Every now and then some zealot suddenly decides those horrid anonymous commenters need to be put in their place. Here's a typical screed, which asks:
So, is it OK that so many bloggers and commenters use pseudonyms? Are their opinions godlike? Or, are they just afraid to reveal themselves completely?
Yep, that's your only choice, folks. Either your opinion is godlike — or you're afraid to reveal yourself completely. No other choice will do.
...and others just want to be rude or snarky or such without responsibility, accountability or consequence.
Consequence? So, you read an article that really makes your blood boil, you let the blogger have it with both barrels, then it turns out a devoted acolyte takes severe umbrage at your comment, looks up your real name and hunts your ragged ass down with his 12-gauge shotgun, literally giving you both barrels for daring to call the great god blogger "a lowly scumdog". Ho-hum, just another consequence in the life of the average blog commenter. Or former commenter, in this case.
All of which brings us to the Puffington Host:
Trolls Uglier Than Ever, So We’re Cutting Off Anonymous Comments
The days of anonymous commenting on The Huffington Post are numbered. Founder Arianna Huffington said in a question-and-answer session with reporters in Boston Wednesday that the online news site plans to require users to comment on stories under their real names, beginning next month.
It's quite the noble mission, all in all, meeting the highest of standards and setting an exemplary example for blog sites throughout the world. There's only one tiny little piece missing from this otherwise brilliant plan:
How.
About a year ago, I posted a critical article regarding the Power Line site and how it had become a 'social club' in that only people who were signed up to some social site, like Facebook, were allowed to comment.
Having crossed the line by daring to criticize a right-wing site, Bird Dog, fearful of Maggie's ever-delicate reputation, immediately sent the link to Scott, one of the original three Power Line founders, who cc'd a guy named Joe Malchow, who seemed to be involved somehow, who wrote this back to BD:
I agree with everything Scott says. The rationale behind using the Facebook comments system is purely so that we get comments from people with real names.
Hold that thought for a sec, will ya, boys?
First, a quick hop over to Google GMail to set up a fictitious email account.
Okay, now let's find that "Facebook" place that so many people are talking about.
And it's so easy to join!
And I already have 1,329 friends! Wow, am I popular!
Just call me Eric Jennings, Citizen of the World!
My, what a handsome gentleman!
Say, I got an idea. Let's go see what's happening over at Power Line!
Climate Change Battle Space Prep
It's your typical denialist/alarmist hype over what amounts to almost nothing — the upcoming IPCC report. Naturally, New World Citizen Eric Jennings had to step in and add some perspective:
Hey, posting on this exclusive blog site is great! It's like I'm part of some special social club or somethin'!
Say, I wonder how my buddies over at the Puffington Host are doing?
Tim Cook Is Nothing Like Intense Steve Jobs, And That Might Not Be A Good Thing
I have no friggin' idea who Tim Cook is, but, being a New World Citizen, I just had to say something.
Thank goodness when HuffPo switches over to real names this Sunday, I'll be able to use my real fake name, rather than that fake "Dr. Mercury" fake name.
From a different article:
The Boston Globe, which covered Huffington's speech, quoted her as saying that "trolls have become more and more aggressive and uglier."
Translation: "Our conservative readers are getting closer and closer to the truth!"
And you knew this was coming:
Many news sites have moderating systems that remove offensive comments, and some sites have sought to make commenters more accountable by requiring them to register via an account on Facebook or other social platform.
The bottom line is that there is one, and only one, way to make sure people are who they say they are:
Make them legally prove it.
This means bringing in your driver's license to a local bank and paying a Notary Public to print up an authentication, then mail that in to the blog site and after someone's carefully examined the embossed seal, then — and only then — will you be allowed to comment.
It will have to be notarized, because anyone can pop a blank driver's license pic into Paint and add their fake name, address and photo. The tutorial I write on the subject will include both the exact font to use, as well as how to give it that 'washed-out' look, like you just now yanked it out of your wallet and handed it to the Notary Public for copying. When it comes to producing fake stuff, authenticity is everything.
All of which means that the only proof that can exist is in the form of an embossed piece of paper, and that means a dedicated person over at HuffPo verifying the 500 applications they get daily and carefully entering in each new account name and email address by hand. Oh, and don't forget the 1,500 applications that show up on Monday because the local P.O. doesn't deliver first-class mail on Saturday.
Somehow, I just don't see this happening, much less that whole "going to the bank and paying $10" business.
However, what makes the whole thing so interesting is that you wouldn't think they'd flat-out state it's going to be done if they hadn't figured out a way to do it, right?
Right?
Or, maybe ol' Arianna was just blowing smoke out of her ass and the whole thing can be filed under the heading of 'wishful thinking' on her part. We'll find out Sunday, and I'll report back with any findings and whether or not my real fake name still works.
Either way, the fact that intelligent people out there actually believe Facebook offers any kind of special validation simply means they've never opened a fake account themselves. As amply demonstrated up above, there's simply no reason to think it's any different than if you were signing up for a secret Klu Klux Klan account. Enter fake name of choice, real email address using a fake name, password; you're good to go.
And here's the real capper:
Facebook, almost alone, doesn't require you to validate your email address. I belong to two Silent Hunter 4 forums, three webmaster forums, two WordPress forums, two high-end computer video forums and two Windows forums, and every single one of them sent me an email with a validation link to click on before acknowledging me as a real, live human being.
On Facebook, all you need to do is fill out that one box, above.
Draw your own conclusions.
