posting anonymously?

[kate_]

is there any way to post anonymously? there was a topic started by {{ silent scream }} on main about sharing secrets

it would be a great idea if there's a way we can post anonymously here, or does anybody know of another site like that? where you can post from a computer instead of having to mail postcards..just wondering

[mallie]

VowsOfSadness has already made a thread about posting secretson coping.

BUS is already pretty anonymous, in that there aren't people that know you IRL here (typically). As you said on {{silent scream}}'s thread, some secrets do need to be told. Getting things out in the open in a safe place like bus could be really good.

I guess the main thing would be why would anonymity be required? What benefit would that bring? If getting your secret off your chest is the only goal, then that could work, but you can't get feedback or advice or support on the issue. I know that there have been quite a few threads in the past where people have posted along the lines of it being really embarrassing or hard to talk about but they do/think X and a whole lot of people reply saying "yeah me too" that can really help people feel less alone, and get things in the open. Bus is pretty understanding on the whole, maybe its safe enough here that total anonymity isn't needed?

[Tiarin]

my own experience is that the power of telling a secret isn't only the "getting it out" bit, but also the aspect of having someone who knows you hear it and accept you anyway. like what mallie said about people starting difficult threads here and realizing as a result that they're not alone in their problem, and that they can still be a valued member of the community even with the things in their lives which they're ashamed of. so i don't know how well i see this kind of thing fitting in with what bus is about.

however, i've admittedly never done anything like anonymous secret-telling, and i don't know what it would be like. i guess i imagine that it would actually make me feel lonelier to have confessed anonymously to strangers when the people who cared about me didn't know. but that's only my speculation. so i mean this as an honest question, despite the biases i've already admitted: people who have done this sort of thing, has it helped? have you felt better afterward? i'm open to hearing about benefits i might not have considered.

dragonfly