when people are tracking pseudonyms to real names and posting addresses online, I think anonymity is a legitimate option.
Except that when people are that dedicated to finding out who someone is, anonymity is a short-term option. I haven't known a lot of sock puppets who managed to hold onto their identity for all that cosmically long.
The ideas are important, regardless of the source.
I'd love to agree in theory, but I've got friends in LoTR fandom and have heard about their difficulty, and a good friend was in Rat Patrol before the sock brought it down. One person, just one puppeteer was the source of both offense and defense AND the lurkers supporting both in email. (The LotR puppeteer created hundreds; the RP puppeteer created thousands. This is, incidentally, why I remain convinced that the anon meme has maybe a dozen people actually active in it, tops.)
When you don't know who is spouting the idea; if they mean it or if they just mean to make trouble, it does make a difference. Especially if someone is hiding behind their anonymity to dogpile someone they have a grudge against. Hear about the Dead Sea Scroll guy? He socked one of his own opponents; went online under a close pseudonym and "made" his hated opponent "confess" to being a plagiarist, among other crimes.
*Extremely* important to know the source of that idea!
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Date: 2009-05-07 10:12 pm (UTC)Except that when people are that dedicated to finding out who someone is, anonymity is a short-term option. I haven't known a lot of sock puppets who managed to hold onto their identity for all that cosmically long.
The ideas are important, regardless of the source.
I'd love to agree in theory, but I've got friends in LoTR fandom and have heard about their difficulty, and a good friend was in Rat Patrol before the sock brought it down. One person, just one puppeteer was the source of both offense and defense AND the lurkers supporting both in email. (The LotR puppeteer created hundreds; the RP puppeteer created thousands. This is, incidentally, why I remain convinced that the anon meme has maybe a dozen people actually active in it, tops.)
When you don't know who is spouting the idea; if they mean it or if they just mean to make trouble, it does make a difference. Especially if someone is hiding behind their anonymity to dogpile someone they have a grudge against. Hear about the Dead Sea Scroll guy? He socked one of his own opponents; went online under a close pseudonym and "made" his hated opponent "confess" to being a plagiarist, among other crimes.
*Extremely* important to know the source of that idea!