# Are sock puppets ever OK? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 30, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855 "2004-09-30T15:28:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/1 "2004-09-30T15:28:36Z")
Another thread in ATMB got me thinking: Is it ever OK to post with a sock puppet? Lots of posters on the SDMB know other posters personally, IRL. Some posters have family members or spouses that also post. What if a poster like this wanted to get advice on a personal issue such as a possible divorce, cheating, or something of that nature? Would it ever be OK to make a username just for the sake of anonymity? I’d compare it to when someone does an interview for the news and has their identity hidden by shadows and a voice changer. Could doing this be OK as long as they were honest about it, and kept the new “sock” username limited to one particular thread? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/2 "2004-09-30T15:37:38Z")
I’d say, no, mainly 'cause there’s a rule about “no sock puppets” and it doesn’t give conditions of exemption. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/3 "2004-09-30T15:47:09Z")
There _have_ been cases of posters having trouble logging in and unable to contact an administrator who have registered a temporary sock to post here for help. In these cases, they’ve made it clear that they _are_ posting as a sock and why. I don’t know how the staff feels about these occurrences, but if I had to guess, I’d say they were tolerated but frowned upon. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/4 "2004-09-30T16:07:43Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > …I’d say they were tolerated but frowned upon. …Especially since if one clicks “View Forum Leaders” on the SDMB top page, a [page](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php?) pops up with the e-mail addresses of everyone one would need to rectify the situation. My suggestion is to remember [TUBADIVA@aol.com](mailto:TUBADIVA@aol.com) and keep that little nugget of information somewhere handy. That way there’s no way you tick off the staff, and you know how to get into contact with the person you need to talk to. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/5 "2004-09-30T16:08:43Z")
I’ve thought periodically about emailing the admins for just this reason. I have a question about a family member’s activities, and this MB is probably my best shot at getting info about what this person is associated with. Unfortunately, if I posted details under a name easily traceable to me, I suspect this person would find out. (And no, there is no immediate danger.) If I have a friend IRL who is also a member, could I use their user name, if I make it clear to the boards that it is someone else posting with their permission and clear to the mods who it is? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/6 "2004-09-30T16:11:18Z")
The children are not going to be happy. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/7 "2004-09-30T16:12:15Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > My suggestion is to remember [TUBADIVA@aol.com](mailto:TUBADIVA@aol.com) and keep that little nugget of information somewhere handy. That way there’s no way you tick off the staff, and you know how to get into contact with the person you need to talk to. If you do this, be sure to put “SDMB” in the title block of the email or it may not be read. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/8 "2004-09-30T16:56:22Z")
I think the simple answer is that if you want anonymity, you should have been anonymous right from the start. There are some members here who have taken pains never to reveal any potentially identifying information under their main (and presumably only) username, so it is possible. But if you didn’t take such pains at secrecy to start with, that’s the situation you have to live with. ---
**Author:** ![TheFifthYear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@TheFifthYear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFifthYear)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/9 "2004-09-30T17:04:35Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > …Especially since if one clicks “View Forum Leaders” on the SDMB top page, a [page](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showgroups.php?) pops up with the e-mail addresses of everyone one would need to rectify the situation. You can only see the emails if you log in, so if you can’t log in, you can’t see the email addresses. Bit of a catch-22. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/10 "2004-09-30T17:33:55Z")
I do read all my email . . . sooner or later. That’s a good idea, to indicate in the title of the email that it’s urgent and/or SDMB related. I do look for that sort of thing first. And no, it’s one screen name to a customer. We take this very seriously and always have, since our earliest days. Please see my little reminder in the announcements about what is appropriate for posting here at the Straight Dope. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/11 "2004-09-30T19:43:57Z")
Ha! Now I’ve got **TubaDiva’s** email address. \*\*\* laughs maniacally \*\*\* Now all I need is George W Bush’s home phone number, Cecil’s palm pilot and some 1920’s style death rays and there will be no stopping me! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/12 "2004-09-30T19:45:44Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > The children are not going to be happy. I don’t know what you meant by this, but don’t read to much into my OP. I’m not married (yet) and was just trying to come up with an example of why someone might want to use a sock puppet. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/13 "2004-09-30T19:47:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think the simple answer is that if you want anonymity, you should have been anonymous right from the start. There are some members here who have taken pains never to reveal any potentially identifying information under their main (and presumably only) username, so it is possible. But if you didn’t take such pains at secrecy to start with, that’s the situation you have to live with. I’ve tried to be careful, but I’m a conservative who lives in Massachusetts. There’s only about a half dozen of us, so you shouldn’t have any trouble tracking me down. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/14 "2004-09-30T20:51:47Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > I don’t know what you meant by this, but don’t read to much into my OP. I’m not married (yet) and was just trying to come up with an example of why someone might want to use a sock puppet. It was just a lame joke. Children like sock puppets (real ones, with a hand in a sock with buttons for eyes) I didn’t mean anything personal by it. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/15 "2004-10-01T05:58:34Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Now all I need is George W Bush’s home phone number… [202-456-1414](http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/) ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/16 "2004-10-01T08:34:08Z")
> [@Alan Smithee](#): > > If I have a friend IRL who is also a member, could I use their user name, if I make it clear to the boards that it is someone else posting with their permission and clear to the mods who it is? Couldn’t you email your query to a friend IRL (or even a friend on the boards, but not IRL…) and have them post it for you? Or, mods, would this be not-ok too? I couldn’t find it with a cursory scan of some of the stickies… ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/17 "2004-10-01T14:48:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Couldn’t you email your query to a friend IRL (or even a friend on the boards, but not IRL…) and have them post it for you? Or, mods, would this be not-ok too? I couldn’t find it with a cursory scan of some of the stickies… I’ve discussed this briefly with **TubaDiva** , but not with the rest of the Mods, and we’ve agreed that it would be OK to ask a Moderator to post for you, if you had a compelling, honest reason for wanting anonymity. “An undisclosed member has asked me to post the following…” (Obviously, you’d need to be clear about forum etc.) Note the word “honest.” We’re not about to allow trickery or chicanery in this fashion. And I have to say that I can’t think of many honest reasons for wanting to hide your identity. My opinion is that if you need advice on something like divorce, a Message Board is not a good place to get it. Besides, the spouse you’re trying to screw may be a member as well, and I don’t know that friends on the boards would feel comfortable at having been tricked into giving advice to one party over the other. I’m assuming that cases like this would be few and far between. If I’m wrong, and people are abusing the system or there’s just more such situations than I imagined, we certainly reserve the right to rescind this offer if the added workload on Moderators becomes annoying. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sock-puppets-ever-ok/266855/18 "2004-10-01T19:00:05Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > I’ve tried to be careful, but I’m a conservative who lives in Massachusetts. There’s only about a half dozen of us, so you shouldn’t have any trouble tracking me down. 🙂 :: cackles maniacally :: And the Liberal Agendamites[sup]TM[/sup] are closing in on you… BWA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! :: readies rail, heats tar, plucks chickens ::