I’m not going to jump through any hoops, but really, if you can’t figure out who I am based on what I’ve posted, I give up 
I didn’t think of it at the time, but there are at least a dozen posters who “know me in real life”, either through Florida Dopefests, the various SDMB fantasy football leagues, or the SDMB Facebook page.
I post using my real name. If there are personal details I don’t want other people to know, I don’t write them down, must less post them on the internet. I read a long time ago, that if you have any information you don’t want other people to know, don’t write it down. Posting with my real name is my way to remind me of that.
Keep in mind that anybody that wants to know you real name just needs a lawyer to get a court order to get the board to cough up your logon information. Anyone who thinks that posting under a pseudonym will protect them is a fool. Personally I find adding people to my ignore list is an easier way to deal with fools.
This. I haven’t made any effort to hide my real identity on this board. If anyone cared it wouldn’t take much work to figure it out. But there’s no way in hell I’d jump through hoops to “prove” who I am.
How does one verify who they are and at the same time protect their anonymity? Does not compute.
I kind of did once on this board. I was posting from Baghdad in 2006 and someone called BS. We agreed upon the terms that would prove that I was there and I emailed him photos: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7403263&postcount=63
I didn’t give my name, though. I figure as long as my name isn’t Googleable, I’m ok with just a fig leaf of anonyminity.
If you’re saying perfectly ordinary things and they don’t believe you, then sure. If you’re saying really surprising things, then I don’t agree. People with healthy skepticism can be convinced. People with hysterical skepticism can’t.
Seems pointless to make the attempt.
I’ve been on this board since it began and I’ve met a couple of hundred other posters over the years. So I could clearly establish I exist.
But what does my existence prove? If I claimed I was a Harvard graduate or a former Marine or a scratch golfer or that I had slept with Cindy Crawford, none of this would be provable just due the fact that people knew I existed. I can’t see how we could ever prove every biographical detail we mention here is true and we have too many pointless cries for “cite” already.
I like the system we have now. If you spout bullshit, you’re going to get called on it. It doesn’t matter if it’s bullshit about your own life or bullshit about some field of supposed expertise. Here, you’re judged solely by the content of what you say.
With a zero-knowledge proof. I’d be perfectly willing to verify anything about myself that fits into that framework, but it’s not obvious that any of my biographical information does.
This is it exactly, and the reason I wouldn’t burn any energy verifying myself here. People will believe exactly what they want to believe, regardless of what I do.
Thanks for explaining that whole Umkay weirdness. It made me laugh – I imagine that what would happen if someone claimed I’d died, was that I’d be totally unaware of it, and blithely continue posting while the rest of the board was trying to figure out what was going on. 
Umkay’s reaction seemed a bit over the top, too. I can’t imagine getting any more het up about it than commenting “What a dumb thing to lie about.”
I was going to say no, then I remembered that I’ve given my name, address and phone number to some people here, so why not?
My first thought was sure, why not. But after speaking with the secret service agents I realize that it would be impossible. Sorry.
I was once a paying member, and if I recall correctly, I paid with a credit card. So the PTB would know my real name and probably my address as well (like many other online vendors).
I think the real question here is not would you be willing to prove who you are, but would you be willing to prove *what *you are, if you’re claiming to be something extraordinary.
In the thread I linked to Ryan_Liam was actually very good about accepting that I was who I said I was. I always thought that was very big of him given how heated the debate was getting.
Yes, I am willing to confirm that I am a cartoon horse.
Actually at this point my anonymity has been compromised anyway, as there are several Dopers who know positively who I am.
Eh, so I don’t get a chance to talk freely about deviant sexual practices or the wet work I used to do for the CIA before I joined the Navy Seals and…*. But I digress. Anyway, there are worse things.
*No, no I didn’t, nor was I ever a Navy Seal. I was a Christmas Seal.
I voted “no,” but not because of privacy or anonymity. I have several from this community on my fb list. I’ve already “outed” myself.
The one time I posted my high school in a thread and the year I graduated, I returned to find the guy who’d asked for it, had googled it, linked to its wiki, dissected it, and basically a lot of other stalkerish things.
So I don’t do that anymore.
Several people here have met me, or are Facebook friends with me and know my real name. I don’t think anyone would ever need to verify my identity, but I have no problem with it.
Likewise. In addition to the Doper I married, there have to be at least 10 or 15 other folks on this board who have met me in person (including the OP of this thread).
Now, if only I could come up with some exciting reason anyone would care that I am who I say I am.
I’m really just a middle-aged flatulent ticket taker at a local AMC. Come by and I’ll prove it.