The topics discussed in this paper are subjects receiving a lot of attention: privacy and anonymity, and online social networks. The paper starts off with a view on anonymity, distinguishing three levels, in increasing order: visual anonymity, dissociation of real and online identity, and lack of identifiability.

The second element on which the paper builds is the cultural difference between East and West regarding interpersonal motivation. This difference is expressed in a scale ranging from autonomy on one end to affiliation on the other end. The West would be more toward autonomy, whereas the East would be more toward affiliation.

The link between anonymity level and interpersonal motivation is that autonomy suggests less privacy sensitivity, whereas affiliation leans towards full anonymity. The practical consequence of this hypothesis would be that online community sites should take this difference into account. While it is obvious that cultural differences may have an impact, and it is wise to take them into account, the specific point is that the level of privacy that is offered may be directly relevant for the success of an online community.

To substantiate their claims, the authors studied one example in detail: the Slashdot communities in the US and Japan. This example proves a positive correlation, but, as the authors remark, this does not prove causality. The value of the paper is not diminished, as the key observation stands: it is not just the content that makes an online community successful, but also the cultural fit, which can be hidden in a small spot like the levels of anonymity that are offered.