I know there is a fine line ...

I would like to hear from Mods and members - their thoughts on alter accounts

Alters - should there be a limit ?

Should there be Alter account guidlines

Are alters seen as a cool fun thing to do or more so a way to stir up stuff ?

Should trolling ( again fine line ) via alters be allowed ?

Should trolling alters be banned along with the main account ?

Let's here your opinions here please

Mach said:

Mach said:

i think alter accounts are fine when the main account runs out of posts or it obvious who the account belongs to.

i have two one for the rare occusion ehuff runs out of posts and SrIona for Sister stuff.

but to have another account to bait or stir shit so you can say it wasn't me is crossing a line in my opioin

Mach said:

Alters - should there be a limit ? probably.

Should there be Alter account guidlines? they should have to follow the same rules as everyone else.

Are alters seen as a cool fun thing to do or more so a way to stir up stuff? sometimes it's just a joke, and sometimes it's a very obvious (and annoying) attempt to troll.

Should trolling ( again fine line ) via alters be allowed? noooo. it's just my personal opinion that trolling in some forums (as in there's more leeway for fucking around in GD than p&r) is more acceptable than in others.

Should trolling alters be banned along with the main account? depends on the situation, i think. the alters, definitely, but maybe not the main account.

evenstar3 said:

i have to agree the main account should stay but the trolling account/s should go.

To keep the forum as free as possible, I would be against limiting alter egos as long as the rules are abided by.

That being said:

It is too bad people aren't brave enough to express themselves without doing this. It is very hard to be taken seriously when desired if you are a well known douche.

What does it say about a person when they derive pleasure from a deception that, in theory, only they would be privy to?

Alters - should there be a limit ? Yes, one per person.

Should there be Alter account guidlines? Yes. I think that if someone has an alter, who that person is should be in their profile or signature.

Are alters seen as a cool fun thing to do or more so a way to stir up stuff ? A lot of people who have alters use them solely as a way to stir stuff up. The alters of people used when they run out of posts, usually make themselves known.

Should trolling ( again fine line ) via alters be allowed ? Trolling should not be allowed period but it is.

Should trolling alters be banned along with the main account? Yes.

ehuffnsd said:

unless, of course, someone's using an alter to post really hateful stuff. then their main should get banned too.

I love my alter accounts.


Sometimes people are nicer to you with no pre-disposed opinions if you're using an alter account.

I think at least one alter should be allowed, in the case of running out of replies or something. I have one other account but you know it's me. I'm not trying to be something else.

I think in many cases some alters add some flavor to the site. Gives some people a chance to showcase a fun/goofy/crazy side and keep their regular persona as a regular person.

If an alter is going to be banned for something then probably all the accounts should be banned. I guess it depends on the offense though.

Imago said:

i always hated that pinkgirl skank.

Just to reply to all questions:

Mach said:

They can be fun and usually people know who's who etc.

As for them being used for trolling, it shouldn't matter what account is doing the trolling, trolling is trolling, and (if it's egregious enough) the user should be banned, yes. Meaning that the user can't use the Org to troll, alters or not.

But in the history of the Org there have been maybe 2 people who have been deserving of banning anyway (in my opinion).

But can't mods tell what users are using what accounts?

It may be more of an isue for mods than I understand, which is why it might be a good idea to have a policy in place. Though "alter guidleines" would be too tricky to phrase and would give just the kind of encouragement you probably don't want to give, even if you decided to allow alters.

2the9s said:

but in a fourm like P&R using an alter to troll or to use in some sick twisted way to prove a point doesn't add to the discussion but take away from it.

ehuffnsd said:

I agree with you, trolling is trolling, and alters are a tool for trolls. But so are regular accounts frankly. Don't hate the tools, hate the ummm...tools who use them for trolling.

I guess one of the dangers of the specific problem you're mentioning is that it makes people uncertain, and posters tend to engage in speculation like "this person is really that person!" etc. I know people keep saying that Hiin is greenpixies, though I don't see that at all! But it distracts from the argument, and is unfair if untrue.

***

Is one of the questions that the mods face that of privacy? Does "allowing" alters mean that mods would be required to keep identities secret?

What is the policy on that now?

2the9s said:

i never thought gp was Hiin until today. which is leading me to think is ED Hiin too?

it's making having a serious discussion a bit hard over there at the moment.

Alters - should there be a limit ? Yeah

Should there be Alter account guidlines - Alter accounts should follow the same rules as regular accounts

Are alters seen as a cool fun thing to do or more so a way to stir up stuff ? Both. There are some alters the exist for fun, and I have no problem whatsoever with those. But I have also noticed that some users make alternate accounts for other reasons, like either they are a banned orger trying to come back (which is one thing if they've decided to follow rules and stuff, but there are plenty of times when this is not the case) and when one orger has an appearantly minority opinion of something and the accounts are created to give the illusion that people agree with this person's opinion. That's just plain fucked up IMO.

Should trolling ( again fine line ) via alters be allowed ? Nope...again, alters should follow the same rules as non-slter accounts.

Should trolling alters be banned along with the main account ? Yeah, tho sometimes it's thru their alter accounts that the person contacts the mod who banned them to get an explanation as to why they were banned. So, yeah...maybe ban all the accounts, but not at exactly the same time.

2the9s said:

The above is pretty much my opinion. I don't see any reason to ban alters altogether, nor even to set up any kind of guidelines. The vast majority are simply fun and I've never seen someone really get out of control.

BUT - if any account is breaking site rules, then all accounts for the same user would receive the same action up to and including a permanent ban.

This keeps it quite simple to me.

I'm kinda wondering...if it's blatantly obvious that a person is using an alter account JUST to troll...should a moderator "out" them?

Any opinions on this?


.
[Edited 8/3/07 13:19pm]

Nikster said:

I know we've never discussed this, but I don't think any of the mods have ever "outed" an alter and I like that. There's no need to. It often adds to the fun.

But if we carry through that any action (specifically banning) that applies to any user and all of their accounts, folks may think twice about trolling/baiting/etc. with an alter knowing they'll get their normal account banned as well.

Nikster said:

Yeah, that's what I was getting at by asking what the policy was on privacy.

In a way it may be just what the person wants, to be "outted" publically and show that they can keep coming back etc.

Tough call.

CarrieMpls said:

what if the alter accounts are hindering a debate?

2the9s said:

I LOVE this guy!

ehuffnsd said:

If any account is breaking site rules it would be dealt with. I'm not sure "hindering debate" is against site rules, but if someone consistently breaks up a forum with off-topic discussion that would be dealt with as well.

Make sense?

Baby9s said:

CarrieMpls said:

i'm not saying ban them for it, but out them to the rest of the orgers so people don't wrapped up in it.

Nikster said:

yes!

ehuffnsd said:

I don't want to get into all that.

Sounds like more drama than necessary. I think either all alters (that abide by the rules) are allowed or none are, but I'm not up for making rules about when to "out" them or not. It would honestly be a nightmare for the mods.