There are no local communities behind them, and no intention to create them. People know each other only by the persona assumed online. Interestingly, through role-playing, real and lasting relationships can be forged beyond the engineered milieu. These benefits do not apply to the New Athenian, whose participants meet each other on campus every day, in the classrooms, cafeterias, concerts, and parties. Anonymity in the local setting is a liability, not an advantage, as it denies the accountability that makes for good neighbors and, hopefully, good friends.
Anonymity is anathema to local community.
We are working with the college administration to create the New Athenian's Safe Space to allow anonymous communication when identification is dangerous to, or perceived as dangerous by, the speaker. It emphatically will not be a place to avoid public accountability. To ensure that the Safe Space remains a safe space , we will moderate it, meaning that posts will need to be approved by moderators before posted. The technical issues have been solved, but there are still legal subtleties to be worked out in order to protect the college and the moderators. Private Forums Student organizations and clubs on campus may find it useful to supplement their current communication methods with a New Athenian private forum.