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Some posters return under new names

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Imdanny

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again and again.

Why?

Do you think the chances are they are banned, but just keep coming back? Maybe they are not secure enough in themselves to be (although it should go without saying) the same person on PS and when they "mess up" they just start again? Maybe some people enjoy or feel a need to post as several "people" at once?

It bothers me a lot. It didn't used to 10 years ago on the internet. It seemed a more carefree, fun, lack of rules, creative kind of environment. Today it seems to me like most forums have become large, structured, with more rules, more moderation, etc.

I used to think sometimes that people posting "anonymously" on occasion could be very clever and entertaining.

Today it annoys me and seems more like simply deception.

What annoys me most is when people do this over and over.

"Hi, I'm new here. (insert same rambling sentences, same lack of punctuation, same spelling errors, etc. here)."

I think my head will explode if I read another post of someone lying to me about who they are. Just step up to the plate and be one "person". Don't litter threads with your "I'm leaving" and other drama, storm off, and then just come back a day or two later. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Thanks for letting me rant. This is just so old and irritating to me at this point.

BTW, the same goes for shills. Someone who posts as someone they are not for money is the worst type of person to me. I detest shilling.

In short, I've come to the conclusion that this behavior is just manipulative. If a person has a financial incentive for doing it, that's really bad. If someone is doing it because they can't get their stuff together, I'd say just get it together. It's not impossible, and it's better than trying to deceive us.

My 2 cents.
 

AGBF

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Imdanny|1312691973|2985715 said:
I think my head will explode if I read another post of someone lying to me about who they are. Just step up to the plate and be one "person". Don't litter threads with your "I'm leaving" and other drama, storm off, and then just come back a day or two later. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Thanks for posting this, Danny. I have probably been on the 'net for as long as you or longer. (Every once in a while I do meet someone who was navigating the Internet before I was and remembers even more arcane things than I do.) Despite the length of time I have been on the 'net, I am not at all savvy about "sock puppets" and people who have multiple identities. I know people can do it, of course, but I never notice who is doing it. I never notice because I am not on the lookout for it. It doesn't catch my attention. I guess it just doesn't interest me so it isn't on my radar.

I am really pleased you pointed this out. Is there any reason not to call someone on being someone else, "in disguise"? I'm kind of a, "get it out in the open" type of person.

Deb/AGBF
:read:
 

jstarfireb

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I'm usually not smart enough to recognize who a "new" poster really is, but once someone is outed, it retrospectively bothers me that they came back and posted under another name. I feel the same way as you do.
 

decodelighted

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Who what when where why? Inquiring minds! (How come the people who annoy me never GBCPS!)
 

junebug17

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I don't really notice it here on PS. Are you referring to other forums you belong to Danny, or PS specifically? I've never really picked up on posters returning under new names or anything else you've mentioned, but then again I'm not always too swift!

I could see where it could be really annoying, though.
 

Imdanny

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AGBF|1312692785|2985716 said:
Imdanny|1312691973|2985715 said:
I think my head will explode if I read another post of someone lying to me about who they are. Just step up to the plate and be one "person". Don't litter threads with your "I'm leaving" and other drama, storm off, and then just come back a day or two later. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Thanks for posting this, Danny. I have probably been on the 'net for as long as you or longer. (Every once in a while I do meet someone who was navigating the Internet before I was and remembers even more arcane things than I do.) Despite the length of time I have been on the 'net, I am not at all savvy about "sock puppets" and people who have multiple identities. I know people can do it, of course, but I never notice who is doing it. I never notice because I am not on the lookout for it. It doesn't catch my attention. I guess it just doesn't interest me so it isn't on my radar.

I am really pleased you pointed this out. Is there any reason not to call someone on being someone else, "in disguise"? I'm kind of a, "get it out in the open" type of person.

Deb/AGBF
:read:

I notice it always. I had friends who were really good at this. I've seen a lot of it. It's just so easy to tell once you know how.

Re: your questions.

There is a specific reason why I cannot call out a shill. That is because I have been told by moderators that if I suspect shilling to report it to them and let them handle it.

As to "regular" people using multiple identities, to be honest, I don't know how what the moderators told me would apply.

Also, if you say someone is doing something, then of course, they're going to say, "I didn't do that!"

So, I'm torn about calling out specific people. I'm not sure if it's my place. I'm also pretty sure what the result would be: denial, feigned offense.
 

