kcurie, I sympathize with your friend but I'm not sure if I agree.  The very first online interactive blog I ever joined was kuro5hin.  I believe kuro5hin was the very first scoop  site.  Scoop is the software that runs ET, BT, DKos, and a host of other interactive blog sites.

Kuro5hin allows posts by non-account holders.  They used to show up in comments as the generic username "anonymous coward."  I think that may have changed to something a little less offensive now.  So I know anonymous posts by visitors who do not have an account is at least possible.

But I'm not sure drive-by comments by one-time or first-time visitors is a good thing.  The thing I treasure most about ET is the cordial, friendly atmosphere that prevails here.  Over time I've gotten to know, at least a little bit, many of the regular posters here.  I enjoy the many thoughtful insights by regulars from all over the world who come here to share their points of view.  I learn something new and useful here almost every day.  I count some of you, most of you, as friends even though we never have, and probably never will, meet face to face.

I'm not sure how long that atmosphere would last if anyone who wanted to could post anonymous comments.  There are many out there who do not share the attitude of civility and mutual consideration for alternate points of view which seems to characterize the present ET community.  There are some who seem to be motivated by the urge to sow dissent and discord, even hate.  I'd rather not give those folks a free and anonymous forum.

If someone posts one or several inflammatory posts as anonymous there is no way to know if those are by one or several visitors.  If user kcurie or ignorant bystander posts a number of such posts, we can all draw our own conclusions about the wisdom of engaging in conversation with such a user.

Personally I do not find it an unreasonable burden to go through a registration process, possibly including a brief waiting period, before being allowed to post on a forum such as ET.  Personally I would prefer that those who wish to join this wonderful community take a least a little time to get acquainted first.  I do not think that is too much to ask.  IMHO, of course.

Somewhere in cyberspace, the ghost of de Chardin is smiling.

Some of that was covered previously in discussions about the next version of ET.

I don't think we'll be going for anonymous comments though. It's hard enough to keep spam out as it is, and I'm not sure it helps the atmosphere. It can be done though ...

In our recent discussions about the future ET, I stressed that I thought people found it hard to get into the swing of the blog if they weren't already familiar with the DKos family. I suggest that we have a real non-member welcome page (with jump-out-the-screen information on how to use the site) for those who are not identified as account-holders by Scoop.

However, e-mail for registration is very common on more serious sites across Internet. It does represent a certain commitment. (Even if one can create e-mail addresses easily and drop them again). One-shot comments aren't really the style of a community blog.

The e-mail with password could also be used to send a few more simple points about using the site.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

Anonymous comments: No
Post a comment -> Registration: Yes
Email confirmation for registration: Yes

I think this informal method of keeping out casual posters is a good one. The point of ET and dKos is that people stick around and join in. If they're not wowed enough by the content to want to spend a little time on registration, they're probably not going to be happy here anyway.

Anonymous postings in general will lead to fragmentation of threads, and of the community feel.

I don't think registration is particularly difficult compared to other sites. You're not asked for personal details, and it's a very quick process.

The data-gathering problem is that by definition we have no idea who's being excluded inadvertently that we might not want to exclude. kc's friend is one data point. There may be others.

Perhaps we could have a temporary open thread season for lurkers to say what they do and don't like about ET?

I'm not totally convinced we're doing anything wrong, with the possible exception of being a mostly-English site. But that's for local ETNet spin-offs to solve for themselves - it's better to delegate than trying to be everything to everyone.

Tempest in a comment pot?  This is a distracting discussion that has little merit IMO.  The basic software, Scoop is an extremely responsive to a "community of users."  

The thing you should complement is the quick responsiveness of the database when you check your comments.  It is unusually fast and reliable.  This is the important interface for regular users, a threaded discussion.  Try look at Kos and others for this same fast and reliable database calls.

Just like in the MSM what is important is content.  Substance, not style will bring in folks.

alohapolitics.com

This was probably brought up in other threads, but I'm not worried about "difficulties with posting." Internet users have become socialized to the dumbed down interfaces of sites like blogger.com. They are easier to use but less functional. I am continually amazed that no blog host that I know of supports threaded commenting (ok, I think livejournal does, but the appearance is still poor IMO). Eurotrib wouldn't even work without threaded comments. It's amazing that scoop has been around for a good seven or eight years and in that time I haven't seen anything come along that offers up genuine improvements in either use or functionality.

you are the media you consume.

It is interesting how quickly we become accustomed to and accept as "normal" different technological bells and whistles.  I've not heard any complaint from my friends about having to register to post comments.  But if it is something one is used to, it can feel annoying.

I don't know what happened, but the cookies on our new home PC are not being stored and I have to log in each time I visit ET or Kos.  It feels like such a pain, but it only takes a second to log in, and here I was a few months ago on dial up and just waiting for a page to load would take more time than it does to type in my name and password.  So it is not unacceptably inconvenient, just not as easy as I have quickly come to expect.  

I like that one must register.

ET is one of the few places in cyberspace where people are encouraged to think before they speak.  Do you really have something to say?  If it is unimportant the registration process will seem a bother.  If you feel you have something enlightening to say, it should make registering feel worth the effort.  I'd rather read a comment someone has been mulling over for the time it takes to register or log in than a response written in the heat of the moment.  

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire

I thought I'd take the opportunity of this meta discussion to thank Colman and whoever else was involved in the redesign of ET front page. Having some of the menus moved to the left had side and the recommend diaries on the top right hand side is great!

I do agree it would be nice for non-members to have a "sign up to post comments" link in place of the members' "post a comment link" but given the difficulty of digging for related code I'll wait. Could one, if people thought it might help, add a banner section below or above the "HOME" "BOOMAN TRIBUNE" etc.. buttons at the top of the page that would have a link to the create a new account with some comment to the effect of "create a new account to join ET and post comments".

Suggestions aside I'm just impressed we're getting new non-english versions of EF. Thanks!

if someone was gripped by one particular diary and moved to comment, and if they had to waut a whole day before being eligible to contribute, we might lose something...

also it's just possible someone might be reading and have something important to say, but not use the web for email, and thus have no account.

pretty unlikely....

scoop is a marvel, and the blogger sites are very messy and easily spammable, sometimes warping out into miles of drivel if unmoderated attentively.

sorta like that last sentence!

anyone else think ET's look is like kos with a yacht-club blazer on?

kos's is more like a football jacket, the kind with numbers.

kuroshin is chaotic looking, and you have to click too often for comments - is it rusty choosing which ones to show?

skins for scoop...

Peace is not the absence of war -- peace is the absence of fear. Ursula Franklin