where my views could get me fired, although I got into a tiny bit of trouble at the former day job over a column critical of DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton in 2003, who sits on the organization’s board.
Now, I can afford to blog the way I want without fear of being fired from a conventional job. The most I stand to lose are timid advertisers. Fortunately, my views have attracted, rather than repelled, clients.
Comment by La Shawn — 08.30.06 @ 2:01 pm
I used to post under my real name and email addy until a friend of mine was cyberstalked by a really nasty guy that got pissed at her for some comments she made on a message board.
I will spare you the gory details but suffice it to say that the man is now doing 5-10 years in prison for it-it was that bad! This guy made Deb Frisch look like a pantywaist. My friend changed her name, moved away and lives in terror of this jerk getting paroled or when he gets out for time served.
Needless to say I learned from her experience and have never used my real name or email addy since. I have used the same handle and I do not engage in soc puppetry. I have no need to, I can argue my points, wield a really nasty Clue Bat(TM) and my ego is not so weak that I need an imaginary cheering section.
Comment by Nahanni — 08.30.06 @ 2:13 pm
There was a interesting article in the Boston Globe this past spring about a Blogger who’s personal blog and view’s had severe repercussions with their full-time employer. I’ll try and find the article. Maybe someone can remember the story.
I thing the person either lost their job or was denied a position at a firm.
Comment by dbennett — 08.30.06 @ 2:16 pm
Good article, but I would make a few points about posting under your own name, as you and I do.
My blog has never been big enough to draw much attention. The major Conservative and Liberal entities ignore me, a few on each end of the spectrum mock me, and like everyone else I get my share of tribble/trolls, those periodic interlopers who rush in, trash the comment lines with insults, spam and non-seqiturs, then vamoose to wherever they go to spawn. So I have not had to worry overmuch about attention or stalkers.
That said, I have been surprised in the past few years to find out how easy it is to find out someone’s identity and contact information. I have had the pleasant surprise of being called at home by a few people in the military who read my work, as well as a Tokyo-based news syndicate (I got a lot of Google hits for a 2005 article on the 2008 Presidential race, and they thought I was “somebody”). When I thought about it, I became just a bit uneasy, as I am all too aware that some people express dissent in violence, and I have to think about my family.
Obviously, I won’t post here what precautions I have taken, but I would suggest that bloggers consider their personal security in detail. We live in interesting times, after all.
Comment by DJ Drummond — 08.30.06 @ 3:00 pm
#10 If a person is blogging while on the job, he could be fired (at least at the company I worked for) simply for using company equipment and/or time, regardless of the content of the blog. However, if the person suffered repercussions from his employer for blogging he/she did on personal equipment and away from the job, well I’d be calling the ACLU (NO NO NO j/k .. they wouldn’t come to my rescue anyhow .. lol
#7 I used to be a Republican, but … lol I think the same thing when I listen to those people on C-span. Honestly, I don’t know how those moderators keep a straight face on the air.
Comment by dianne — 08.30.06 @ 3:06 pm
I Use My Real Name
Yes, blogging under my real name is the same as dunking your head into Piranha-infested waters. But it’s fun. And the experience gained is price-less.
Trackback by Church and State — 08.30.06 @ 3:15 pm
LaShawn,
I enjoy your candor. I comment using the above to prevent my comments from being taken as an official view of the military. If someone went looking I can be found, but I avoid the obvious. I posted once with my full name and got hate email from certain people. I really didn’t appreciate being called some of the names, especially since I was (and still am) on the ground in Baghdad. Some people called me a liar about what I wrote - and I was writing from what I had seen. Keep going and stay strong.
SGT Dave,
Living the dream in Baghdad
Comment by SGT Dave — 08.30.06 @ 4:05 pm
I use a pseudonym mostly because to protect my family from any fallout. What happened to Ms. Malkin scares me–and my kids are way older than hers! If someone really wanted to find out personal information about me, they could–but I’m not going to make it any easier than I have to!
It’s also why I rarely post personal pictures on my blog.
Comment by March Hare — 08.30.06 @ 4:34 pm
I actually blog in quasipseudonymity. That is, I blog under the name the Rising Jurist, or “tRJ”, but it wouldn’t take a whole lot of effort to discover my actual name. This is due largely to the fact that I have been interviewed, using my actual name, in various print media, a fact I blogged about.
