Here is another article that summarizes the negative effects of anonymous commenting on newspaper message boards.
A Pew Research study found 25 percent of people admit to posting anonymous comments online. A communications professor at the University of Houston studying the issue found anonymity contributes to less civil discourse. He looked at online comments in newspapers for more than a year and half and found 53 percent of comments were uncivil in papers that allowed anonymity. That percentage dropped to 29 percent when newspapers required names or links to Facebook accounts.
People should use their real names when commenting. But if for some legitimate reason that is not possible, posters should be aware of the potential for negativity anonymity poses, and monitor their contributions accordingly. Patch might want to consider disallowing anonymous commenting in order to improve the quality of the conversations on its articles and blogs.
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