Comments on: Anonymity in the workplace: it is appropriate, sometimes

By: Trust Trumps Anonymity « Mo Hax

Trust Trumps Anonymity « Mo Hax — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:57:10 +0000

[...] Trust, even in a business context, can be developed over time with anonymity (as I’ve personally experienced many, many times). The issue isn’t that people can’t or won’t trust you unless they know the real you. It just takes longer to build trust that way. When onboarding hundreds, or building conference weak ties that you wish to develop, that inefficiency isn’t worth the benefits of anonymity. Perhaps this is what Erica and Sam Driver have always understood better than I. [...]

By: Mo Hax

Mo Hax — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:58:53 +0000

I almost posted my real name on the top of my about page the other day. This has really got me reflecting on the dilemma. My wife helped me put it into perspective when I asked her if she were comfortable with all the people I have communicated with on the internet having essentially a link to our family personal blog. For some that might be fine, I’m just not ok with it yet and would rather not add authentication of any kind to that blog.

I have a suspicion that the migration of family scrap booking to blogs will continue to evolve into more customizable elements of Facebook and the like where visibility is easier to control for a wider audience with more granularity. Many wives who would not have dreamed of blogging are adopting in droves. Some of them are migrating to Facebook just as quickly.

This migration of more personal information to more controlled access points will likely lead to more professional transparency as those with visible internet participation will be more free from concerns about real world safety despite the current research showing online dangers are perhaps less than perceived by most.

I still believe pen names will retain a similar value to that they have always provided as well.

Good post. Thank you.

By: samdriver

samdriver — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:27:12 +0000

Great blog post, Mo. I have had enough conversations on this topic to realize that this is a huge issue for businesses contemplating blending physical and immersive work. I am in the process of writing a formal report on the topic from the perspective of business operations in immersive environments. A lot of thought has gone into the ideas from a marketing and sales perspective, but there is scant discussion on the topic of actually operating a normal business using this new tool. It will surely be a rocky topic for some time to come.

By: Mo Hax

Mo Hax — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:36:59 +0000

As more workplaces become virtual spaces this will be interesting to follow. This post and some Tweets with Erica prompted me to review Anonymity, Transparency, and Safety. Thanks for your post.

By: samdriver

samdriver — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:20:58 +0000

I think I am still a pretty hard line advocate for transparency in the larger arena of work. Trust is a difficult thing to develop if based on a hidden identity, and responsibility for one’s actions in either the physical or virtual world is vital.

I’m just warming up to the idea that there are many facets to the anonymity problem. I’m sure this topic will continue to evolve as more business is conducted in virtual environments. The social and gamer environments have driven the existing default position of anonymity, but I don’t expect that to last for too much longer.

By: rsklarew

rsklarew — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:54:18 +0000

I’m as much a purist as you started out being. Perhaps all you have to do is add “ratings” to your two current exceptions, “whistle blowing and counseling”. They are all part of a greater category of judgment or feedback where honesty may require some level of anonymity.
Thanks for the interest commentary!

By: samdriver

samdriver — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:48:56 +0000

Thanks Mark,

Humorously, I just learned about rate my professor from a friend, who was upset that she didn’t have enough chili peppers. The academic feedback system was always tricky, because most professors could ID the student by handwriting, writing style or word choice anyway. Anonymity was not really available. In that case, the illusion was sufficient to get student buy-in. This kind of pseudo anonymity is another interesting variant worth looking into.

Ultimately I think there will be a sliding scale of anonymous options, letting people be “just a part of the crowd” when appropriate, but for most interactions a high level of authentication and tracking will probably be the norm. It will be an interesting transition for the virtual worlds community.

By: Mark Baard

Mark Baard — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:07:50 +0000

Excellent piece, Sam. I think you nailed it with this “trust first” idea. For example, many of my Emmanuel journo students say they fear retribution through an internal course feedback system (in which they get to critique their instructors) that attaches a student’s name to his form.

The college says it will shield the names from the instructors. ANd it sure beats RateMyProfessor, in which a form a griefing is indeed possible.