What kinds of problems do sites like BugMeNot create for the papers you work for?
BugMeNot doesn’t create any problems for the newspaper sites I work for, because our sites do not require registration to access content. We use registration only where it makes sense to do so from a reader’s perspective. The classic example is on message boards and comment forms, where readers want to register so they can “own” the rights to their usernames — and, thus, their online reputations. It’s also beneficial for the community because without registration, online discussion tends to turn into anonymous name-calling. For several months, we had an open discussion forum on our main site, LJWorld.com, and it allowed anyone to post comments without having to register. The anonymity — and, hence, complete lack of credibility — encouraged people to post insulting comments, pose as other readers, and otherwise partake in shenaniganism. We implemented a registration requirement to post comments (but not to read comments) after we got a number of e-mails from readers requesting the fe
