It is the A #1 problem with Reddit. 1) Person writes something insightful or funny under total anonymity because there are 2 million usernames and who the hell cares 2) 2 million usernames note the insight 3) Person's random string of numbers and letters goes from total anonymity to pseudonymity as people note the consistency of insight/humor 4) Dichotomy between anonymity and pseudonymity becomes obvious as pseudonymity requires maintaining a reputation and anonymity does not 5) Pseudonymous contributor can no longer participate anonymously under pseudonym and either vanishes back into the noise or becomes a hated object by anonymous commenters who were hating you before you were cool Reddit kills its rock stars on a monthly basis. Any social setup like theirs would do the same. When you emphasize the ease of account creation and degrade the responsibility one user has to another, you will end up with "[first post] (finally found some facebook gold) (crossposted from /r/aww) HIVEMIND UPVOTE ME FOR POINTS"