Posting anonymously has its pros and its cons. [u][b]Pro: [/b]It keeps a Google search for your legal name clean.[/u] Posting online is like talking to the police:  anything you say can and will be used against you. Old questions posted in IT forums, comments on political articles, objectionable tweets, those photos of you partying a bit too hard, that video your ex-boyfriend swore he’d never release:  if you use your real name when posting anything, chances are a Google search will bring up results that you aren’t proud of. [u][b]Con:  [/b]It makes what you say less believable.[/u] Using your real name lends credibility to what you’re writing.  Similar to criminal informants, coming forward with your true identity makes the content of your statement more believable and trustworthy.  If you truly stand by your posting and are prepared to have your name associated with it forever–internet archives can live a long time–using your real name shows your conviction. [b][u]Pro:[/b] It helps keep your name out of people search databases.[/u] Many people search websites, such as Spokeo.com and 123People.com, collect their listings by crawling the web for all mentions of a person’s name.  Let’s return to our earlier CNN commenting example for a moment.  If you use your legal name and actual email address to register and CNN’s privacy policy allows it to share your information third parties, as many websites do, then it will show up on the people search websites. [b][u]Con:[/b]  Anonymity makes us meaner.[/u] Study after study demonstrates that being able to say what we think without fear of repercussion brings out the worst in us.  With the advent of anonymous online commenting came trolling, cyber-bullying, and general unpleasantness.  There’s even a scientific term for it:  “the online disinhibition effect.” And anonymity can have far worse effects than just discouraging thoughtful and polite discourse:  it has lead to murders and suicides, as in the sad case of Alexis Pilkington, the 17 year-old girl who committed suicide after being harassed online by anonymous people. [b][u]Con:[/b]  You can’t build a positive online reputation through content creation[/u] If you’re prepared for a little self-censorship, posting under your real name can be a smart strategy.  Knowing that anything you say online may show up when someone Googles you, use your postings to your advantage.  Post intelligent, grammatically-correct, spell-checked, well-reasoned content.  Express yourself in the field in which you want to become established.  Don’t forget that good search results can be better than no search results. [b][i]Discuss?[/i][/b]