Potato I have

Jorn Barger coined the term weblog, sees its original sense being usurped, and so would like to take the term back.

the unit-measure for blogging
is the blogger

While it’s a tentative thing, I’m trying to generally use my real name on the net; I like when others do, I take their writing more seriously, and I think it’s an accountability I like for myself. I still have a pseudo or two; maybe later I’ll figure out if they are more crutch or more good judgement.

I see amazon is encouraging their reviewers to use their real names, and is even using that as input to the reputation calculation. Those opting in will have a Real Name badge attached to any review they write.

A Real Name is a signature based on the name entered by the author as the cardholder name on his or her credit card, i.e. the author represents this name as his/her identity in the “real world.” An author willing to sign his or her real-world name on a piece of content is essentially saying “With my real-world identity, I stand by what I have written here.” Real Name signatures therefore establish credibility much as reputations built over time in the Amazon.com community, and just as high-reputation authors and their works receive badges, authors who use Real Names receive badges. In the absence of a reputation or helpful/not helpful votes, the presence of a Real Name becomes a data point on where to place the review. People with lots of helpful votes will still be the top-ranked reviewers, even if they choose not to use a Real Name.

While I suppose it’s not so hard to fake a credit card name, I like the promotion of transparency at such a mainstream site.