What's sock puppeting please?

Apparently a sock puppet is someone whose actions are controlled by others.

Presumably that also includes their words.

I dont know ins and outs, but it is when the same poster uses multiple accounts with different names? And on the same thread?
So they are in effect backing themselves?
Something like that.

Ooo - that’s sneaky fancy

www.techopedia.com/definition/29043/sockpuppet

I had to look it up. Yes, someone with more than one account. I saw one instance of a very recognisable poster using a different name on the thread which has been deleted. Obviously I won’t mention either name. I can only see the point in someone doing this if they’ve been banned and are trying to get back in.

It often happens on discussion boards. Sometimes people get caught when they forget who they are pretending to be and post under the wrong account.

It's sometimes easy to spot - eg when a group of 'newbies' all start saying the same thing (often picking on one poster or a group of them), and have an obvious knowledge of the board and its members. They often start posts claiming to be a 'long-time lurker', and there are other giveaways. There are certain linguistic 'tic's that can give people away, too.

It can be banned members, but some people just enjoy it, or post in defence of a friend who they think is having a hard time. It gets worse in the school holidays, too.

OMG on GN as well!! In a way I admire them, it's all I can do to keep up with my own posts, having multiple identities would completely confuse me!

Glorianny

OMG on GN as well!! In a way I admire them, it's all I can do to keep up with my own posts, having multiple identities would completely confuse me!

I don't think you wold get away with it, Glorianny. Your posting style is too recognisable

Never heard of it - another of these new fangled nasty ideas like gaslighting. Maybe someone should start an ‘ invent new phrases’ thread? Pastying- as in being nasty as in nasty pasty.

Yes, some people have a very recognisable style and saying they are new or a long time lurker always makes me concentrate that bit more on what they say and how they say it.

It's not an invented phrase - it's a term to describe something that has been going on since the dawn of discussion boards.

Doodledog

Glorianny

OMG on GN as well!! In a way I admire them, it's all I can do to keep up with my own posts, having multiple identities would completely confuse me!

I don't think you wold get away with it, Glorianny. Your posting style is too recognisable

Ooh Now I want to do it!!

A post has been deleted from Good Morning today. GN say it was a previously banned poster.

Why do I miss all the interesting stuff? 🤣

Trying to think of GC activities, saw this thread, brought the puppets out of the loft - alas, on reading, found I was daft, as usual.

Prude, daft, innocent - words about me and I'm OK with that.

I didn’t know what it meant until I looked it up, you’re none of those things you say!

This happens every now and then here. Last time I noticed it, it was a long time poster who was doing it to get a newer poster (than them) banned. It was quite a blow up, and then quietly swept under a rug

Ah that explains a lot GSM. I had heard the term but not understood it.

Honestly, what people get out of it - its pathetic and often hurtful.

Ah, nanna, its very different from gaslighting, which some of us have experienced in very long term personal relationships and its designed to be terribly destructive x

Norah

Trying to think of GC activities, saw this thread, brought the puppets out of the loft - alas, on reading, found I was daft, as usual.

Prude, daft, innocent - words about me and I'm OK with that.

Better that than manipulative, by far!!!!

I think maybe quite a few people have more than one account

Not necessarily just to agree with themselves or say things they don't want their min account to look bad for ... But sometimes to be even more anonymous if asking for advice on embarrassing or sensitive issues

Maybe gransnet should just do a 1 account per IP address rule and have some sort of mechanism for the odd user name free post for people who need that

I think I certainly would have a better time on gransnet on a personal level if I hadn't been too open about some situations

I used to make sock puppets for the DC.

Change username
You are able to select one alternative name to use for sensitive posts where you'd like anonymity. Please note that you are only allowed two usernames in total.

But how? It doesn't work.
Do you rejoin?

No that feature doesn't work when it should