Having been a member of the Sun Journal’s online comments forum, it has always annoyed me that people were allowed to post comments behind an anonymous screen name without ever having to reveal their true identities.

That is about to change. People posting comments after Feb. 1 will have to post using their real names and not pseudonyms. I believe that will make them more accountable and less likely to post snarky comments whose purpose is simply to elicit responses from other members.

For those people out there who have avoided the online comments forum because they didn’t like the secrecy, here is the opportunity to join in a discussion group that allows them to voice their opinions. For those people who have been hiding behind a nickname because they feel braver there, now is the time to come out of the closet or quit the forum. No more hiding.

Let’s see how many actually do it.

Ed McCaffrey, Rumford