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Health & Fitness

Using Pseudonyms Online

Among the posters on the New Canaan Patch there are strong feelings about using pseudonyms online.

I am new to this and venturing onto new grounds for me.  I have never thought of myself as a writer, but I want to initiate some constructive discussion.

There are many reasons why someone would want to use a pseudonym online.

  • Writers use pseudonyms to try and prevent preconceived ideas of what they are going to write and the story the will tell.
  • Those of us that are beginning to use online blogs can protect ourselves (at least our ego) from failing to write well and get our point across.
  • Anonymity online can protect our families from our work and from posting that are read with a different intent than intended. I feel I have been attacked several times for asking questions that I thought were very benign, by others, with and without pseudonyms.
  • Allows me to hide my work from my family. My spouse is very concerned about what is posted online. There are those who post online with great emotion and do not hesitate to attack someone that makes me concern who they might treat my family if they knew my identity.
  • Provides a mechanism for exploring ideas without people permanently attaching them to your person.
  • You can write without fear that your employer finding out.

There are those that use the pseudonym as a mechanism to hide while they attack others online. There are those that want to participate in a discussion without fear of being attacked.

Must you use your real name to participate in a civil debate?


On the patch I have seen poster using their real names being very rude and attacking others personally as well as other using their real name being very thoughtful and respectful in the debate / discussion. I do not think anonymity is the deciding factor in having a civil debate / discussion. It is a matter of the person’s characters.  

How do we balance the positive contributions from a pseudonym with the possible misuse of being anonymous?

I would put this in the same category as balancing the freedom of speech with the power of words to hurt others. You cannot have one without the other.Let's have a discussion.
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The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?