I would argue that to develop many communities a degree of anonymity is required. An insistence of real names will mean a great many things will simply not be d

I would argue that to develop many communities a degree of anonymity is required. An insistence of real names will mean a great many things will simply not be discussed or shared, whether it's because people are living under political or religious oppression or because it’s too dangerous or even embarrassing for them to do so without anonymity. Some of my friends fall into this category and discuss things online which they would not discuss in public because it would leave them open to discrimination, cost them jobs or make them targets of harassment. Offering people anonymity is nothing new- when interviewed by newspapers they have always been given the opportunity to use pseudonyms for example. I'm not saying that Google is evil for having a real name policy or even that I want them to change it. They can do what they want - but my friends and I will never use their service as a result. I just want to point out that everything comes at a cost.