Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach
Why do people not sign their own names to what they write on the internet, and in particular on this blog? I thought I’d ask people this in the form of an anonymous poll. But before I do that, I want to get the full range of possibilities, so I’ve decided to crowdsource the poll questions. To date I have a number of possible reasons someone might give for posting anonymously, which are not mutually exclusive.
Here’s the first cut of possible reasons why someone might post anonymously:
- I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble at my work.
- I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble at home or with my family.
- I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble with my friends and acquaintances.
- I’m concerned that putting my real name to my ideas will cause me trouble at my school or university.
- I’m posting from a country which discourages freedom of speech.
- I’m concerned that someone will take violent exception to my views about climate and threaten me or my family.
- I feel more comfortable posting anonymously, but I’m not sure why.
- I’m concerned about putting any personal information about myself on the web for any reason.
- I find it easier to express negative views when I post anonymously.
- I’m posting from work on company time, or the equivalent (e.g. posting when I’m supposed to be studying).
- I don’t want people to be able to research my previous statements.
Now, my questions about all of this are:
- What else would be another reason that someone might have, that should be listed on the poll?
- What other questions (age, sex, etc.) would it be useful to know?
- How about the wording of the questions? Is it neutral, is it biased?
- Order of the questions? Which ones first, which ones last?
Many thanks for your contributions, the relevant ones will be included in the poll.
w.
PS – Please be clear that I’m interested in possible reasons people might post anonymously on WUWT, not a justification or an argument for or against posting anonymously. This thread is to design the poll, not to debate anonymity.
[UPDATE] Added from the comments, with my thanks. Note that in the poll people will be able to choose more than one response.
- I feel able to express more confident views if those statements aren’t personally attributable to me.
- I’m posting for relaxation – not “publication”.
- Using my real name is just asking for ad hominem attacks.
- I don’t know who might read the post and what they might do with it.
- I don’t wish to disclose my formal qualifications, or lack of them, or that I am in a different field.
- I can say things that I would be embarrassed to say in person.
- I’m lazy.
- I work with people who believe Albert Gore is a scientist.
- I work with clients/customers or in a market where skeptical views are not welcome.
- Metaphorically speaking, I have relatives in the old country …
- To be honest, I also say some pretty stupid things, occasionally, especially when imbibing the suds.
- I am concerned about identity theft.
- It’s a chance to let out my repressed wild and crazy inner personalities.
- Stalking is always a concern to a female.
- I have someone constantly Googling my name.
- It’s traditional since the beginning of the web to have a handle.
- It allows me to “compartmentalize” my opinions on very different subjects.
- I enjoy “trolling”, stirring things up.
- I have worked for oil companies, mining companies or agribusiness and it would likely be held against me.
- I use a moniker because it describes what I am and how I see the world in 3 words.
- I post anonymously for the same reason I do not register a gun.
- Who wants to be responsible for my stupid ramblings when I am involved with Jack Daniels? Not me!
- I am under an implied contract to never make public pronouncement under my name that might in any way embarrass or disadvantage any segment of a multifaceted corporate endeavor / large university / international organization.
- Greenpeace said “We know who you are. We know where you live. We know where you work. And we be many, but you be few.”
- If I posted under my own name, it would be tantamount to expressing my political views to all and sundry and in my industry/job/school would convey a lack of professionalism.
- I am concerned that my age, gender, ethnicity, educational level, etc are factors that can affect the people who read a comment and many of them unfortunately then respond in a biased way.
- I have been attacked for my views.
- It is like putting on a superman suit, you can say anything, be anything and fly anywhere. And if any-one with kryptonite strikes you down, what does it matter, tomorrow you will be Clark Kent.
- To express things I wouldn’t have courage to express otherwise, the same reason many students are hesitant to put their hand up in class.
- I’m not even half as paranoid as I should be.
- I don’t wish for my thoughts and comments from years gone by to turn up whenever someone does a search on my name.
- I enjoy putting forward an identity that says more about me than my name.
- It’s good that no-one on the internet knows if you’re a frog.
- It would be easy to connect up my posts, email address and ultimately my credit cards. Spam and fraud would then follow.
