Why should I use my real name?
Using your real name is important to the Santa Cruz Wiki community. First, and foremost, it gives you instant credibility because you're standing behind your comments with your reputation. However, using your real name alone doesn't give one credibility - you must also make valuable contributions rather than just talk trash.
Fundamentally, the question is one of community. Would you introduce yourself to your next door neighbor with a fake name? Probably not... and the people on the wiki are your neighbors.
However, you may want to consider that this is an online community, and not quite the same. The better solution to this problem is to never post anything you wouldn't want associated with your name. Be warned any of your comments (be they positive or negative) may be remembered by local businesses and restaurants, and anyone around the world with internet access (note: not a 'next door neighbor') can read or find out about them. Putting material on the wiki should be considered an act of publishing, in a sense.
In the past, on other community wikis, people have created fake or dubious PseudoNyms just to troll or trash talk a single restaurant, business, or individual. This type of cowardly behavior is not constructive and is unfair to the target of the complaint. Wiki edits should be fair enough that you'd be willing to say them to someone face to face. That's true whether or not you use your real name, but it's certainly easier to be unfair when you hide behind a pseudonym.
What if I want to use my real name but don't want to get picked up by Google?
An alternative is to use a slight modification of your real name (e.g., RName, RealN, RaelName, etc.) and indicating so on your user page. That way, you establish instant credibility, and can always remove the link to your real name after you've confirmed your credibility through your awesome edits. This option is good for students looking to evade Google once they graduate and start job-hunting. The point is accountability: establishing a reputation on the wiki. Of course, you might wind up making friends who wind up only knowing you by the name you use, so be aware it may well become your new nickname in some circles.
When is it OK to use a complete pseudonym?
It's generally considered OK to use a pseudonym if you are known widely by that name. JabberWokky, one of the Davis Wiki's most prolific and respected contributors, sometimes goes by JabberWokky in real life and also makes his real name available to anyone who is curious.
Other users who choose to use a pseudonym to remain anonymous manage to establish their credibility through making a history of providing many valuable contributions to the wiki. (For example, by creating and editing pages on a relevant subject that the wiki is lacking. The anonymous AlphaDog did this with the Flora section.) However, using a pseudonym only grants one a certain degree of privacy, because it's easy enough to track bad behaviour by watching the IP Addresses behind each edit.
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