There is some interesting discussion here - thanks for bringing it to our attention. We are aware of the general consensus around anonymous comments, but this does shed some light. Thanks.

Amy thanks. My main purpose in starting this thread was opening what I think is much-needed dialogue between members and staff about this issue.

there was a brief flash of fun, and why not? XXX-rated aliases? You've not seen the anonymous user names that are actually X-rated terms? well. I did report a few to max-editors, and they got deleted. not going to repeat them.

sometimes I just do not want to login and sometimes to avoid the flamin' stalkers.

Sorry, I do not recall seeing those around! 

There needs to be a system put in place where members can flag anonymous (or even other members) for flaming. If someone, anonymous or otherwise, gets a certain amount of flags then the NP editors should be alerted. I'm not sure but I would bet that NP can ban someone based solely on their computer's IP address. You would have to be a fairly onerous, um, chap to continue flaming once your computer has been blocked.

Or we could hunt down each unverified numb-skull and give them a little cowboy justice - isn't that the ethos of this community anyways? Get a couple wranglers to corral the troublemakers and let the editors poke them with their pointy crowns. It would be fun!

Wrench the comments? or commentors?

You would be literally wrenching the comments but it would be really wrenching the commentors.

Well, there's this thing with cowboy justice--it's founded on honesty. Total honesty.  At least here in Oklahoma.

And just maybe we're trying to define honesty here, on NP. Maybe to some, copy-and-paste and take credit is honest enough. Maybe to others, it isn't.

So, what's real honesty about? At least here on NP. Because that is part of the issue here.

We are not in the Wild West any longer,that was in the 19 century USA!

I am not sure that is the correct way of doing it BigT!? Then again the Internet seem to be like the Wild West at times!

You made me laugh, Paschen. I leave in an area that was indeed very Wild West at one point! Even into the 1900's!

Even in the Wild West, though, one thing was sure and certain: slap your brand on another man's horse and ride it away could get you lynched. The copy-and-paste artists maybe need to stop and think about whether or not they'd have the guts to slap their brand on another man's horse and ride it away. That's what they're doing, of course--safely, behind computers, in the internet, but there's no real difference other than being oh-so-smug-and-safe.

You do make a valid point actually as BigT does, After some reflection on the subject, it does in deed seem to be the Wild west here and the Branding analogy is not bad at all PEP!

Yet lynching and hanging, tarring and feathering is hardly an acceptable method nowadays and rather difficult to achieve over the Internet! 

So what would be the alternative? 

Ah, and what to do with the branders of other men's horses is up to the staff.  

I welcome anonymous comments providing they follow the rules, but I would like email notification that an anonymous comment has been posted to an article as at the moment I am not.

Thanks for this suggestion, BigT.

I get anonymous comments and also comments, where users have not logged in, but still choose to use their real name.

I wish to leave an opportunity for anonymous and "non member" comments in the future too.

My opinion on this can be resumed in one simple sentence

I am not "leaving" this otherwise excellent site, but I shall quite simply not put up another post on it as long as anon comments are permitted .

Respects to all and thank you.

Well, Sorry to hear you wont post since the Anon are here to stay Frepouille. I suggest if you do not like them just ignore them or should they be offensive ask and Editor to remove those comments and they will.

You put good posts out. I would not mind reading them again.

Cheers.