After a recent nationwide article came out, I thought about ditching the pseudonym altogether. I am proud of my work and stand by what I’ve said. But as a recent law school grad, with a career just starting, I am honestly worried that the blog could hurt me.
And yeah, the kind of person who would refuse to hire me for what I say in a personal blog is a jerk I don’t want to work for, right? But it’s tough getting a job, especially in the legal market in Madison, Wisconsin. So, for now, I figure it’s safest to stay semi-hidden.
Incidentally, I also dislike commenters who go with “anonymous” as their name; even a pseudonym is better. At least then you can identify repeat commenters and learn what to expect from certain folks.
Comment by the Rising Jurist — 08.30.06 @ 5:06 pm
Nobody likes to post realnames - that’s web reality
Comment by Lund — 08.30.06 @ 5:56 pm
Hey there,
Love the site…I linked your site to mine. Would you mind doing the same for me?
http://www.americanlegends.blogspot.com
I look forward to reading yours from now on…
Thank you!
Take care,
Mark
Comment by J. Mark English — 08.30.06 @ 7:40 pm
Comment by dbennett — 08.30.06 @ 2:16 pm
It happened in DE too. If I remember the tale correctly, it was a journalist who blogged off time and the paper didn’t like his views.
Also, one DE blogger was outted by another that really disliked his views.
Then we have the Michelle Malkin thing and the Jeff Goldstein/Frisch (sp?) affair.
I would prefer to go by my real name, but family and friends prevailed upon me early on not to because they were concerned for my well-being in this crazy world.
I think people are dehumanized on the blogosphere. Some people can go over the edge more easily since they’ve never had flesh and blood contact with their nemesis–words on the screen don’t seem to belong to real people. Maybe?
Some bloggers do know my given name, but they are trustworthy. And people who know me personally can read my stuff and figure out my identity pretty easily. People I don’t know or who haven’t proven themselves don’t need to know me or my family that well.
Comment by Anna Venger — 08.30.06 @ 9:38 pm
One of several reasons I enjoy your blog is the low incidence of dishonesty (hypocrisy). Know of no one who is free from error (or, only one) but greatly enjoy those who actively seek to avoid it.
Those whose writing I tend to enjoy are less likely to use false or unrelated facts to stress their position. Just the same, we humans don’t seem to be able to stop it, just able to strive to slow it down.
Am not Catholic so I do not think of past Pope John Paul as a spokesman for the Lord. I do however think of him as an authentic human hero.
It seems the best way to avoid a scandal is to speak the truth. Mrs Malkin seemed to speak the truth as she saw it and did not cause a scandal. Instead her family was put at risk. One of the disadvantages of being part of a committed family is that that your heart no longer rests within your own body. Dying for my belief is not scary, threats to my family are. Failing to speak up for the truth is also harmful to my family.
The web is scary because it is so easy to hide hate. Hate is one of the more effective tools of our common enemy. The desire to find actual reasons for our hate helps us to hide our sins from ourselves. Hiding our sins (from ourselves as well as others) is kinda like trying to hide from the Gospel.
Love is the answer. It is not meant to be practiced in ignorance. Love becomes stronger and more powerful as we understand the truth.
I do not know how I got here from the meme of todays post but thanks for the chance to think about it.
Comment by Ted Moore — 08.30.06 @ 10:14 pm
Better Blogging
After more than two years of blogging, there isn’t much I haven’t experienced. The BIGGEST thing you need to know: BACKUP! Backup your blog whatever way works for you. Mirror it on another blog service. Save it on your harddrive. Print it off as hard…
Trackback by Dave Lucas' Notes — 08.30.06 @ 10:28 pm
LaShawn, I’ve included your post in one I’ve just put up that is dedicated to brand-new bloggers and to those who’ve been frustrated trying to get a blog running and / or keep it running! You give such good advice! I’m still working on trying to attract my readers to engage in dialog the way yours do via comments. If only you could teach that technique to others!
Comment by Dave Lucas — 08.30.06 @ 10:31 pm
I give you credit for being a pragmatic thinker that takes responsibility for the opinions that you espouse.
I have a similar viewpoint about people, politics, etc., that I describe as, “Think Stereotypically, Act Individually” (see more here - http://sokol-blog.com/?page_id=3 ).
Comment by DZ Sokol — 08.30.06 @ 10:58 pm
Dear LaShawn,
I am not a blogger but I do have a penchant for commenting (Google 1,190 entries). It never entered my mind to post MY thoughts without signing them with my own name. Would you make anonymous phone calls?
