Anonymous or Real Identity - What Works Best for Online Communities?

Paula Derrenger · 2025-10-10T13:59:33+00:00

I’m launching a new community with my friend and debating whether we should allow members to stay anonymous or force them to use their real identity. Look at Reddit and Team Blind. Both communities have grown massively with anonymous users. People feel safe sharing honest opinions, personal struggles and do not have the fear of getting judged. It feels like very authentic conversations and experience sharing.But platforms like FB Groups, LinkedIn rely on real identities. Having members use their real names and identities helps build trust faster. I think it helps people build personal relationships. We are unable to decide as both approaches have their own merits and trade-offs. So - what’s your recommendation? Would love to know about real-world experiences.

Anonymous or Real Identity - What Works Best for Online Communities?

Paula Derrenger
@paulad

Updated: Oct 25, 2025

Views: 120

I’m launching a new community with my friend and debating whether we should allow members to stay anonymous or force them to use their real identity.
Look at Reddit and Team Blind. Both communities have grown massively with anonymous users. People feel safe sharing honest opinions, personal struggles and do not have the fear of getting judged. It feels like very authentic conversations and experience sharing.
But platforms like FB Groups, LinkedIn rely on real identities. Having members use their real names and identities helps build trust faster. I think it helps people build personal relationships.
We are unable to decide as both approaches have their own merits and trade-offs.
So - what’s your recommendation? Would love to know about real-world experiences.

3

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Cicily

@cicily • 1w

Anonymous posting allows people to freely express their views without holding back or being judged. However, it's difficult to find real bonds among people when you are hiding behind anonymous usernames.

If you are a professional community, it's better to have users use their real names. It helps people build trust and connect with each other.

Kaustubh Katdare

@kaustubh-katdare • 1w

The best practice that works across all communities - is to let the user decide whether they want to stay anonymous or use their real identity. At Jatra, we solve this problem by letting the user choose their username and display name. User may choose anything of their choice.

However, if the user has article writing permissions, I recommend that they should write using their real names. This helps with SEO.

Also - if your community requires people to identify and connect with each other - forcing a policy to mandate real identity helps.

Steven Way

@stevenway • 6d

I like using my real name on professional communities but will prefer staying anonymous on several communities. I really like Jatra's approach to letting an individual decide whether they want to stay anonymous or use their real id.