# Could there be consideration for a registered sock? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 30, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656 "2007-12-30T01:15:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/41 "2008-02-05T01:23:51Z")
Being a good little Communist, I always follow the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/42 "2008-02-05T02:39:04Z")
I seem to remember a version of VBulletin that allowed members to change their names (whenever they wanted and as many times as they wanted), but I doubt the SD is going to change versions anytime soon (or allow socks–but I am guessing they already probably take other things into consideration when finding out the identity of a “sock”). ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/43 "2008-02-05T04:06:31Z")
The BEST analogy is that you put some thought into what you say around here, and then accept the consequences that come from saying it. Oh, wait, not much of an analogy I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/44 "2008-02-05T04:12:29Z")
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq] The BEST analogy is that you put some thought into what you say around here, and then accept the consequences that come from saying it. Oh, wait, not much of an analogy I’m afraid. [/QUOTE] Oh, aren’t you a lawyer or something? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/45 "2008-02-05T04:17:49Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] Oh, aren’t you a lawyer or something? [/QUOTE] DSYoung was replying to a sock, who has just disappeared again. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/46 "2008-02-09T01:15:18Z")
I don’t really have any preference one way or another with regard to registered socks, but this idea occurred to me while reading the thread, so I figured I’d throw it out there. I’m just curious as to why this might be not-doable or generally a bad idea. What about having a specific forum, with a theme that is sort of a cross between MPSIMS and The Pit, where ALL posts are anonymous? Anything goes, essentially. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/47 "2008-02-09T17:31:11Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] I don’t really have any preference one way or another with regard to registered socks, but this idea occurred to me while reading the thread, so I figured I’d throw it out there. I’m just curious as to why this might be not-doable or generally a bad idea. What about having a specific forum, with a theme that is sort of a cross between MPSIMS and The Pit, where ALL posts are anonymous? Anything goes, essentially. [/QUOTE] Not possible with our current software. And on a moderated board, a recipe for “more work for moderators than you can shake a stick at.” Anything goes tends to be “too much for the board.” ---
**Author:** ![Ubertwizzler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ubertwizzler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ubertwizzler)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/48 "2008-02-09T21:02:11Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] What about having a specific forum, with a theme that is sort of a cross between MPSIMS and The Pit, where ALL posts are anonymous? Anything goes, essentially. [/QUOTE] I think there might be a simple way to do this. You can set the features of each forum separately, I believe. So, just leave off the names,titles,postcounts on that forum and disallow searching on it. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/49 "2008-02-10T02:09:17Z")
[QUOTE=TubaDiva] Not possible with our current software. And on a moderated board, a recipe for “more work for moderators than you can shake a stick at.” Anything goes tends to be “too much for the board.” [/QUOTE] Thanks for the response. I’m not really sure why moderation would be necessary (or desireable) if there truly were a forum set up in this manner, but if it’s not possible to do in the first place, the question is irrelevant. **Ubertwizzler** (nice username, by the way), I don’t know anything about VB software, and since Tuba says it can’t be done… _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/50 "2008-02-10T03:22:01Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] I don’t really have any preference one way or another with regard to registered socks, but this idea occurred to me while reading the thread, so I figured I’d throw it out there. I’m just curious as to why this might be not-doable or generally a bad idea. What about having a specific forum, with a theme that is sort of a cross between MPSIMS and The Pit, where ALL posts are anonymous? Anything goes, essentially. [/QUOTE] Those types of boards already exist, and IMHO they aren’t worth my time or effort. They quickly degenerate into posters pretending to be other posters pretending to be…well, I think you get the point. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/51 "2008-02-11T16:46:26Z")
Asimovian, you have heard that such a board actually exists? A little searching and you can find it. I don’t think making that board an integral part of the SDMB would be very helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656/52 "2008-02-11T17:27:58Z")
I’ve heard, but haven’t experienced. I have no idea what sort of doom that would bring on the Dope other than what you folks tell me. If such a forum existed on the Dope, I don’t imagine I’d spent a lot of time there, as I’m mostly happy with this board as it is. As I said, it was merely a question of practicality about implementing the idea. I had no vision of what it would do to the culture of the board. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-there-be-consideration-for-a-registered-sock/431656.md?page=2)