Danger? Journalists have been posting for centuries under their own names. A few, very few, have come a cropper for their work. Driving to the corner store is far more dangerous.
Regards,
Roy
Comment by Roy Lofquist — 08.30.06 @ 11:45 pm
Others have already pointed out my concerns. There are obvious and legit reasons why someone would want to avoid using a real name. Doesn’t seem strange to me. What is strange is how others don’t seem to understand/respect the reasons why people do it.
It’s much different for someone who blogs/writes as their full time job. That situation creates the opposite condition, because you want to use your real name in that case…. you are marketing your name and writing articles in newspapers/magazines, and appearing all over the net and on television, authoring books, writing forwards, etc etc…. And perhaps even teaching, or the person may be a marketing/writing consultant, etc…. Your name becomes a serious part of the business.
Another reason why people use their real names is because they may already be a well known person, such as a journalist, even before they begin blogging… and their names become part of the marketing to get readers to visit their sites. Again, in this case, you want your name out there….since as a journalist, you are already known.
But for those of us who get up and go to traditional jobs, this is not really the best option. And as someone who understands security, I would say that such advise is pretty bad from a security standpoint.
I will just add that blogging anonymously (or with a pseudonym) does not mean that someones blog is of lesser quality… or that someone is lying about something. That’s not the case with me.
And someone mentioned someone losing their job over blogging…. THERE HAVE BEEN TONS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS OVER BLOGGING. This is one of the main reasons why people don’t use their real info.
People often run into problems simply for having a different political view than their bosses. And the other reason has to do with issues specific to the jobs (my boss sucks, my company sucks, or bad day at work rants).
The U.S. has turned into a Nazi State when it comes to blogging/free speech/free expression/political views, etc.
You would be a fool not to protect yourself in this kind of social/political climate.
Anonymity is a positive thing…. it gives people more freedom to say what is on their minds. That’s what makes blogging so great. I think this kind of freedom makes blogging more genuine, not less genuine…. because you know (in many cases) you are getting the real thing in terms of what the blogger is thinking or what they have to say.
People tend to hold back or put up a front if they use their real ID’s and are exposed to retribution because of their views. That kills the whole spirit that blogging is built on.
Comment by The Angry Independent — 08.31.06 @ 4:30 am
Good arguments here, both pro and con, on the whole posting/blogging alias thing.
My take is that sincerity and honesty are what matter, far more than the use of a silly posting name like RedBeard.
One blogger I know uses an alias because he is a prosecuting attorney. His personal views, posted on line under his real name, might adversely affect his courtroom work and could possibly put him at risk personally. The same goes for a friend of mine who is a bank officer charged with collecting bad corporate debt, a somewhat dangerous job (his life has been threatened several times) which causes him to have an unlisted phone number and an anonymous home address, for reasons of personal safety. He wouldn’t likely post using his real name.
But some commenters use multiple aliases to aid fighting on discussion boards, a tactic I find childish in the extreme. I run a small hobby board myself, and even there, with totally non-controversial subject matter, I have to deal with childish ne’er-do-wells who insist upon that sort of behavior. I’ve never understood any of that.
Anyhow, in the interest of moving slightly in the direction of disclosure, my middle name is Lee. Oooooo, now I feel naked.
Comment by RedBeard — 08.31.06 @ 6:50 am
Sorry I took so long to find the Boston Globe article that I mentioned in my last posting. I am not sure if this is the correct manner to post the URL. Correct me if it’s not right.
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/03/30/job_applicants_online_musings_get_hard_look/
Comment by dbennett — 08.31.06 @ 9:38 am
La Shawn:
There is another dimension to using your name.
This other dimension is “what is the source” when you opine.
The classic offender of this dimension is “journalist” Seymour Hersh. He almost always “can’t tell you” his “sources”. He often makes wild accusations (mostly of Republicans) without naming how he got his “information”.
Bob Woodward is a Hersh Wannabe - his “deep throat” was revealed only after the “source” was too far gone to recall if he really was the source.
Comment by Frank Zavisca — 08.31.06 @ 9:41 am
I don’t blog under my full name because I don’t need my family to catch a load of crap for anything I say.
That, and being in the military. I don’t want anyone to think that my opinion is the Army’s opinion.
