Online harrassment is real and annoying enough, without the added risk of using my own name.

Some time back, I was an active participate on TT. Then, a volatile TT person went nuclear over a statement I made. I don't even remember what I said; certainly nobody else expressed any problem with it. But something about my comment struck this one person the wrong way, and they went apeshit.

Others in the thread told the individual that they were overreacting. More flames. (I had gone quiet -- there didn't seem to be any point in trying to respond to this person, it wasn't a rational conversation.)

This person then used my TT name to chase me down in other threads and posted flames attacking me there. People on these other threads said this behavior was out-of-hand and should stop. Which led to more flaming.

Yes, I used the "block" function in TT to avoid reading those posts. But when some stalker is following you around and starting arguments with people around you -- well, at some point, it's not worth bothering anymore. After a week or so, I said screw it and stopped visiting TT.

I could have asked Salon to get a new TT name, but I'd lost interest. It's like, why go back to a restaurant that gave you food poisoning? It may be a perfectly nice place, and you just got unlucky that one day -- but that one bad memory puts you off. I'm very active in several other places online -- just not TT anymore. I don't stick around for pointless arguments in real life; why should I do it online?

I have no idea what this irrationally angry person might have done if they had actually had the ability to google my real name and track down my phone number, my address, place of employment, etc.

So: real name, in online discussions / letters to the editor? No thanks.

Not until we have better safeguards against the annoying and/or dangerous few -- the online flamers, stalkers, psychos, identity thieves, vigilantes, etc. who are willing and able to cause you trouble if you're the schmoe who's unlucky enough to attract their attention.

In addition to signature, I think we should also be asked to include photo, age, sexual preference(s) and astrological sign to make it easier to hook up with letter writers whose work we admire.

:-)

You know what? If the measure of a man is the ability to back up words with deed, then what kind of a coward would I be not backing up my thoughts with my name?

Too few of us are willing to speak out, vociferously (never claimed to spell worth a damn... dyslexics untie!), emphatically, about what we believe, and where has that gotten us? Two terms of Bush, an Ann Coulter that people LISTEN to, a society where the freedoms and liberties we hold dear are being parsed out to us as if we cannot handle them ourselves.

Maybe we can't... but by God, I will fight to the end for the freedom to burn out, rather than to fade away behind our own little Iron Curtain.

So I, David Luckett, born in Burgaw, NC hereby say.... hiya.

Dave

PS. I am not the David Luckett from Australia who is an author, or the Dave Luckett from Australia who is a reverend, or the Dave Luckett from Australia who is a race car driver... my dad is from Mississippi.

But from here on out, I probably won't sign my name, because I am kind of lazy... heh heh heh

and I'm a woman.

Men aren't the only people who see value in posting real names. Personally I feel that anyone who doesn't want to employ me on the basis of googling my name and disliking my opinions is someone I don't want to help to make a profit. Of course, I have some high-paid skills and I live in a liberal big Northeastern city, so I can afford to say that.

I understand why people choose to use handles; I have done so myself in environments where I wanted to discuss personal issues I didn't want getting back to my loved ones. I think the Internet works just fine with handles. It's the eight zillion Anonymouses and the fact that there is no way to distinguish them that irritates me. Can't you folks just make something up?

But no, it's not a male thing to post real names and a female thing to use handles or hide behind Anonymous because it's a big, bad world out there and women know enough to be scared of it. Someone could see me at the grocery store and decide they didn't like my attitude and decide to follow me home and beat me up and rape me, but that doesn't mean I wear a burka to the grocery store, and I'm not putting a burka on my name either. Other people may choose to do as they will, and without knowing their life situations I won't sit in judgment on them for their choice, but me, I use my real name.

A lot of posters have made valid points. I have a professional job, and hold a high profile position with a volunteer organization that is often subject to attacks (including here) by people who know little about the organization. If I rant about something that has nothing to do with my job or my volunteer position, and people find that when they google me, that is detrminental to my employer and my volunteer organization. I very rarely send a letter to the editor of the newspaper anymore for those reasons.

In my job, I represent high level public employees. We know that googling has become part of the job interview process. With the political divide so deep in this country, it has become dangerous at times to express your opinion.

By all means, if you only want to highlight articles that are signed by full name or by nickname, fine. The anonymity option should not be taken away. I would rather see an editor delete abusive posts.

Melissa