Another MFP User Comes out of the Closet (of Anonymity)

Submitted by kpaul.mallasch on Fri, 12/01/2006 - 11:08pm.

A user at Muncie Free Press, Mark Davisson, has decided to use his real name to post for the site. I'm not entirely sure why, but I'm glad he has. I've been working with him a little tonight to get an essay up on the site for him. He's been debating (civilly no less) another user who uses his real name - Bob Hertzog (who was a little shocked when I called a few minutes after he emailed me a question about Muncie Free Press. Heh. Not that we'll always be able to do that, we'll try to scale it on the way up. It's important. Personality. People. Not corporations. Not money. Not advertising. People telling people. How to tell those people originally, though? Plant a seed one Fourth of July, get a ball rolling (in the town the Ball Brothers abandoned.)

Anyway, back to the fact we have another user using their real name and interacting on the site. Maybe two or three people who use their real names are better than 10 pseudo-anonymous forum punks?

The thing is, I'm not running a flat comment phpBB system. When the people come to MFP (eventually) in droves, we have a time-tested (and mother approved) method of handling the conversation.

I feel the hammer of time coming down on me, though. I feel pressured by it more and more. Natural growth is good, though, I keep telling myself. Nevertheless, realistically, I know Gannett can and will continue to throw money into Muncie's online operations. I'm betting it's misguided money, though. That is, that they're going for short term growth still.

Or maybe it's just impatience on my part, wanting to get to the next level. And the next. I see the big picture so clearly. It's putting all the small pieces together slowly that's holding me back. Maybe it has to be this way, though.

We still have more anonymous posters than real name ones, but all are reasonably well behaved compared to almost any newspaper 'bulletin board' or 'forum' (even you big boys running vbulletin...)

So many thoughts. So many moments.

Back to work...