I've been reading a fair bit about the pros and cons of requiring users to employ their real names on social networking services. I won't bother to recap these comparisons here in any detail, but will instead outline my preferred compromise, which is that if a pseudonym is employed, the profile must make this clear. This allows those who aren't comfortable with unknown persons to filter based on the fact and avoids impersonation issues, while still allowing the benefits of anonymity to those who require it. Users who violate this policy could face appropriate disciplinary action in an easy to keep consistent manner. The issues surrounding the verification of one's true identity are no different than a system that mandates real names. It may be useful to distinguish between accounts that have been declared anonymous and those that are simply unverified as yet, perhaps with a reasonable deadline and possibly even levels of confirmation. Many variations are possible, but the fundamental idea is this: give users the information and features required in an easy to use, consistent manner so that they can decide for themselves how they feel about anonymity.
Update: a possible option of particular note is one where the user is required to verify their identity, but then are free to use any public name they desire. This eliminates the issues with multiple accounts and impersonation, but still allows anonymity.
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