Campus websites eye real name registration
By Zhou wenfang and Yan Zhen (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2005-08-01 08:50

The operators of online campus bulletin boards from 65 universities throughout the country are discussing a suggestion that they force students to register with their real names before they can post messages.

The suggestion was originally put forward by the Ministry of Education earlier this year, and is currently being discussed at a summer camp for the Webmasters of campus chat rooms.

While several of the city's top schools, such as Fudan and Jiao Tong universities, already require students to register with their real names, many smaller schools allow students to use nicknames and set up multiple accounts.

Some webmaster complain that students found posting pornography, personal attacks, or other forbidden content can't be effectively banned if they have registered under an alias.

The suggested rule was applauded by most campus Webmasters attending the five-day summer camp.

Zhao yuxiao, who runs the campus Website at Shanghai Normal University, said that using real names to register would cut down on the amount of irresponsible comments posted on the BBS.

"If users don't register their true names, we cannot identify the user," said Zhao.

Currently some Webmasters patrol their BBS looking for inappropriate comments, which they then delete. The large number of comments posted on some sites makes that a very challenging job, however.

Some students say the system will prevent students from posting comments critical of the university on the BBS, curtailing their freedom of speech.

Students often use campus chat rooms to complain about bad teachers, cafeteria food and school regulations.

A recent survey indicated that 95 percent of university students frequently visit their campus BBS Websites.

Each student spends at least one hour every day chatting with other students or reading the articles others have posted.

The new regulation would make the application process more complicated and cause some trouble for BBS users and Webmasters.

Zhong wei, the Webmaster at Harbin Industrial University, said that he and his staff have had to check thousands of new applications, about one-third of which are approved.

Close

Miss Intercontinental beauty Pageant World Carnival in Beijing opens today 2005 Miss Bikini World pageant

Today's Top News     Top Life News
Six-Party joint document could arrive today         PLA excels in humanitarian mission         New tax law needed to narrow income gap         China 2020: A greener and leafier landscape         Premier meets Zoellick on strategic dialogue         China confident of controlling pig disease	Campus websites eye real name registration       Lennon lyric sheet sells for US$1 million       Forbes: Rice world's most powerful woman       China to 'vaccinate' kids against corruption       In Chinese cyberspace, a blossoming passion       No more high-cost shows for officials' star chasing