- I don’t want to be associated with my job when posting on technical subjects.
- I am concerned about the UK defamation law.
- In my country you could be targeted by the consensus people.
- I have a common name and use a pseudonym so that I can search for my postings.
- I am concerned it may cost me business/lose me funding.
- I want readers to judge my comments on their content, not their provenance.
- I plan to run for president and want to be able to change my opinions as may be convenient.
- I am pleased to get some protection from the cloud of gnats hovering around the net.
- A future employer might have issues with some of the things I post.
- Didn’t Zorro and the Lone Ranger wear their masks because of things like this?
- I am the sole support of others.
- I’m not British / American, and for an English speaker my name is difficult to remember / sounds weird / carries a silly pun / leads to misunderstandings.
- I think it is fun to call myself by my handle.
- I don’t care.
- My name is the same as a wanted criminal / bad person.
- I don’t want current comments being dredged up in a possible future political campaign.
- I want to maintain plausible deniability.
- Posting anonymously offers an opportunity for crowd-sourced criticism before having my name attached to a bad idea.
- I I do a fair bit of sub-contract work for companies that have bought into the green dream, so I’m invoking my very own version of the … uh … precautionary principle 🙂
- A rabid green has haunted me in other forums.
- I was stalked relentlessly by some creep who decided that it was fun.
Updates to the other questions:
- Would you seriously consider using your real name after a reasonable period of retirement.
- Would you prefer to be able to post under your own name?
- Career
- Age
- Sex
- Location
It has also been correctly noted that I am describing posting pseudonymously, not anonymously.
It strikes me that I haven’t looked at the other side of the equation, why people post under their own name … ah, well, one thing at a time. My own reasons for posting under my own name, in no particular order, would be:
- I want to be able to claim ownership of my ideas.
- I refuse to be intimidated by the dangers of the world.
- I am much better mannered when I have to take responsibility for my words.
- My claims tend to extravagance when I post anonymously.
- I grew up a cowboy, and criticizing someone from behind a mask of anonymity feels like shooting someone from ambush … and a cowboy can’t do that, it’s in the contract, ask Tom Mix.
UPDATES from the comments regarding posting under your own name.
- I am retired, and don’t care if people read what I post.
- I prefer to say what I think and feel anyway without hiding under a cloak.
- I don’t post anonymously because I have a martyr complex.
- I think it is cowardice to post anonymously.
- Because I don’t follow the herd.
- I say what I mean and am terribly honest at it.
- I believe it is simply good manners to identify yourself when talking to people.
- I have no concern about people reading my opinions a decade from now.
- I can’t lie with a straight face.
- I have to stand for what I believe as who I am, otherwise what I say is all posturing.
- I started posting under my real name after making an ass of myself anonymously in a blog comment section.
- Using my name forces me to keep my posts measured and decent.
- I feel uneasy posting anonymously.
- It’s a matter of clarity and honesty.
- If such things as climate change are important we should pony up and admit where we stand.
- I’m confident enough in who I am to not be concerned about what others think of my opinions.
- Since my work is not publicly funded or grant funded, I’m at liberty to say what I wish without concern of losing my job.
- A person of worth will stand up in their own name for what is right and against what is wrong.
- If they want to google my name, they should do it if they don’t have better things to do.
- I have never not posted with my own and real name. Why would I do otherwise?
- I feel free to change my opinion should I have reason to and will defend or dismiss my former opinions accordingly.
- It would be cowardly for me to hide behind an alias.
- A screen name feels like hiding behind a false front.
- I think that in the long view we as a society get along much better when we know each others names.
- If I have too little courage of my own convictions to sign my name to my opinions, why should anyone pay attention?
- I don’t fear professional retribution as most of my peers hold similar views to mine or are just plain disengaged from the topic of global warming.
- It’s a statement that I will not be intimidated.
- I am totally uninterested about what other people think of me.
- I’ve had my own name a long time and have grown attached to it.
- I consider my self responsible for my own opinions.
- If I write something, I’ll stand for it, or I would not write it.
