Multiple accounts - some questions

A Dub in Glasgo

From reading some of the recent feedback threads, it appears to me that there are a number of users on this site which have more than 1 user account. I have a few questions:

1. Is is appropriate for a person to have more than 1 user account?

1a. If it is, how do users (like myself) know if a person has more than one account. Is it possible to put an extra description in the LH panel of a user stating something like 'AKA ??????'. Is it possible to detect a user with multiple accounts?

1b. If it is not, what sort of sanctions are available to mods/admin to deal with the people with more than 1 account.

2. How big an issue is it across boards? Does it manifest itself in only a select number of forums?

3. Am i asking too many questions?

Creamy Goodness

i believe i've felt the brunt of these people. now i don't mind if people have more than one account some people do as to post on Personal Issues and such, but when it gets to the fact they haven't a clue how this community works and operates they just can't handle it and start going crazy acting like 2 year olds. (eg. chilipop, den.fitz, d.fitz)

BuffyBot

1. Is is appropriate for a person to have more than 1 user account?

Generally no, the admins don't tend to like people appearing with multiple personalities.

1a. If it is, how do users (like myself) know if a person has more than one account. Is it possible to put an extra description in the LH panel of a user stating something like 'AKA ??????'. Is it possible to detect a user with multiple accounts?

Most people set up a second account because their original account has been banned, or they want to troll without doing it on their main account (which, if they are caught leads to both accounts being banned.

The admins can detect who has multiple accounts on most occasions.

1b. If it is not, what sort of sanctions are available to mods/admin to deal with the people with more than 1 account.

They can ban the account, block the IP, IP block or even a whole domain (if nessecary) from connecting to the site.

2. How big an issue is it across boards? Does it manifest itself in only a select number of forums?

It can pop up anywhere on boards. Most of the forums have experienced it once or twice.

3. Am i asking too many questions?

<shrink speak> Do you feel like you are asking too many questions? </shrink speak>

DrIndy

What if two different people share one computer or IP address (home network etc.....)?

Mimikyu

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KdjaCL

There are tools for the mods to spot this on their forums if it happens , like one person posts somfin like "i think you suck" then they login as their other name and post "yeah you do suck".


Admins can do it on the entire site obviously but need to informed of their presence ie snitch if you see it


kdjac

Sangre

Multiple accounts are for cool people.
Don't worry there is no down side.

The Muppet

It has been know to cause a lot of trouble in the past as has falsly accusing two users of being the same person. There's not much can be done about it as there can be legitimate reasons for people having the same IP and anyone that wants to hide their real IP address can do so easily but if you want to do that sucessfully you have to be careful of the cookie monster.

The Corinthian

Some people keep a second account for various reasons, the most common reason is probably that people forget their passwords and simply set up a new account rather than reclaim the old. However I think the most notable reason is privacy; as your postcount increases, and perhaps even end up at a Boards social event, so does your privacy decrease. So it’s natural to want to post anonymously in some cases, and while the Personal Issues board allows for this others do not (you might want to post on the Work forum but know that your boss is also on Boards, for example). Needless to say, sometimes not going anonymously can come back and bite you in the ass.

Where it’s a problem is with Troll accounts, previously banned users and that most sad of Internet personality, the guy who set’s up another account to show support for his arguments in a debate.

The impression I get is that the problem accounts are nuked whenever discovered while the others are tolerated or simply ignored.

Victor

There are few genuine reason for having multiple accounts.

On PI you don't absolutely need an anonymous account as you can post as an anonymous guest (these posts are pre-moderated). A few users have set up accounts on PI, so the can post without pre-moderation on their particular issue (these accounts shouldn't post anywhere else).

I think a small few accounts exist where one account is a person's official persona and the other is their private persona.

Of course it is only really a problem when it's a problem.

Sangre

Victor wrote:

On PI you don't absolutely need an anonymous account as you can post as an anonymous guest (these posts are pre-moderated). A few users have set up accounts on PI, so the can post without pre-moderation on their particular issue (these accounts shouldn't post anywhere else).

And why the hell not?
Its their perogative to do whatever they want with the accounts as long as they stay within the rules.

Boston

It's like this, if it's me, Amp or bubbles, it's ok. If it's sangre, utility or Bubbles it's going to get your ass banned. All other people who use boards are merely figments of an overactive prostate.

Mercury_Tilt

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Mimikyu

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Mercury_Tilt

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Mimikyu

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BuffyBot

Given that at one of the beers I was at not so long ago I over heard some PI mods cross referencing anon posters with their "proper" accounts via abuse of the ip check system ..................

Understandable in a way - especially considering some of the PI threads could be considered borderline trolls - if the details match that of someone who is a known troll/troublemaker, it would help them determine whether it is indeed a serious post, or yet more garbage. It's not like trolling is an unknown activity in PI...

