Quoting from blogs

Thanks for the link Don.
I think the question is a good one. It's the same question raised when reporters quote message board postings that have only a first name attached or comments or feedback from sites with only first names or screen names. This may become part of the landscape someday, but one of the most important things in reporting is sourcing the material. When we quote people, the reader wants to know that:
A. This is a real person
B. You really talked to them
C. They really said that
D. They are credible (or if they are not credible, that is somehow made evident...)

All of this gets pretty murky with "Web quotes" from people that we may never actually meet or speak to in any real way.
It's tricky. Like letters to the editor, it is important to have a full name attached to any quote. The reason? Well, how credible is the information if the person providing it will not stand behind it with her or his name?
(Naturally, this does not apply with off-the-record, but that's a whole other story!)
Cheers,
Paul