Stand up and be counted: and please sign your name.

Starting on Nov. 17, the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter will discontinue its current online-comments format — in which readers speak anonymously about stories — and implement a new comment-moderation policy through Facebook, where people will be identified by their real names.

At a recent Sound Publishing editorial meeting, editors and reporters from about 20 of our company’s newspapers decided to make the change in order to hold online readers accountable for their comments by signing their names, just like letter writers do in our print editions.

Newspaper reporters sign their names to each story, and sometimes we take the heat for how a story is written (and we do get frequent praise, as well). We stand behind our reporting and writing, just like a reader should by using their name when making comments or submitting letters.

If you’ve got something to say, you should be proud of your comments and let people know who you are. Why hide behind a pseudonym and leave people guessing who’s who? Stand tall, readers.

People usually don’t mind attaching their names to positive comments, but with the frequent negative “cheap shots” that readers submit to our Web site, it’s easy to use that pseudonym. Not anymore.

The news industry is clearly moving away from anonymous commenting, and we are proud to be in the vanguard. Other papers that implemented this system include the LATimes.com and Gannett, Media General and American City Business Journals.

Facebook’s comment system offers the best way to ensure an environment of decorum and mutual respect amongst readers who participate in our news sites. Any logged-in Facebook user will be able to comment on our stories to encourage and reward real identity. Anonymous and negative comments will be curtailed. We realize that not everyone has a Facebook account, but with 800 million users worldwide, we’re confident its social media net is wide enough to capture most of our readers.

If you don’t belong to Facebook, please remember that you can still send us a letter to the editor at anystrom@bothell-reporter.com or 11630 Slater Ave. N.E., Suites 8-9, Kirkland, WA 98034.

We encourage you to comment on our sites. It’s a great way to continue community dialogue beyond the printed page.