Could a completely anonymous forum work nowadays?

As in, one like the 2chan/4chan/various other sites which have everyone post anonymous (often without even a distinct username)?

Or has the social network trend made this type of site unviable outside of Japan and 4chan/imageboard clones?

 

Yeh i think its quite good but i don't like forums like that i like people to kinda know your name like people say "Look at CM30s site" if you get what i mean its good to have a name because you feel part of the community and feel that you are not just a guy behind a computer screen.

 

I think you're right about there being something about the whole social networking trend that will prevent people from wanting to be part of a forum that doesn't let them get the spotlight from time to time. People want attention. Anonymity is not going to cut it for them.

 

I think it's easier for people to spam anonymously without having to associate them self to it than spamming with association that can ruin their reputation. With that said, anonymous boards breed more of the following than any other type of forum: Spammers, Scammers, Trolls, Death Threats, Fraud, and other illegal activities. Keeping that in mind you have to consider a heightened security / vulnerability risk followed by distrust and zero authority. In short, it's nearly impossible to trust or build authority around anonymity. And lets not forget all the upset people that will try to hack your database simply because someone anonymous hurt their feelings on your forum.

Do I think that an anonymous forum could generate some traffic based on topic controversy? Absolutely
Do I think that an anonymous forum could sustain itself eventually with ad revenue? Sure
Do I think that an anonymous forum is setting oneself up for security issues and death threats? Absolutely
Do I think that an anonymous forum is setting oneself up for future lawsuits? Sure

You just have to weight the pros and cons and decide which direction you want to go I suppose. Without being able to build up any authority or credibility though, it seems like it wouldn't have a solid enough foundation to depend on for a long term income solution.

You never know though,

Eric Lyon

 

Doesn't usernames that don't represent us make it anonymous?

 

[QUOTEOr has the social network trend made this type of site unviable outside of Japan and 4chan/imageboard clones?][/QUOTE]

This confuses me a little, are you saying that in Japan some sites and the 4chan "clones" are anonymous?

 

Not to certain parties.

 

If imageboards and the text versions are clones... Nearly all forums including yours, this one, and others are clones.

 

There are far too many legal issues for a truly anonymous forum to ever be a viable option. The first time someone posts child pornography or illegal warez or personal identifying information of anyone who didn't consent to it being posted your host or registrar will terminate the site. Then, because you have no way of identifying the poster of the content, you as the site owner are liable.

 

The unrestricted influx of spam and potentially illegal material would render the website useless. I have seen this happen to sites that require registration and are left unmanaged. Truly anonymizing any major site would result in chaos, the server(s) used would have to run on the outskirts of the law to avoid a takedown, and malware would be rampant. I do not see how it is a feasible option, ever, in today's commercialized environment.

 

Not really, because the niche is already filled. I suppose it would be worth a try, but forum's are generally "anonymous" anyway as you don't have to share your identity with anyone.

 

It depends on who you ask. Usernames do make us anonymous, yes, but that username can obtain popularity and be pointed out where as if you have a completely anonymous site, you can't obtain popularity as such. Think of it this way:
On a non-anonymous site, you can make a name for yourself (for your username) You can build up a reputation and members can learn from you or whatever.
On an anonymous site, you can't make a name for yourself, you have no chance of building up a reputation and you have no chance on ever becoming someone big on a specific forum regardless of your dedication to it.

 

I don't think users would be as enthusiastic or bothered about writing quality posts, help each other out and look after the forum if you get what I mean.
A lot of people may just see it is a free for all playground where they can spam and write about useless stuff.

 

Unfortunately, the concept of synchronicity disagrees with you.

 

I do have to wonder one thing here though...

How come anonymous forums seem to work okay in Japan and China but not in Western countries? Is it something to do with the likes of the US being focused on individualism and personal reputation and certain other cultures seemingly being more about the group/community?

 

I don't have a problem with a username not being the person's real name, but I do have a problem with anonymity.

And yes, I think social networks have helped break down anonymity on the Internet somewhat and I find that good.

A lot of the Internet is a "public area" and I wholeheartedly believe people should be just as "visible" on the Internet for what they say and do, as they would be in any real world public areas. Just as you wouldn't go to Central Park in New York, get butt naked and crap on people's picnics, you shouldn't go to "public places" on the Internet and do ugly things either. If people know their real name is part of their Internet presence, then they have at least a bit more inhibition from doing stupid, hurtful or damaging things.

Scott

 

I like the concept of forum usernames because the way that I see it, your forum username is your name. It is not anonymous, you now each person by the username. I do not want to come on here and know each person's real name; that takes away from the fun of using a forum. Anonymity is nice, but usernames are nicer.

 

An added thought....... I would hope that such an anonymous forum (if you started one) wouldn't have any form of marketplace or financial transactions that take place anywhere on it. Why? Because out of all the times I've been scammed on a forum in the past, it was always fake / made up username accounts that did it and not a real name account. Granted, there's still accounts that lie about their real name but make it look like they are using one, but a little research uncovers those for what they are.

Sadly there's still lots of people that disassociate real life with the internet and think that they are untouchable hiding behind a screen and a fake nickname. That's no longer true and we've seen plenty of court cases now over the years using posts, tweets, youtube videos, forum comments, blog comments, fake accounts, IP history, browser cookies, browser history, Mac address, etc. as part of the prosecutions evidence to convict cyber criminals.

Yet, even with that said, some people still feel they can't be caught due to that disassociation with their real name / identity on the visual level (Username). Many of these people are in different countries than their victims and feel that also keeps them safe from prosecution. Again, wrong..... Due to international treaties between countries, they are still prosecutable. There's guidelines within a countries treaty with another country that protects each other from citizens stealing from other citizens, as well as legal recourse for such actions.

Adding more anonymity only makes it harder to teach people that internet business is still serious business and theft will NOT be tolerated. I would suggest and hope that people don't do any financial transactions on a totally anonymous platform. There needs to be at least some form of IP tracking system and other indicators to help aid law enforcement agencies in the event a theft or fraud occurs.

Just my added thoughts anyways,

Eric Lyon

 

I thought that pretty much all forum softwares had a way to capture the I.P. address from which a post came; I know phpBB does.

 

it wouldn't be truly anonymous if it did .. Many of the truly anonymous communities don't track anything and run custom code. But then, even with tracking, people use Proxies to hide behind when they login so you still can't track their true location. Heck, some anonymous communities might even have their own proxy service that hides members IP's for them.

Eric Lyon