For some reason, I hadn’t realized until today that there is a “bio” field on each user’s personal page. So, if you like using your internet handle on your posts and comments, but are willing to provide a little more information (such as your real name, what you do, your campaign affiliations, or anything else you care to disclose to your fellow BMG readers) to those who are interested, I’d encourage you to use the “bio” field for that purpose. To read another user’s bio, just click on their name on any of their posts or comments. Here’s mine, by way of example.
To edit your bio, go to your “page,” either by clicking on the “[your BMG name]’s page” link in the “Menu” box or by clicking on your name on any of your posts or comments, and then click “Profile.” That will bring up the screen with the bio field. The field doesn’t accept html (unfortunately), and only holds about 50 words, but that’s plenty to dispel the cloak of anonymity for those who are inclined to do so.
I LIVE for the Cloak of Anonymity, along with the Helmet of Reason and the Chalice of Venom!
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Or have I said too much already?…..
I put my real email address and a link to my personal blog on my profile here as soon as you moved to SoapBlox and the capability became available.
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On TypePad, I could include one or the other of those as the link that my name at the bottom of comments went to. On SoapBlox, when someone clicks on your name it goes to your user posts page which includes your profile at the top, so I just saw it as replicating the former functionality (in a better way)
one has to go to the Bonifaz site for that! đŸ™‚
I think “Cos” is quite real a name for me. I have plenty of friends who forget I even have another name (and probably some friends who have never heard of “Ofer”). It’s certainly an easy way to find me online, and it’s my username on a variety of blogs. And I even got my masters degree diploma as “Cos” đŸ™‚
I was unaware of this feature and went ahead and used it. I personally don’t post much, I prefer reading what others have to say, but I would certainly like to see other people’s information. It is helpful to know where people are coming from, and allows those who are interested to access the pertinent information rather than have people insert it in their posts constantly. Since many of the posters are regulars, if you read the blog regularly enough, you can have a good sense of who’s who and what’s what.
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In terms of facilitating discussion, dispensing with anonymity allows us to question each other’s opinions in a different way. For instance, a blogger from the Berkshires might assume that Patrick’s strength here is indicative of his strength elsewhere. Knowing where people are from, and subsequently where they are coming from can alert us to both ecological and individualistic fallcies. Similarly, if I posted supporting Reilly, someone could look at my profile and ask if maybe my support for him was based on my father’s similar background (to some extent it is) rather than how he has conducted the campaign thus far. I think these are fair questions that anonymity stands in the way of.
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I choose to maintain my “handle” though, as the spirit of Shays appeals to the part of me that enjoys some western Mass. folk causing trouble for the Commonwealth.
At any rate, I think the telephone companies selling out to the NSA spies is a much bigger deal.
so long as the facts are straight, who cares where someone is ‘coming from’?
are people going to be expected to reveal whether their fathers beat them as children or whether they are married to a registered republican so that we can then psychoanalize their position on an issue?
so long as the facts are straight, why can’t peoples comments be taken at face value?
(As long as they don’t break the rules like johd did.) But I think you’ll find that if you create accountability for what you’re saying by publicly standing behind it, you’ll have more credibility. That’s why I mention the “bio” option. But it’s up to you.