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  • Disqus Pseudonyms
    January 9th, 2012

    61PercentOfDisqusCommentsAreMadeWithPseudonyms

    One of the unending debates in blogging circles is about the value of comments. How do you encourage the best comments and discourage the anonymous trolls? Do you even need comments?  Or do you enforce civility by requiring real names, through the use of Facebook comments (which is what we currently use on TechCrunch) at the expense of discouraging conversation?

    But there is a middle ground… → Read More

    September 5th, 2011

    On Pseudonyms: Transparency And Free Expression Are Not Mutually Exclusive

    David Cowan Picture

    The debate on pseudonyms persists in the NY Times, as Google continues to eject pseudonymous accounts from Google Plus. Google crafted its Common Names Policy in order to promote trust and transparency, hoping to mitigate spam and flame wars. But the backlash has been strong from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (in this eloquent statement) and others as they advocate for those who need… → Read More