On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:51:41 -0700 (PDT), Bob
wrote:
On Apr 18, 10:48*am, wrote:
On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:43:14 -0700, Bob wrote:
BTW what is a sock puppet? About the only place Ive ever heard that
expression is here.
Bob
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_sock_puppet
Thanks guys.. I wondered about that since I started reading here. I
figured it was one of thoese cutie names like everybody used in the
70s when CB radios were all the rage. Hey, mabe we could all meet at
Denny's or IHOP sit for hours and talk CB/ internet talk to each other
like a bunch of old hens. Now that really sounds like yachting!
Personally Ill stick with words that more common people use:
pseudonym
alias
nom de plume
AKA
Besides whats wrong with using another name to post? Or does it offend
the etiquette police? ie, Roger and his followers.
Bob
I think that you've missed the point. A sock puppet is a false
identity, to be true, but a false identity which supports the
assertions of the original, or "master" identity.
For example, lets say that "Bob" makes the assertion that the world is
flat. Immediately Joe, Gus and Willey jump in and tell Bob he is full
of it and doesn't have a clue.
But Bob, not wanting to be seen as an idiot, and wanting to win the
"argument" then creates a number of other Internet Identities, lets
call them, Sally, Joan and Judy who suddenly appear in support of Bob
and argue fiercely that Bob IS a Handsome Stud who knows what he is
Doing and if he says the world is a flat place then it must be. After
all, he didn't fall off the dance floor last night when he was doing
the tango, "and the earth moved!". Sally, Joan and Judy are sock
puppets.
Of course it gets even more complicated when the original poster is a
Sock Puppet and after being totally discredited creates a clone puppet
who both carries on the disjointed arguments but also defends the
original Sock Puppet. And of course both the original and secondary
sock puppets may well have created supplemental puppets who supported
themselves.
There was a poster on another group who, with a multitude of sock
puppets, became almost the only poster on the group.
Using a pseudonym is a somewhat different proposition and I think that
most people accept this if it is a "real" identity and if that
identity doesn't change because the writer takes a little flack for
being a total idiot. for example, my own identity "Bruce in Bangkok"
is my own name, I do live in Bangkok and my email address is correct.
If you send an email to that address I will answer.
But if you use a alias like Willard J. Wonderful and your email
address is shown as
ere you probably
will be thought of as some sort of idiot.
Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)