A Personal Note on Anonymous Blogging

One of the reasons I was glad to see that Mike Krempansky offered to compile comments to the FEC is because I'd seen and heard from a few folks who didn't want to comment if it required giving their full name and address. I don't think it's purely by accident the FEC wants these either, not considering how poorly this administration accepts any criticism.

By the same token, however, I'm not always comfortable with the idea of solely anonymous blogging. When I was starting one, I debated long and hard about putting my name out there - while my full name doesn't appear on the blog - it's pretty easy to find and I use my full name frequently when commenting elsewhere or respond to mail. As a woman working online back at a time when there weren't many other women out there, a desire to remain anonymous was strong.

I ultimately felt that if I was going to speak my mind and offer both criticism and praise, I had to be willing to say the same things whether or not people could identify me. Now, my reasoning does not have to match yours. I understand why some prefer the anonymity. There are compelling arguments both pro and con. And trust me, more than a few times, I've considered rethinking my stance. It does bring me some unwanted scrutiny. But damned - if it weren't so critically important, I wouldn't be doing this anyway.