In this forum area we invite you to join us in an experiment - by posting your contributions using your real name (first name plus surname) and stating “where you come from” (town or country). This is a departure from the common practice of posting in email or code names. We are doing this because My America: Letters to Americans is a special project with transparency, honesty and directness of voice at its heart. It arises from a profound belief that America and the world need a dialogue that embodies these qualities. We are asking public figures as well as regular people to “expose” themselves in an open exchange. In a spirit of equality and mutual respect, we want you who may wish to criticise them to do the same. We at openDemocracy are working hard to persuade individuals in public life to participate in this project – which may involve reading and responding to your posts. We want to include them and you alike in a shared, mutually agreed and owned space of individuals whose equality and respect is signified by each person’s use of his or her own name. If you consider that this procedure would put you at risk, please send an email to our forum moderator, Solana Larsen, at solana.larsen@opendemocracy.net; she will give you a pseudonym and explain to our readers that we are satisfied you have a good reason not to give your real name. If your account is already set up with a pseudonym, you can switch to using your real name by going to “my account” at http://www.opendemocracy.net/accounts/my_account.jsp. If you post without giving your name, our forum moderator will remove your posting, tell you, and replace it if and when you agree to tell us who you are. We invite your view of this experiment – using your real name, please! Thank you, Anthony Barnett Editor, openDemocracy.net