Re^2: [Free Nodelet Hack] Anonymizer

[McDarren]

Indeed.
I can't think of any valid reason for somebody (with an existing user account) to post anonymously.
As far as I can figure out, it is usually done to either:

• cause mischief,
• troll, or
• dis-associate oneself with a particular comment or viewpoint.

And I don't see how any of the above could be considered valid reasons, or encouraged/condoned.

Perhaps I'm missing something?

Cheers,
Darren

[Your Mother]

There is also: post something negative/semi-confidential about $work without implicating the work-place or revealing yourself; or ask something you really are supposed to know already without making yourself look like an idiot where your manager/rival can see it.

I like being able to say work is a drag right now because XYZ without actually trashing my work-place or letting hackers know where they can find an exploit or something I describe; I recently described my last work-place as having a cookie exploit which could delete the production DB; if I'd done that under my real name, anyone could read my resume and destroy the site. So "anonymous" posting lets me both vent and be responsible. This is 90% of why I keep myself anonymous which I do behind a username because I like my investment here. I just like it with a side of privacy. :)

That said, I also think catering to switching anonymous on and off is a mistake. I think it's nice that it's possible but it shouldn't be easy.

[mr_mischief]

Sometimes the cost of associating oneself with a certain viewpoint is loss of employment. I could entirely understand someone distancing themselves from airing an unpopular viewpoint. If done responsibly, I see no problem with it. I still don't see that as so common a need that logging out and back in is a major pain from it. However, I refuse to blame a well-crafted tool for misuse of it by a person. Blame the person who misuses it, and not the maker of the tool.

[Gavin]

"Blame the person who misuses it, and not the maker of the tool."

Point taken about voicing an unpopular viewpoint and or sensitive issues.

But why make it so easy to abuse the system?

[mr_mischief]

How much easier, exactly, is this compared to opening two browser tabs to two of the domains where the site is available? I often have three or four PM tabs open when quoting nodes or referring to Super Search in a node.

I could easily make one of those to perlmonks.org and another to www.perlmonks.org and have anonymity if I so desired. Then there are perlmonks.com, www.perlmonks.com, perlmonks.net and www.perlmonks.net as well. Why the site doesn't use whole-subdomain cookies so that there are only three instead of six sets of cookies I'm not sure, but that's moot here.

I already have a different color scheme and different CSS when I'm logged in and when I'm not, so that would make it easier for me to know which window would be anonymous. In fact, I use that in part to keep from accidentally posting as AM. The site has supported that for quite some time despite its potential to help someone troll.

The AM guest nodes themselves make it easier to troll. It's been considered that a few trolls now and then don't outweigh the benefits of non-members being able to ask and answer questions.

Several trolls on this site post using their username. Having Anonymous Monk around doesn't stop them from logging in and taking credit for their trolling. I doubt this tool would stop them from making pseudonymous troll nodes rather than anonymous ones. Heck, sometimes people who attach their real names to the nodes read like trolls.

I think your assumption that anonymity leads to more trolling says more about your distrust of anonymous posters than it does about the anonymous posters themselves.

[jdporter]

I can't think of any valid reason for somebody (with an existing user account) to post anonymously.

I guess it's time to have this conversation again.

• I post to Perlmonks anonymously... (poll)
• No Anonymous Reply Option
• Why anonymous ;-?
• What are the Benefits of Anonymous Replies?
• Restricting Anonymous Monk
• anonymous Monks: a double-edged sword in an argument.
• Re: Anonymous Monker !

[Anonymous Monk]

Close your UL

[jdporter]

Thanks. Fixed.

Too bad you had to post a node to tell me that. If you were logged in, you could have sent me a /msg. That would have been a lot better. :-)

[Anonymous Monk]

Or maybe you just don't believe in pseudonymity when anonymity will suffice.

I find it interesting the three motivations you came up with seem to fall from the assumption of malice or jocular mendicity. Do you sell your straw men at a wholesale discount, or do I just pick them up as I need them?

[Your Mother]

jocular mendacity - What a troll sees in the mirror.

But not me. No, never gonna be me. Maybe facetious mordacity, but never jocular! I would never do that.