What’s in a name?

What’s in a name? A lot apparently; nationality, religion, caste, class, gender! That’s a lot of fodder for judgment. Strip a person of his name and his work becomes clear of labels. People then see the person’s work of art for what it is, devoid of perspectives.

 I remember how fond I was of poetry, even as a kid. I would often end up reading everything related to the subject before my term would even begin. Soon I started knowing poets by their name, and I noticed that one poet’s poems were listed in my syllabus more than any other. And that was by Anon. I became a big fan of Anon! It was only later that I was told that Anon is not a person but a mere short for Anonymous. Oops, turned out that I didn't even know whom I was such a big fan of!

Why would someone not take credit for his/her soulful words? Either the name must’ve got lost over the years or the poet must have seeked solace in his/her anonymity. But what kind of solace does anonymity provide? Turns out that there are many. It prevents prejudice, takes the pressure off your shoulders, and provides security when it comes to a controversial subject.

In fact, it has been observed that people tell the truth when their identity is hidden. They become bold, brutally honest even, and may give you the best feedback that can turn your business around. To take advantage of this very fact, online survey software offer the option of conducting anonymous surveys. The benefit of these surveys, to the participant, of course, is that their electronic identifying information including email addresses and IP addresses is removed.

So if handing the participants a mask increases the power of your survey, why not start a Venetian parade?