- I dislike anonymity on principle
That’s it to date, I’ll add more as they come up. I must say that I find the variety of reasons much wider and deeper than I had expected. Ain’t life grand?
Indeed, I rather like this process of crowdsourcing the poll questions. It strikes me that this is a kind of appreciative inquiry that could be of use in other contexts where there is a wide variety of opinions.
w.
I always use my real name. Dunno why others would not…your poll will be informative.
Jim Brock
The “Stepford Wives” justification for anonymous posting:
Because we can.
Eyal Porat says:
April 24, 2011 at 10:07 am
Eyal, thanks for the post. I’ll add “I feel uneasy posting anonymously” to the non-anonymous list in the head post.
w.
I wouldn’t want someone reading what I said and then calling me up to argue with me about it. This actually happened once when I called a radio show. That is despite the fact that I just gave my name and town. When I asked who was calling he just laughed and said “I know who you are, but you don’t know who I am” that was kind of scary.
I also am a bit afraid about giving out too much information that might be used by identity thieves.
1. Paid bloggers need multiple names to look like more people.
2. Once proven completely wrong, uninformed bloggers can start over with a new name.
Thanks
JK
dp says:
April 24, 2011 at 11:14 am
Gosh, you poor guy! I’ll add your name to the “Do Not Force Me To Respond To Internet Polls” list, I can’t imagine how upsetting this endless querying must have been for you. Has it ended yet?
w.
[Snip. Another ‘beckleybud’ sockpuppet. ~mod.]
I have at least two reasons:
1. I already receive at least 6 emails a day, telling me I have I have just won an internet lottery or how I can earn money or how wonderful Viagra is. I used to have a personal website with my name and Email address on it for family and friends which included a page on a small business venture for a group of us. Not any more. If your personal details are in cyberspace the hustlers are going to find you.
2. We all have different sides to our personality, from our serious work persona, to our family commitment persona, to our drinking with the buddies persona, to our deep inner self.
In cyberspace it is like putting on a superman suit, you can say anything, be anything and fly anywhere. And if any-one with kryptonite strikes you down, what does it matter, tomorrow you will be Clark Kent.
I think also Anthony Watts needs to determine who and what he represents. If he wants to make it a credible scientific rebuttal of global warming have real names and titles. If he wants to brighten it up and cover more broadly and attract people that like to fantasise, consider more colour and even avatars. But you do seem to be going along pretty well with what you are doing.
And thank you for almost single handily leading the world wide push to dispel some of the misinformation, outlandish alarmism and dammed lies that is being perpetrated in the name of science. I remain in awe at the knowledge of contributors to your blog.
Here is something that was allegedly taken out-of-context:)
Smokey says:
April 24, 2011 at 1:44 pm
In that case, his old name …
w.
Because the law says so, to give people the right to exercise that right just to keep overly nosy people, including government, at arms length.
It is not strange to exercise ones rights, but it is very strange to want to dismantle those rights.
Mr Lynn says:
April 24, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Why do you think I’m going to all the work to do a poll? It’s specifically because my experience may not be generalizable.
w.
From a personal perspective, Bulldust is a nickname many people know me by in real life. My real name is more anonymous than Bulldust, being as common as John Smith (almost). Bulldust is more recognisable, and hardly anonymous to hundreds, if not thousands, of people. That and the word ClimateGate being associated with Bulldust… too hard to turn that back now LOL
Willis Eschenbach says:
April 24, 2011 at 3:03 pm
“Gosh, you poor guy! I’ll add your name to the “Do Not Force Me To Respond To Internet Polls” list, I can’t imagine how upsetting this endless querying must have been for you. Has it ended yet?”
OK Willis. I’m brushing my tears aside… and forced to answer this question. Hopefully the pain will end soon.
I started posting anonymously for a very simple reason. I am retired but still have friends and former colleagues working in fields ruled by the AGW regime so this makes it easier to avoid any ‘guilt by association’ rubbing off on them. That is why I started doing that and although that is getting better it is still real enough.
When I picked this name it was wishful thinking. Gored is supposed to be a verb.
Now it has come true, in spades, though the old man-bear-pig is still wriggling in his last spasms.
I use this same moniker to post on all AGW related sites.
