BBSes have always had the "real names versus handles" debate, and I don't think the two sides will ever see eye to eye.
(Disclaimer: My BBS was part of NIRVANAnet(tm), a network that allowed full, free and anonymous access to our systems from the first call and valued the free exchange of information.)
The following article was a good read - this paragraph stood out. See the URL below.
First, there is the question of whether you need to know who a speaker is in
order to evaluate truth. I don't think you do. Maybe once in a while.
Wikipedia is a monument to this because although you can find out who wrote
what in there if you dig really hard, most of the truth that is in there is
best verifiable by going and testing to cited references, not by going to who
wrote it and by testing their character. If who said it mattered, then they
might as well throw out the content after about 100 years since all of the
people who've contributed will be dead and there will be no one to validate
the content.
From
http://open.salon.com/blog/kent_pitman/2011/02/12/using_real_names_has_real_con sequences
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