ANONYBLOGGING: Lots of people have written me on anonymous (and pseudonymous) blogging. I’ve already posted on the subject here and here. And my view hasn’t really changed: I don’t think there’s anything illegitimate about not blogging under your own name, but I think it raises questions that real-name blogging doesn’t. And I think that if you’re a blogger who slings personal insults at folks with names while remaining anonymous yourself, well, that’s pretty lame. But hey, it’s the Internet — you’re allowed to be lame. And the rest of us are allowed to think you’re lame. Plenty of anonymous bloggers manage to be civil, but it does seem that a disproportionate number of uncivil bloggers are anonymous.

For those who want to be anonymous, though, bear in mind that while superficial anonymity on the Internet is easy, it’s pretty superficial. Anyone who really wants to know who you are can probably find out. So while the usual degree of blog anonymity is probably enough to protect you from casual boss harassment, if you’ve got real reasons to keep your identity secret, well, don’t count on it.