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I really don't want to say this but, the real names policy does help in terms of trolling behavior for certain communities. When TechCrunch switched over from D

I really don't want to say this but, the real names policy does help in terms of trolling behavior for certain communities. When TechCrunch switched over from Disqus to Facebook comments, the amount of trash and trolling was immediately reduced and stayed at a minimum permanently. A lot of the media outlets (Motherboard, Vice, NPR) who've disabled commenting altogether were using Disqus. I've noticed media outlets that use Facebook comments seem to still have commenting turned on. I know anonymity in comment systems is as touchy a subject for internet freedom lovers as gun rights are for people in high crime neighborhoods. Those that hate them have already made up their mind and won't look at contradicting evidence, those that love them have already made up their mind and won't look at contradicting evidence. The truth seems to lies somewhere in the middle. So "Real Names Policy" definitely has it's place. Maybe not everywhere, but definitely in some communities.

rntz 10y ago
Perhaps the common cause here was disqus, rather than anonymity per se? Does anyone know if there any features of disqus that might encourage trolling? Also, I've certainly seen plenty of flaming in FB comments on news sites.
syshum 10y ago
>>those that love them have already made up their mind and won't look at contradicting evidence. Like you are doing here... >>TechCrunch switched over from Disqus to Facebook comments, I stopped commenting, Did the level of comments drop as well because I do not have today, nor will I ever have a Facebook account, any site that uses Facebook as a comment system does not want nor will get my feedback or participation
NoGravitas 10y ago
I voted you up in order to remove some of the downvotes you're getting, because there's nothing wrong with the tone or level of documentation in your comment. However, you are also completely wrong. I'll produce two anecdata points. Look at the Facebook comments on a local newspaper that uses them (e.g., thestate.com). Note that on any article that touches on a partisan issue or a scandal, the tone and contents of the comments are vicious, personal, and frequently harassing. I admin a large-ish meme page on Facebook. The comments section is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. From what I can tell, some communities have better norms than others, in terms of promoting civility, but the use of real names doesn't make a significant difference.

rntz 10y ago

Perhaps the common cause here was disqus, rather than anonymity per se? Does anyone know if there any features of disqus that might encourage trolling? Also, I've certainly seen plenty of flaming in FB comments on news sites.

syshum 10y ago

>>those that love them have already made up their mind and won't look at contradicting evidence. Like you are doing here... >>TechCrunch switched over from Disqus to Facebook comments, I stopped commenting, Did the level of comments drop as well because I do not have today, nor will I ever have a Facebook account, any site that uses Facebook as a comment system does not want nor will get my feedback or participation

NoGravitas 10y ago

I voted you up in order to remove some of the downvotes you're getting, because there's nothing wrong with the tone or level of documentation in your comment. However, you are also completely wrong. I'll produce two anecdata points. Look at the Facebook comments on a local newspaper that uses them (e.g., thestate.com). Note that on any article that touches on a partisan issue or a scandal, the tone and contents of the comments are vicious, personal, and frequently harassing. I admin a large-ish meme page on Facebook. The comments section is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. From what I can tell, some communities have better norms than others, in terms of promoting civility, but the use of real names doesn't make a significant difference.