If we made real names or photos mandatory, I’m pretty sure members would disappear in droves, unfortunately. However, there’s always been a pretty reliable parallel between the anonymity of an account and the quality of a member’s advice. Not foolproof, but pretty reliable.
Especially on a forum like T Nation where we’re dealing with training, nutrition, and supplements that can improve health, gym performance, and physique, people who go out of their way to avoid sharing any of that info tends to raise red flags.
Could be as simple as keeping a training log, having their pic as an avatar, sporadically mentioning their own resutls in posts, or participating in the Photo Check-Ins that we’ve had twice a year for the last 8 years (FYI: the next one is coming up next week.)
Of course people are entitled to privacy, but if someone chooses to offer advice, it’s not beyond reason to expect people to know where that advice is coming from.