For me what matters is the content of the posts. Not the name or the real or alleged qualifications. I learned this from reading so many lies and misinformation from ‘distinguished’ people with names and alleged qualifcations. A baboon can get a PhD in ‘global climatology’ if they go to the right place and just agree with their prof.
Willis, you could use the name Porky Pig and your articles would still be fantastic because they make logical sense and are so well written. Period.
1) Are you retired?
[I read on your blog that you were elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in 1972]
2) Do you think you would hold the same opinion if you were looking for work at the age of 28?
3) Do you own your home outright, ie no mortgage payments left?
4) Do you have children? If yes do they currently live in your home?
I want to be able to contribute information to the debate without getting involved in the discussion.
Here is something I forgot to mention in general. It would be all too easy for people to create a ‘real name’ and register a new email address and stand by their ‘real name’ being Kosher. How would any blogger / moderater be the wiser? Meanwhile a malicious idiot may try to track down this ficticious person and end up abusing an innocent person. What has been gained?
Real names don’t matter for us commenters as long as we don’t libel someone and stick to the terms of use of the blog concerned. Finally, insisting on actual real names may lead to silence.
Back when you had to dial up a BBS computer with your 300 baud modem you had to have a username and password to login. People still use the term “log on” for the internet even though you rarely have a password. I guess I got used to using a more unique name other than william148. I have been using Nonegatives for many years now, it is more ME than my real name would be. Can’t wait ’til they require you to use your SS# to post on the internet.
I post semianonymously – the blog owner knows who I am, but the crazies on the doorstep I can do without. I use my own name in blogs where the content is not so subject to strong feelings.
I also second randomengineer’s comment. Literary pseudonyms are a valid way of getting past possible prejudice so that what you say is considered.
I use my real name. I have lots of Google entries, mostly about my poems. I am retired, but even as an Australian public servant in the Federal service I refused to do anything that was against my conscience. Of course this hampered my promotional prospects! To me, my personal integrity is valuable, and I knew this long before I became a Quaker late in life. I loathe bullying and injustice, whether practised in schools, by governments, or powerful media, and will always speak out against them. I speak the truth as I understand it, and I don’t pretend to be always right or that I can’t be wrong. That’s why I think that religions (and AGW is one now!) are basically evil, since they insist of telling their followers what they are to think and believe. To me, this is laughable and criminal.
How about this one :
Although I post anonymously I always use the same ‘handle’ which allows others to build a picture of my views.
a corollary : although I post anonymously; those who know me would recognise me from my ‘handle’
both of which are true for me
Here is food for thought.
Has anyone wondered why we bother with secret ballots? Let’s get it out in the open shall we. Some countries would welcome this idea. ;O)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PR1872.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_ballot
King of Cool says:
April 24, 2011 at 3:11 pm
I find it kind of comforting to know that there are so many people out there that are concerned about my sexual satisfaction …
w.
My reasons for Zorro as below – and yes these reasons are compellingly believable.
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media.
Zorro (Spanish for fox) is the secret identity of Don Diego de la Vega (originally Don Diego Vega), a nobleman and master living in the Spanish colonial era of California. The character has undergone changes through the years, but the typical image of him is a dashing black-clad masked outlaw who defends the people of the land against tyrannical officials and other villains. Not only is he much too cunning and foxlike for the bumbling authorities to catch, but he delights in publicly humiliating those same foes.
Willis,
This has been an interesting – and enlightening thread. While I’m far more often here (and on other blogs) as a “learning lurker” rather than as a poster, I use my initials rather than my full name for a few reasons – although my name is readily found on my blog (linked to my nym in all my posts).
One reason (and it’s quite silly, really!) is that when using my name, people often address me in response by using 2 l’s – and there’s only 1 in my name! Another is that I do a fair bit of sub-contract work for companies that have bought into the green dream – and, while I think it’s highly unlikely that there would be any adverse consequences if my posts/comments were to be found, I’m invoking my very own version of the … uh … precautionary principle 🙂
Hilary Ostrov (who, notwithstanding all the above, does sometimes use her real name when posting outside the WordPress environment!)