Why pseudonyms? What varied and interesting responses, thank you for these. Having been posting on the internet under my real, fairly distinctive, name for ten years without being stalked or excessively spammed, I don't worry too much about privacy on Mudcat. I think any computer-literate goon who wanted to find me could do so fairly readily anyway. I agree (qualification below possibly excepted) that in honest use a pseudonym is just another name, and if regularly used as acceptable as any other.

However, I feel that I should step in here (spoilsport!) and point out that this wasn't the question raised. Perhaps the heading was misleading, but I'm reluctant to start a separate thread.   I asked whether the use of a pseudonym creates some kind of negative bias against the ideas expressed.

A moment's thought suggests that no-one using a pseudonym themselves would agree (logically, anyway), so perhaps this is only a suitable question for those posting under their real names.