Anonymous Posting

Anonymous Posting lets members start topics and write replies without showing their name or avatar to other members. It is a Pro feature, and it is off until you turn it on — both site-wide and per space.

How it works at a glance

  • A member ticks Post anonymously (new topic) or the Reply anonymously toggle (reply) when writing.
  • Everyone else sees the author as "Anonymous" with a neutral silhouette — in the feed, on the topic, in replies, in search, in the RSS feed, in notifications, on profiles, and in the mobile app.
  • The member's real identity is still stored privately, so moderation, rate limits, and reputation keep working — and a site administrator can reveal the real author when needed. Every reveal is written to the activity log.

Turn it on

Anonymous posting needs two switches, both on:

1. Enable the feature (site-wide)

Go to Jetonomy ▸ Extensions and switch Anonymous Posting on. That extension toggle is the global master switch — there is no separate settings screen for it.

2. Allow it in a space

Anonymous posting only appears in spaces where a space admin has opted in:

  1. Open the space and go to Edit ▸ Anonymous.
  2. Tick Allow anonymous posts and save.

Turn it on only where it fits — for example a support, feedback, or sensitive-topics space. Leave it off everywhere else. A space where it is not allowed never shows the anonymous option, even while the extension is enabled.

What a member sees

In a space that allows it:

  • New topic: a Post anonymously checkbox in the composer.
  • Reply: an anonymity toggle (mask icon) in the reply toolbar — it highlights when active.

When they submit with it on, their post shows as Anonymous to everyone else. They can still edit or delete their own anonymous post, and they still receive replies and reactions to it.

Revealing the real author (administrators only)

Only site administrators can reveal who is behind an anonymous post or reply — space moderators cannot. On a post or reply, an admin uses Reveal author. The real name is shown only for that explicit action, and every reveal is recorded in the activity log (who revealed it, which item, and when), so reveals stay accountable.

Use this sparingly — for abuse investigations, not routine browsing. Anonymous stays anonymous by default, even for administrators, until they explicitly reveal.

Good to know

  • The real author is never discarded. Anonymity hides identity from other members on every surface; it does not make the post authorless. That is what lets you moderate, rate-limit, and — if necessary — reveal.
  • Both switches are required. Disabling the extension, or turning the space option off, immediately stops new anonymous posts. Posts that were already anonymous stay masked.
  • Abuse: because the poster is still a real, rate-limited member behind the scenes, blocking and standard moderation remain the remedy for misuse.

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