one of the many positive aspects of anonymity has been protection / security knowing wackadoos or department heads couldn’t find you and dismiss you ad-hominem or otherwise, that the words stood unto themselves, as Anonymoustache pointed out in the above comments.
One of the things I love about pseudononymooooose writing is that it unleashes Teh Beast in some particularly talented folk-rs.

Anonymity means being able to read in plain layperson speak what some really really heavy hittin thinkers really think without having to filter their thoughts to please or appease the petty office/academic politics. Sure, any nutbag with an opinion can blog, but some bloggers have shown exceptional talent for stirring the pot, better than any Ph.D sans degree (I know he used his real name online, but props to Steve Gilliard, ya’ll!)

But nowadays anonymity is as easily broken by just pulling back an ISP address / curtain, or the frequency of personal detail inserted into any writing. Even if you’ve got super-uuper-duuper encryption capabilities and proxy servers, you can be ‘uncovered’ if someone really takes the time.

My own confession is that I used to get really pissed off at trolls/warmongers/misogynist/doucherattles and I was damn good at discovering their identities in real life. But posting these IDs in the threads was considered a more serious infraction than the said douchrattles venomous screeds. The lesson was Fight ‘em with words, wit, and wisdom, or get the F out, because Outting isn’t acceptable on any level (plus it’s easier to count every grain of sand at the beach than ID every troll). But my prurient interest in knowing who people are wasn’t limited to trolls, so I occasionally signaled Dr.So-n-So or Ms.YoDood in a friendly manner that despite their best efforts to be anonymous their proverbial Blog Barn Door was hanging open. This wasn’t always welcomed, as well, so I quit doing it altogether. Ain’t nunna my biz, let the chips fall where they may.

Suffice it to say; If your writing is really provocative, and really good, you’ll get attention. If you’re anonymous, someone will find out who/where/what you are (if only for the challenge). But only a real doucherattle will out someone else against their wishes.

“I have some serious problems with anonymous blogging, frankly. Same with anonymous commenting.”

which comes from a comment you made at your own blog?

I particularly recomend the post about ‘white guys and asian girls’ because it clearly shows that the voice of the people is ‘just a voice’, not a hand grenade, or a distraction from the lofty, but biased and often hypocritical ideals of the Academe.

Not only is it brilliant in that it allows even absolute idiots to speak–but it also allows for the response to their idiocy–which has apparently given the bloggers a book deal.

“damaging the public image of Academe” hardy-har-har. As if the academic douchedrinker-filters need help with that?

So Physio, despite the fact that I have been deleted from your blog under other credentials( or perhaps just found my way to your spam filter), I wholeheartedly agree with you when you say

“I am convinced that those who rail against anonymity are weak-egoed credential-obsessed lickspittles who hate the fact that anonymous bloggers–and other writers–can develop tremendous influence and credibility in academia–and society at large–without relying on fancy credentials from fancy institutions.”

Viv le resistance! Wei Ren Min Fuwu! Viva los gentes!

The problem I have is that human interactive modalities and methods developed (socioculturally) and evolved (maybe) in the context of face to face interactions. The internet is sufficiently non-face to face that this has generated problems, which are not that difficult to solve. But if we throw in the anonymous bit, it becomes ore level harder to have this work.

Thus, in my view, anonymity produces both a risk and a responsibility that I’m not sure that all anonymous bloggers understand or address.

Being a female blogger who uses her name and has been threatened by wackos, I really need to respond to this. First, I’d like to testify that not only is my CV pretty much defunct at this point, I can’t even find the most updated version. Nor can I find copies of my diplomas, including one from a community college and one from a state college. So please understand the wording above represents a generalization that unfortunately describes a certain population which does not include yours truly.

While I acknowledge there are practical reasons for using a pen name, I am furious that as a woman, I am not allowed to express myself because misogynistic wackos will harass me. Excuse me, are women not allowed to vote? Are we not allowed to own property? If Hillary has the right to run for President, by God, do I not have the right to blog under my own name? And do I not have the right to do so without being threatened?

In case anyone missed it, the answers are all “yes.”

This being said, I don’t think anonymous writers are necessarily skulking (I think the wackos are probably the more likely skulkers), nor are they all wimps. However, I do think those that can muster the courage to “come out” should do so because when we do, we are a more powerful writing community.

Writing as ourselves means we declare that first amendment rights are important, that we will exercise them, and that we will defend them. The more we do this, the more the law and the trends will support us, and the more the wackos will leave us alone because they know they will be brought up on harassment charges if they do not.

So please do not judge all of us irritated people who write under our own names. Some of us do so because we have been editorially, socially, and professionally run down. But as with anything else, this kind of oppression only yields more rebellion.

What we need now is a revolution of identity. Feel free to join in.

It’s a lot harder to discredit the message when all you have to go on is the actual language. This is especially true if you 1 – don’t agree with the message and 2 – it’s posed in such a way that you’d look like an idiot to argue with the person. (i.e. if they’re a lot smarter than the person who doesn’t like what they’re saying)

And DM: definitely rare.