Imdanny

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junebug17|1312695784|2985735 said:
I don't really notice it here on PS. Are you referring to other forums you belong to Danny, or PS specifically? I've never really picked up on posters returning under new names or anything else you've mentioned, but then again I'm not always too swift!

I could see where it could be really annoying, though.

PS.
 

junebug17

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Imdanny|1312696094|2985737 said:
junebug17|1312695784|2985735 said:
I don't really notice it here on PS. Are you referring to other forums you belong to Danny, or PS specifically? I've never really picked up on posters returning under new names or anything else you've mentioned, but then again I'm not always too swift!

I could see where it could be really annoying, though.

PS.

Oh, ok. I feel a little dumb...I'm on PS a lot and haven't noticed it. Now I'm kind of curious!
 

wannaBMrsH

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I've only noticed it once or twice and the cases were the "I'm leaving and you'll be sorry" types...but now I just ignore those.

It's annoying, the last one was outed by someone they knew in real life and the drama continues under the "new identity" so I just stopped responding because...really? Why bother giving advice to people who won't listen?

I sometimes DO stop posting for a while, but I honestly don't believe I've ever advertised it as usually it's just that I get very busy with other projects and I've never assumed a different identity...

I'm glad you notice it, too!
 

Imdanny

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Well, I have seen a shill on PS who posted two threads recently and posted multiple identities in one of them (that was just creepy) and also obviously I have noticed the behavior I described in some detail in my OP. I guess given the moderator's constraint the only thing I can say about this specifically is that I'd advise everyone to observe patterns that indicate a person isn't who they say they are and in doing this hopefully people won't be fooled and will think carefully about how they choose to react or respond to someone who is doing this. People do it on PS quite often actually. It's just recently become kind of a pet peeve of mine although I have to say I've always been offended by shilling as I think it's a morally reprehensible thing to do.
 

Imdanny

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wannaBMrsH|1312697289|2985744 said:
I'm glad you notice it, too!

Thanks!
 

Dancing Fire

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all the guilty parties please raise your hand... :lol:
 

Arkteia

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Re: Some posters return under new namesnii

It is a very interesting topic and I thank you for raising it. Personally, I do not want to get into the reasons people may leave, but I can understand why some people wish to return for simple and very innocent reasons. After all, it is a darn good forum, well-organised, with good photos, easy to navigate.. there may be more complicated reasons for leaving and returning under another name, but I do not know about them and each case is different. Sometimes I try to guess who and why is posting under a new name but getting used to a certain person here and then not seeing him/her but encountering a new PS person and trying to guess whether it is the same one is saddening. As to obvious shills, even I can see them. More subtle cases of course are difficult to figure out but other people can see it easily.
 

Rhea

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I'll raise my hand. I posted on PS for about a month (around 20-30 posts) and said something that both IDed me more than I'd like on the interweb, and which was really stupid. I left PS, and came back about a year later under a different user name. I'm unsure how long I've now been here - maybe 3 years. I don't wish to be tied with the previous user name. I should have lurked more than I did before posting. Simple as that.

Is that different from what you're talking about though? It sounds like you're talking about people with multiple personalities or who are more regular posters here. If not, I'm guilty!

ETA: Looked at my start date - it was nearly 4 years ago I re-registered and started over here. Doesn't seem that long!
 

Imdanny

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Addy|1312716631|2985782 said:
I'll raise my hand. I posted on PS for about a month (around 20-30 posts) and said something that both IDed me more than I'd like on the interweb, and which was really stupid. I left PS, and came back about a year later under a different user name. I'm unsure how long I've now been here - maybe 3 years. I don't wish to be tied with the previous user name. I should have lurked more than I did before posting. Simple as that.

Is that different from what you're talking about though? It sounds like you're talking about people with multiple personalities or who are more regular posters here. If not, I'm guilty!

ETA: Looked at my start date - it was nearly 4 years ago I re-registered and started over here. Doesn't seem that long!

Not guilty!

You realized you'd said something that IDed you more than you'd like on the internet.

That is definitely not what I'm talking about.

I really think if a person's personal information or privacy is compromised, however such a situation arises, it's completely appropriate and in fact necessary to mitigate the situation, and asap.

No, you're not on my pet peeve list. :))
 

marcy

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It depends on the reasons they do it whether it would bother me. The kind of things you mention Danny would certainly bother me. Why Addy changed her name is very understandable. The ones that often look suspicious to me are ones who are argumentative or very opinionated but have only posted a few times.
 

