What the heck is a sockpuppet?

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I found a thread to do with the mods and banning sockpuppets... What the heck is a sockpuppet?

I'm assuming its not a member who does strange/creepy sock puppet shows with via the site

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sock+puppet

In the context of WP it usually means a banned member who has sneaked back on again using a new name or someone who creates a second account so they can make nasty posts or flame another member.

Does it still count as a sock puppet if someone creates a new account just because they wanted a new name and a new start but they don't hide who they are?

What about if someone got banned and they came back under a new name and they didn't even hide who they are, they were just themselves?
Oh nm tallyman already answered that and I have seen people create new accounts just so they say something to a user here because they couldn't have the guts to say it under their own username. To me that is just cowardly.

It depends if they have come back after a temporary ban or after a permanent ban and whether they asked permission or not. If someone sneaks back after being permanently banned they are banned again as soon as they are spotted by moderators and their identity is established again.

Temporary bans aren't often given out. They can last from one week to three months or longer. Sometimes a one week ban is enough to jolt a troublesome member into realising that if they continue breaking site rules then a permanent ban awaits them. However, if someone has already had repeated warnings then the next step is usually a permanent ban with little or no hope of them ever being allowed back again. These sanctions are done on a case by case basis. Some members just need a little reminder to stay within the site rules but others have a more aggressive personality and seem incapable of moderating their language or attacks on other members. Sometimes a member is so aggressive and nasty to other members that a permanent ban is given without warning, but this only tends to be trolls and psychos and they usually get kicked out soon after joining WP. Some members go unnoticed on WP for years, other members get their names brought to moderators attention frequently - those that like to push the rules as far as they can or belittle other members - sooner or later that ongoing adversarial attitude gets them banned.

Sometimes people are given permission to create a new account under a new name, but this is rare. It only tends to happen if their real-world identity has been compromised and it is causing them problems. For example if school "friends" or relatives discover who they are on WP and use information disclosed in their posts against them and stalk their posts.

This is a sockpuppet



But this particular sockpuppet doesn't post on WP anymore

If someone creates a 2nd account simply because they want to use a new name (and stop using the old account), and they are honest about it, the new account will be banned. I don't know or care if that falls under the "sockpuppet" label, but I know that being honest and up front about it doesn't work.

Unless they complain to Alex about the unfairness of it all. Then Alex uses it as an excuse to get rid of all the mods. I know it is a inconvenient truth for the current mods, so watch me catch hell for even mentioning it!

Well during the short time I've been a mod the issue has only arisen twice and on both occasions the member was allowed to switch to a new account. I have even suggested it myself to a couple of members who have reported problems that would warrant a change of identity. I don't know how former moderators handled this situation. Not very sympathetically by the sound of it.

The thing not to do is just create another account without permission because that is likely to be viewed with suspicion - especially if "abrasive" posts are made from the new account, it is likely to lead to an unfavourable opinion that this is simply a sock-puppet account so they can troll other members.

I'll be a moderator for as long as Alex wants me and while I still have some spare time to help out here. However, it seems likely I will have less time to spend here anyway soon and consequently may retire from moderating anyway due to other commitments. Things are somewhat uncertain at the moment.

Why is it that you are still whining about being de-modded? It does seem fun but here's a thing: nobody is a mod forever and it's fact.
Besides, if you really want to mod, make a forum and use your powers there.

The Great Moderator Purge of 2010 was the best thing that's ever happened to this place IMO.

As I understand things, those mods had been told people could not change user names ... and when I once asked how that had happened for someone, I was told Alex had allowed an exception.

Well, then I guess the ways of interpreting policy has changed. Unless you are saying they have to ask permission first. I do know in the past creating a second account because one wants (with good reason) a different name, was not allowed, and the new account was banned. That with being upfront about it, and why, and no questionable posts. I know the mods and admins have entirely changed since then other than Alex. But I also know the written rules have not changed, and those say if a person does it BOTH accounts will be banned. And it doesn't say anything about exceptions being made if one asks permission.

Edit: Okay, it either no longer has that bit about both accounts being banned, which I know I've read, or it's posted somewhere else besides the rules post. It says simply that you can't have a second account without permission from Alex.

But note this in the FAQ: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp1250885.html#1250885



Notice it doesn't say, "You can change your name by creating a new account and abandoning the old one, but please ask permission first", nor does it say "You can't, but if you ask Alex, he may decide to allow a name change and change it for you". And, yes, that question is 2 1/2 years old, but it's in the FAQ list, so it's being there still means it's meant to still apply as a current answer to the question.

Just to clarify one thing. In theory at least it is possible for a members username to be changed. But only Alex can do that and he is very reluctant to do it because it messes up the boards and what people have quoted in posts by those members.

A different issue is creating an entirely new user account. The rules state that a member cannot have more than one account. I think the meaning there is that they cannot have multiple concurrent accounts. If someone requests a new user account then it will be considered based on the members reasons. If granted, then their old account will be closed. i.e. all the posts will remain but no new posts or edits can be made under that old name. Allowing a member a new username isn't something granted on a whim, the member needs to have good solid reasons for wanting it - for example their posts are being stalked by family members or school associates and the information is being used against them. The creation of a new account requires Alex's agreement.

Edit: I'll just add that my guess about the reason the site rules say only one account per member is to prevent trolling, whereby a member creates a second account so they can be rude and nasty to other members; or to seemingly gang up on someone they don't like.