Poll Survey: What if we (Y!A users) were *Truly Anonymous*?

I've been on YA for years. I vote best answer - and you cannot SEE anything about the user at vote time. Regardless, I know all the 'regulars' in my section, and can identify their answers by the style of their writing.

I would still answer, because, well, it's fun. I like it. If I were *truly* anonymous, when I posted answers, the trolls wouldn't be able to automatically give me "thumbs down" just because it's me. I would still be able to recognize trolly type questions, or more commonly, spam questions, to report.

Anonymously, though, I think we'd get a whole lot more spamming. Point gamers would STILL have the question link to post 35 votes to a particular answer - and it would be harder for volunteers to catch spam rings.

Most askers do not actually pick answers, IMO, and the ones that do, if they're not in a point gaming ring, generally pick either the one that I agree is best, or the one that they WANT to be best (LOL). So the voting is already as anonymous as it will get . . . and I don't think there would be much positive impact, if any.

I can see an advantage in discouraging "thumbs down" abuse based upon the identity of the person answering a question, but often the identity of the author can be discerned by regular users without a "name" identification.

On the other hand, it would make it far more difficult to identify those who abuse Y!A by posting the same question, or a variant, over and over and over again.

On balance, I think knowing who is posting a question serves Y!A better than having anonymous postings.

As the now clean parts of the site will be as run over with trolls as the bad parts already are, I will likely stop in desperation.

In knowledge sections having a name and being able to check out other answers is very important.

So likely, if the site went 100% anon I would lose interest.

Reporting is likely the last thing I would stop with, more trolls, more non answer, more reporting.

Some would not be able to hide their user ID.I know of at least a dozen who give the same answer to every Q concerning problems on this site & politics (much of it incorrect).All are TCs with high profiles.

I would still ask/answer Qs even so

I would not answer any different ly to normal

No difference in rating or reporting.

Hello Vicky,

Some are here to give notice by the way he expresses.

The Y! Brazil is like having a notion which belongs to the same account name and avatar without.

For 85% accounts without names and Avatar, is old users that make many accounts to unload their frustrations to other community members.

  Hugs and greetings from Y! Brazil.

With the amount of anonymous users and fake profiles it's already truly anonymous so there'd be no change.

It wouldn't make any difference

That would be cool!