Mercury_Tilt

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sceptre

A Dub in Glasgo wrote:

1. Is is appropriate for a person to have more than 1 user account?

Personally, I would say that the answer is almost always "no" to that one.

1a. If it is, how do users (like myself) know if a person has more than one account.

You don't (that's stating a fact, not pushing an opinion). Chances are that the moderators mightn't either (or the admins) though there are frequently ways (some obvious, some less obvious and I'd rather not list any of them) to tell unless the user is very very careful (and having multiple personalities probably helps). From my limited experience I'd say that the vast majority are found out, most through their own ineptness, some through ecksor and De Vore taking time to look.

Is it possible to put an extra description in the LH panel of a user stating something like 'AKA ??????'.

As a general rule I'd rather that one of their accounts was merged into the other or just deleted/locked. To answer your question as asked though, yes.

Is it possible to detect a user with multiple accounts?

See above. Mostly a "yes but..."

1b. If it is not, what sort of sanctions are available to mods/admin to deal with the people with more than 1 account.

If they're using a second account to get around a ban on a forum I moderate I'll happily ban both accounts (probably forever). If I get the urge and they continue to set up new accounts I'll happily ban each account I come across and delete (not move, delete) all posts made by the ban-evading account. I reckon that's fair for wasting everyone's time. If they're just using a second account to say "I agree with user X" where they are also user X and I notice and can prove it, I'll probably just tell everyone, leading them to reckon that X is a wally and also ask X which account he'd like not to be banned from the area. That's if the extra account hasn't been disruptive to boot. In that case they're both gone and one of them might get back in. Maybe.

2. How big an issue is it across boards? Does it manifest itself in only a select number of forums?

Apart from people re-registering to get around a site-wide ban (and relative to the amount of users there really aren't all that many of those), I'd imagine it's a fairly small issue, relatively speaking. For example, if someone gets, say, a week-long ban from Politics they're usually smart enough to take the ban, not evade it and come back when their ban is up. That's the smart way to play it. Registering a new account and risking the moderators deciding that they can go and take a permanent running jump for a ban evasion generally wouldn't be worth the hassle. If the user has any copon. Most do. Some don't. Assuming there's no ban in palce, the bottom line is that if one user can't make a case for something using their own account, adding another user who can't do it won't make any difference to the weight on their side of the discussion. If they can make a case and they're of sound mind they won't see the need.

3. Am i asking too many questions?

My opinion? No. You've got more now, haven't you.

DrIndy wrote:

What if two different people share one computer or IP address (home network etc.....)?

I believe one of the admins once banned an entire university range from the site for a week after some issues with a number of users. Even allowing for the obvious pain this may have caused some normal well-behaved users, I can't see any reason why any of them should have thought about losing a wink of sleep about it. Actually I'll bet they found it hilarious in that a number of users would have been gunning for one particular idiot in their local area that they could probably personally identify on sight. I'd have laughed my socks and pants off about it.

Boston

What a 10,000 ent post

sceptre

Boston wrote:

What a 10,000 ent post

Bah, I'd have rathered this as 10k. Completely useless, informative, sarcastic, smart-assed/overbearing and just needs a punch-line.

Mercury_Tilt

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Matthewthebig

Well an African one.

Mercury_Tilt

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Matthewthebig

Well 2 europeans with string tied between them

NotMe

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

the_syco

sceptre wrote:

I believe one of the admins once banned an entire university range from the site for a week after some issues with a number of users. Even allowing for the obvious pain this may have caused some normal well-behaved users, I can't see any reason why any of them should have thought about losing a wink of sleep about it. Actually I'll bet they found it hilarious in that a number of users would have been gunning for one particular idiot in their local area that they could probably personally identify on sight. I'd have laughed my socks and pants off about it.

Was that (the bit in bold) IT Carlow, due to some of the spammers in the IT Carlow board, a few years back?

Capt'n Midnight

NotMe wrote:

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

24 miles per hour. :rolleyes:

Gordon

Mercury_Tilt wrote:

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I think you're trolling merc.

amp

Gordon wrote:

I think you're trolling merc.

Not so, I also heard this from a six foot tall pink pinguin who went by the name of Bert. However, now that I actually say it, it does seem strange. I may have been drinking at the time.

sceptre wrote:

I believe one of the admins once banned an entire university range from the site for a week after some issues with a number of users.

I think the entirety of Cork may have been banned briefly. But sure, it's only Cork.

Beruthiel

Gordon wrote:

I think you're trolling merc.

indeed
unless he'd care to tell us who and what he's talking about....?


Given that at one of the beers I was at not so long ago

there hasn't been two PI mods at the same beers in a long, long, long time....