I blog under a pseudonym as well—for my own protection. I don't want my co-workers or employers stumbling upon it. We've all seen it is dangerous these days to allow your employer to find your blog.

Not to mention those of us who work for companies who have draconian IP claims: anything the employee does in his or her spare time is owned by the company. I'd hate for that to cover my blog or software I write and release. Since I don't have the funds to protect myself, even if I am in the right, so I have to stay anonymous.

So no, I don't have any beef with anonybloggers.

As is fairly obvious from my blog name, domain name, etc...I'm pretty freakin' public. My attitude is that anything I say on the blog is something I should be willing to say to someone's face - or at least, something I won't hate myself for having said if they find out. I've changed a few posts because of this in the past, and I'll have to do so in the future, I'm sure. But I'm quite willing to go to the mattresses with my employer regarding what I say on my blog. I'm honest, fair, and I never, ever reveal anything proprietary.

Regarding the IP claims - Cisco's got some pretty significant IP claims in its contracts, but they only cover work related to something Cisco produces...that is, I can work on something completely unrelated in my free time and Cisco doesn't have a claim to it. Which is good. Also, there's a big enough hacker population at Cisco that they can't be too dickish about that kind of thing. That, and they'll never notice me anyway, so it's all kind of moot.

Eventually, I WILL get in trouble for political statements on my blog. I know this. I accept this. If I'm in a workplace where I'd get in trouble for expressing myself, I really don't want to be there anyway, so forcing the point doesn't bother me, I guess.

As with so many other things in life... it depends. I don't think it's a question of good or bad, but more a matter of the situation. Where anonymity is used as a means to spout drivel and suffer no accountability for statements, it can certainly be harmful. How many times have we heard utter drool come with that popular disclaimer: "I heard it from a friend who knows." What friend? Give me their phone number? Unfortunately, too few ever care to actually hear things from the source, or one that will stand behind their words. Credibility is a must, and anonymity undermines trustworthiness in many cases.

On the other hand, there are plenty of instances where that cover allows intriguing information to come out. The downside is that the rumor mongers aren't always right, and feel no need to explain because it's not like anyone knows who they are anyway, right?

The Real Live Preacher is a good example of a more valid use of hidden identity. Funny how people find comfort in dumping their skeletons to a total stranger than to their closest friends. Whatever works, I guess.

I go by Furo just because it's something that sort of stuck. I've never felt the need to hide my identity, and frankly, it's that much more incentive to use discretion in forming my opinions for all to see... Credibility.

If bloggers want to hide, so be it, I have no particular beef, but when it comes to seeking real truth on the web, if I can't identify the owner of the words, the words mean little... at least to me.

-Furo

I actually use a pseudonym because my real name is very common, but my middle name is more indicative of my family background. In some ways, my pseudonym makes me more identifiable.

In any case, I've never even tried to exclude identifying details in my posts. The street I live, my profession and more have all appeared in my blog. Any diligent reader from Toledo could figure out within a few blocks where my house is, where I work and places I frequent.

And my real name appeared in the first line of fron-page story on Toledo bloggers too, so now, I pretty much stick with my blogger-name because I like it more than the one on my driver's license.

There was a colorful comment discussion on this very topic recently at Wealth Bondage (http://wealthbondage.com). A couple of us were accused of saying that anonymity is a form of cowardice. The post in the archive seems to have been damaged, but the comments are still here:
http://www.mygiftcoach.org/lit/comments?u=100107&p=1215

I'm open about my identity for similar reasons to Andrew. When I read blogs and postings, I look at what is being said, not how the author has chosen to address the public identity problem. The truth is that blogging under a pseud. allows you to create a public identity too, it just isn't linked to your legal name. To get cred (i.e. links) in the blogging community, you still have to stake out a consistent position and defend it, so it isn't really quite like anonymity. OTOH, if you want to lead a movement and participate substantively in the public debate, you probably have to be a public person all around.

Oops, wrong comment thread, try this one:
http://www.mygiftcoach.org/lit/comments?u=100107&p=1225

I don't hide my real identity on my weblog. I just try to keep in mind the various people that read my site and ensure that I understand what the consequences might be.

I made a site called http://anonyblog.com/ where the username and password are on the front page. Anyone can log in and post their feelings in relative anonymity. It's been mildly successful for people to post things they don't want to post on their own weblog.

Hmm. Interesting feedback, I can see validity in each point.

Let me ask a few more questions here:
1) Which of you are female?
2) Which of you have young children at home?
3) Would you feel comfortable with your wife's/daughter's identity and location being public?

[Andrew, even you did not make your sweetie's name public for some time -- and I'm still not certain the name you use when referring to her is her legal name. Why is this, for a guy who's out there and public?]

Take a dip. The water is fine! Posting your real name on your blog is a liberating experience. Your mind, as it is expressed on your weblog, shouldn't be something that you should be embarrassed about. It is you. Just be sure that the things that you post are something that you are ready to stand behind.

You only go through life once (if you are lucky).

John, while I think your encouragement is a positive thing, I don't think Rayne or any of the others expressed concern about embarassment so much as fear of harm to themselves or their children. In an era where Misha at the Rottweiler cite is writing elaborate lampoons that seem to be inciting people to physically attack antiwar activists, these fears are not so far-fetched.

I do wish that Atrios weren't anonymous. I think that sites like Eschaton gain authority when they are written by a discoverable person whose qualifications and expertise and track-record can be examined, but it's not for me to say whether the person writing that blog might not have a perfectly good reason to fear exposure.

There is a middle path to consider. On our blog, we go by our first names only. An interested party could find my last name if he or she did a little research (or just asked me) but on the site, it's first names only.

We also make sure that any pictures of people involve binoculars strategically placed to obscure faces. Why? I like a combination of openness and anonymity. Our blog is for our readers and they know us by our words.

Thanks for that perspective, Mike.

Interestingly on point, too; I am "Rayne" in real life.

The third way-middle of the road may have to remain in place until the pull of gravity coerces me to do otherwise.

Interesting question. We all know what happened to the Microserf guy that posted pics of the G5s on the loading dock, but he was just stupid. How far do you want to take it? How hard is it to do a whois and look up domain name ownership (assuming you have your own domain)? godaddy stealths that info for free, btw. I have a personal policy that I dont post anything about work, or where I work, and my PHBs will never ever in 1000 years read my blog.