when Blaise Cronin, dean of the School of Library and Information Science, posted an essay lamenting the lack of civility among writers of personal Web logs (blogs).

“He was viciously attacked by people [from] all over the world – all anonymous,” says Center director Alice Robbin. “These people would never have made these awful remarks if they had to show their faces or give their real names.”

She says being anonymous provides an emotional rush that shapes the content of what someone says, as evidenced in responses to Mr. Cronin.

“They were so thrilled, and it was associated with antiauthority,” she says. “They were taking it out on a dean.”