On the anonymity issue, I always get a great buzz of satisfaction when I manage to work out the identity of some forumite who doesn't use their real name. [Marco and Mossdog can rest assured that I haven't (yet) worked out their identities.]

More seriously, anonymity shouldn't be a problem if there is a moderator who can remove someone who is being abusive, regardless of whether they are using their own name. But as Wheeze says, moderating is a thankless task; I certainly wouldn't feel able to do it.