I’ve been through the same thought process, and usually I choose simply not to post, especially if it is a site I do not frequent. Hopefully this wlil encourage more participation.

I will also say that I used to get Spam Filter reports maybe once a month, but I’m already receiving them daily since making the change. This tells me my original concerns were valid. It does not appear, however, that any of the bad comments have gotten through yet. So far so good!

Thanks,
Joel

You’re definitely right about the registration thing. Whenever I’ve gone to post a comment on a site that requires registration, it always comes down to a cost-benefit analysis – how badly do I really want to post on this site? The answer is almost always “Not that badly” and I walk away.

I’ve noticed some sites give users the choice of entering some ID (usually Google) or just entering their name and an email. Seems like a good idea to me. Really active users will have an ID that can be searched on but it doesn’t make posting a hassle for casual users.