PinkTower

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I don't think posters care too much about this. I think we recognize schilling and just move on. With the new PS, it became harder to report matters. Often when I want to report a post, I can't figure out how to do so. Sometimes I see a report concern button, sometimes I don't.

Case in point: There is a spam post in Shopping right now. It was posted on August 1. No one has had time to report it, aparently, and the moderator has not checked that forum either. I did take the time to report it this morning, because of reading this post. But, in general, I don't. (The person is selling Leather Halter Tops????)
 

zoebartlett

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In some cases, I don't understand why someone posts under a new name, but in others (like Addy's example), I get it. I don't really give it much thought, to be honest. I may wonder why they're doing it and think it's a bit silly, but I don't get upset. If it ever angers me so much, then I'd know it would be time to step away from the computer for a bit.
 

Aoife

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Is this by any chance referencing the recent thread in RT about how one well known jeweler is really a copy of another well known jeweler? That was a bizarre thread, IMO.

Every once in a while I'll see a new screen name where the poster's style seems strangely familiar, but aside from that, I guess I don't really pick up on this stuff. It could be because I mainly hang out on CS, and my participation on the the other forums is sporadic so I'm not good at picking up on patterns. Does this bother you because it seems dishonest, Danny, or do you think there's a larger issue with it?
 

VRBeauty

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I guess I'm kind of "meh" about it most of the time, except in the case of schilling.

I think actually quite a few posters have changed their names fairly openly once or twice, including me. In my case it was to increase my level of anonymity because I realized I wanted to share this website with one or two co-workers, but didn't necessarily want them to recognize my posts. When I initially joined and chose a screen e=name, I had no idea about the breadth if topics I'd be commenting on. Others adopted nicknames they'd acquired here into their screen names.

Then there are those posters who assume new identities after a bad kerfuffle in which basically their actions or responses to a situation were questioned. I think in their mind they're trying to start with a "clean slate" rather than trying to sneak in under cover of darkness, as it were. But the old addage of "wherever you go, there you are" usually catches up to them... and sometimes even dunderhead posters like me can figure out who they are pretty quickly. But unless they were malicious towards other PS'ers - meh. I understand why they want to be a part of this community, and hope that eventually they'll get some of the wisdom it has to offer - and I'm not talking about diamond selection here.
 

Miss Sparkly

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Dancing Fire|1312697842|2985748 said:
all the guilty parties please raise your hand... :lol:

Me me! On PS I originally named myself after my pet snake - then my pet snake died, I grew up, and realized that my screen name really did sound like a stripper :cheeky: On another forum I called myself MiloandTaz after my two min pins. Taz ended up being the devil in a 14lb package and after a year of high stress and bickering with DH over his dog we finally found Taz a new home. Seeing as I didn't have Taz anymore, and I hated that dog, it didn't seem fitting to call myself that. So, I switched to a name containing just my "baby", Milo :bigsmile: I had to PM and tell some people who I was because they didn't realize that there was only one "Milo" around :cheeky: which I thought with a name like that it would be fairly obvious.
 

zoebartlett

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I'm surprised at how easy some PSers find it to recognize others when they post under a new anonymous name. I've rarely been able to figure out who the person is and what their old name was.
 

centralsquare

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Very interesting thread. There are probably many reasons that cause someone to change their names, and a few of those are have sinister motivations. As long as someone is helpful to posters questions and plays nice overall, it doesn't bother me if they want to change their name.
 

Imdanny

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Aoife|1312725312|2985808 said:
Is this by any chance referencing the recent thread in RT about how one well known jeweler is really a copy of another well known jeweler?

Ok, I'll go there. Yes.

The rest of my concern is mainly at my favorite thread, the Royal Jewels thread, one of the forums where I spend a lot of time.

Hi, I'm new.

Hi I'm new.

New here.

I've read every page of this thread but this is my first post.

I've lurked here forever but this is my first post.

I've read the last 20 pages. I'm new.

Hi there.

Hi I'm new.

Hi I'm new.

Hi I'm new.

I'm new.

I know for a fact there was a poster who was banned, and came back, again and again (and again).

If you're reading that thread, every few pages, there a disconcerting droning on about how a person is "new" and often a person is "new" and has read some/ all of the back pages.

Over and over.

