A reader wrote in posing a few questions, and I think it is a good idea to briefly address the issue of anonymity. Those of us who have been doing the blog thing in one form or another understand the netiquette of anyonymity or pseudo-anonymity, but not all of us online do.

Firstly, yes, it is a given that one's identity is not to be "outed," and it is normally frowned upon to expose this personal info even if the blogger in question has not gone to extensive lengths to hide it. Why?

Think of other situations where anonymity is preferred. Whistleblowers, 12-step meetings, confessionals, and therapy sessions are a few that come to mind immediately. Anonymity is conferred in all these situations for a couple reasons, but the primary one is so that truth can be communicated without fear of the reprisal that might rebound and threaten that truth. Many of us out here attempt to tell truth, to uncover truth, and to spread truth. Not to be grandiose about it, this is probably the most important function of the blogosphere, aside from finding pictures of ass.

But we have jobs. And we have positions on the board. And we have access to information that would be threatened were our name to be attached to the release of that information. We have ongoing court cases, or children, or in the case of the women mentioned above, we are capable of inspiring great anger on the parts of those who would react with violence and threat—simply for writing what we think or know.

All these considerations compete with our ability to be truthful. I've said it before: the amazing thing about this world of blogs and internet is a mighty, tumbling, rolling, incisive, wandering, milion-eyed conversation that refuses to stagnate or get lost or be hushed. It cannot be spoken by any one person, it requires all of us, and we all bring to it our own experience, feelings, life, and wisdom. Alone, it is easy to stumble and go blind. Together, we unpeel great knowledge, and disseminate power and vision that any one person can then internalize and use to become stronger or more able.

Those cowards who would consciously and maliciously expose a blogger's identity do not do so to glorify or celebrate or better know that blogger. They do so to shut them up. They sense the cutting edge of awareness, perhaps they feel the structures that support their own habituated comfort are in danger. And so they lash back, but not with truth. With violence, with implied violence, with the only tool left those with nothing to say. And when they do this, they threaten not one of us, but our collective drive to be truthful and help this evolving conversation reach the fruition that it must.

This is why together we must fight any who resort to these strongarm tactics of repression or those who directly threaten our wellbeing and ability to continue speaking out.

UPDATE: lines at the end redacted to narrow focus of thesis.