Comment by Raging_Dave — 08.31.06 @ 11:36 am
I don’t think La Shawn’s post has any opposition to people using a nickname to post so it’s not a matter of arguing for or against using an alias. Obviously, I’m using one myself. If you’re always yourself but just have a nickname, there’s no harm; you’re still expressing your honest viewpoint.
What she said runs more along the lines of #7 UNK’s comment where a person pretends to be someone they’re not. That’s taking the concept of being your own best friend too far!
Comment by FL Mom — 08.31.06 @ 1:37 pm
Those who blog anonymously I would venture are in good company, considering the famous men of history who have also written anomymously at one point or another, such as Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, John Adams, John Marshall, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, etc., etc. What a bunch of cowards they were.
Comment by Lincoln — 08.31.06 @ 9:50 pm
Advise I Hope We Don’t Need
LaShawn continues to dole out advice on blogging ethics. It’s advice I wish people didn’t need. One would think, “Don’t pretend to be someone else defending yourself on blogs.” I don’t think most of the sock puppeteers did so out of an unawarenes…
Trackback by Adam's Blog — 09.01.06 @ 12:48 am
Thanks for the post. I have read the comments above, and agree with most of them, especially DJs comments. Like DJ, my blog is not large enough to garner much attention outside of some Marines and Army types. If I was much larger I might consider some other means of personal protection. But I thought about this issue when I started blogging, and made the decision that I would use my real name. I have absolutely nothing to hide, and don’t fear any “blowback” from what I post. I just have to be careful not to put information into my posts that come exclusively from the knowledge I gain from having a son in the Marines. My info sources have to be public sources. Otherwise, I am free to roam, since very few people read my blog. I have come close to the edge before on things like Marine room-clearing procedures, things that I otherwise would not know without having a son in the Marines. I also find the strangest things with visitors. I might blog on the pending war with Iran and get only mild interest, but I posted on La Shawn’s post the other day on forced confessions, quoting RC Sroul and R J Rushdoony, and according to Google Analytics, got significant interest. You just never know what folks will find interesting. Come visit me at Captainsjournal.com.
Comment by Herschel Smith — 09.01.06 @ 1:17 pm
Dooced once and that was enough for me.
Comment by Jack — 09.03.06 @ 1:40 am
Well-stated, La Shawn. I see some are conflating anonymity and sock puppetry in comments. Not equivalent concepts. Sock puppetry is an illegitimate use of anonymity. Proper uses would include speaking truths in such a way as to take one’s own personal baggage out of the equation, protecting others (family, etc.) from backlash or even just participating in free speech w/o having parties not directly involved in the issue (such as work supervisors who inappropriately intrude themselves into one’s private life and personal views expressed away from the workplace) interfere.
Any use of anonymity to be fundamentally deceptive or dishonest is anathema. Use of anonymity to engage in personal attacks, threats or harassment is vile… and dangerous. To the attacker. *heh*
I blog quasi-anonymously, simply because of my wife’s work (yeh, supervisors who take an unhealthy interest in the lives of workers’ family members–and “quasi-anonymously” because I seriously doubt anyone associated with her work is capable of discovering me through the BROAD hints I leave). “Caesar’s wife” and all that. But anyone who emails me knows my name, because I do reply to non-SPAM email. And anyone who wants to can winkle my name out on the web with ease via just a few simple searches.
But comment with genuine anonymity on someone else’s blog? Nah. I may sorta-anonymously comment from time to time when the choice is between taking the time to register (check email for login, login, THEN comment–*yawn*) or simply dropping an “anonymous” note (with my IP still fully in the open). But in cases like that, I’m likely to just pass on taking the trouble to comment at all (or if it’s a VERY good blog, subscribe to the RSS feed and reply to posts via email–more common and even less “quasi-anonymous”).
I’ve had sock puppet trolls, including one who easily uncovered my name and promised to drop by and get physical, @twc. Boring. *yawn* Banned. Life’s too short to deal with idiots unnecessarily.
Comment by David — 09.04.06 @ 11:43 am
I always enjoy your insight and advice regarding blogging lessons learned (of course I also enjoy your perspective on most other issues even though I often disagree).
Fact is some folks just cannot use their real names. I could never say what I believe if I used my real name. I am not opposed to anonymity or pseudo-anonymity, I am opposed to folks picking an identity for the occasion. You know, the fellow that leaves a nasty comment without an address of their blog or an email address. I call them drive-by-trolls. I can deal with trolls if they really want to debate their ideas and leave a means to get in touch.
Comment by El Cid — 09.05.06 @ 6:46 am