How many people, in total, might be doing this? It is/ or was at least one. It could be two or three.

Recently, there is definitely one person, whoever it is, doing this all the time.

If a person says they are leaving and then signs up the next day, that's deception. In my book, it's rude and obnoxious.

Of course, I don't mind at all if people change their names for some silly, fun, or necessary reason. I am in no way, please let me be clear, an advocate of taking away anonymity from the internet.

As I said before, some of the best friends I've had online, a long time ago, on an internet that was much more "new" and like the "Wild West" and I, truth be told, used to have virtual masked balls! It was fantastic, the characters some people "invented." It was intriguing when you would meet someone you "knew" and you found out who it was. It was intriguing, sometimes, when you never found out. And we had a rule among us, like honor among thieves, I guess, that you never tell on anyone. And moderators were involved in this scene!

However, when a person or persons is or are getting banned or getting into public altercations constantly, and return to the same small group, repeatedly, and then lying about their identity, repeatedly, I just wish that they could get their stuff together enough to stop treating the group this way. I especially don't appreciate it because the Royal Jewels thread is filled with people who go out of their way to be inclusive, kind, and supportive to each other.

That's as much as I'm really going to say. Thanks for listening.
 

Circe

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Imdanny|1312740910|2985926 said:
Aoife|1312725312|2985808 said:
Is this by any chance referencing the recent thread in RT about how one well known jeweler is really a copy of another well known jeweler?

Ok, I'll go there. Yes.

Heheheh - I thought so too! That brand of crazy can't possibly be common.
 

canuk-gal

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HI:

Does this really occur/a lot? Not on my radar......

cheers--Sharon
 

Aoife

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Circe|1312741063|2985928 said:
Imdanny|1312740910|2985926 said:
Aoife|1312725312|2985808 said:
Is this by any chance referencing the recent thread in RT about how one well known jeweler is really a copy of another well known jeweler?

Ok, I'll go there. Yes.

Heheheh - I thought so too! That brand of crazy can't possibly be common.

To me, not so much crazy as clearly someone with an agenda. But, yeah.

I had nothing but respect for all the PS regulars who were sincerely trying to be helpful.
 

Circe

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Aoife|1312741522|2985930 said:
Circe|1312741063|2985928 said:
Imdanny|1312740910|2985926 said:
Aoife|1312725312|2985808 said:
Is this by any chance referencing the recent thread in RT about how one well known jeweler is really a copy of another well known jeweler?

Ok, I'll go there. Yes.

Heheheh - I thought so too! That brand of crazy can't possibly be common.

To me, not so much crazy as clearly someone with an agenda. But, yeah.

I had nothing but respect for all the PS regulars who were sincerely trying to be helpful.

I think what brings it into the realm of questionable sanity for me is ... this isn't some small-time company employing spammers in hope of raising their profile. It's Tiffany's. They have the ad budget to employ, you know, professionals. So it's somebody who, of their own volition and in their spare time, frequents a consumer message board to sing the praises of a large corporation ... and gets het up enough over it to frequently flounce, and then return under a new pseudonym. Who in the what, now?
 

Imdanny

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canuk-gal|1312741405|2985929 said:
HI:

Does this really occur/a lot? Not on my radar......

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon, I'm sorry but it really does. For the reasons I've mentioned in this thread, I pick up on it instantly. Once you know how, you can almost "hear" what a person sounds like when they are a shill, you can almost "hear" a person when they decide to instantly change their "persona" but pay no care to the words they use after they do (or a just not capable of paying attention to the words they use). There are definitely shills, because they keep coming. If one gets banned, another one gets sent in his or her place. As far as "regular" posters like us, yes, it happens all the time. It's just a matter of looking for patterns, and learning to spot certain behaviors.

Or not. I mean it's not something you have to think about if it's not interesting to you, or upsetting to you, or bothering you for any reason.
 

Imdanny

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Circe|1312741063|2985928 said:
Imdanny|1312740910|2985926 said:
Aoife|1312725312|2985808 said:
Is this by any chance referencing the recent thread in RT about how one well known jeweler is really a copy of another well known jeweler?

Ok, I'll go there. Yes.

Heheheh - I thought so too! That brand of crazy can't possibly be common.

Yes, but I think it's the brand that sends these unpleasant people that might be the problem, Circe. LOL!

Edited to add: we cross posted. I see you're way ahead of me. Yep, that's the one.
 
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