Or, you know, just use a login name with a password? Why do identities need to be connected by default? Who really thinks making up a name and password is too much trouble? Are the Hacker News and Reddit models really so bad?

Facebook is great for a site like this, as it ties someone to a real identity. Excluding the few who don't want to use Facebook isn't a bad compromise for the great service it provides to site owners.

Define 'real identity'. Either this site is meant to allow people to connect w/o knowing each other. Or it's for close friends (and in that case I don't see the point).

Facebook: 50% of my (heh.. Hate that site. Admittedly meager selection of 60 friends) have a pseudonym as name. Among my 2nd level friends that's even more common. It's really _uncommon_ to have a real looking name, not some play on words or weird spellings of something that not even remotely resembles your name. Ah yeah - and my privacy settings _should_, unless Zuck decided otherwise lately, make it impossible for anyone to see much about me anyway, so my 'real identity' is worth zilch.

None of my friends have pseudonyms, none of my extended network do either, it's all full, real names. I'm of the belief Facebook enforces proper names (even for Snoop Dogg!)