# Hbk4894 - What's up with his posting history? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 17, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841 "2016-10-17T14:33:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/61 "2016-10-24T00:52:15Z")
I pray the OP never finds out my paternal grandfather’s first name was Cuthbert. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/62 "2016-10-27T00:25:35Z")
Well, the subject of the OP has had his latest thread closed, and has been given rules. He can only start on thread a week, and MUST participate in the threads he starts. About time. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/63 "2016-10-27T02:03:08Z")
I don’t get the **Hbk4894** hate. He just seems the harmless inquisitive sort. Plus he always gives his own answer to the poll in the OP. What’s wrong with that? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/64 "2016-10-27T16:13:00Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > I don’t get the **Hbk4894** hate. He just seems the harmless inquisitive sort. Plus he always gives his own answer to the poll in the OP. What’s wrong with that? If I want a board of all listicles, I can read Buzzfeed. This board is great because of the back-and-forth conversations. Threads where everyone shares an experience with few or no comments on other posts get boring - another poster called them “vanity threads,” and I can think of cruder terms. Obviously not everyone agrees with me, because those threads get responses. I don’t mind them as a general rule; one or two a week is fine. It was the daily occurrence that bothered me. And logically, the fact that they’re all started by the same person (who doesn’t participate in the board other than starting these threads) shouldn’t bother me, yet it does. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/65 "2016-10-27T17:40:15Z")
I’m trying to make a case that he wants to commit identity theft, and some posters are complaining that his threads are too frequent or boring. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/66 "2016-10-27T17:51:23Z")
[Looks like other forums have noticed something is up too.](https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1662182) [Another message board complaint.](http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2931382) [Somebody made a conspiracy Keanu meme about Hbk4894 stealing identities, for Christ’s sake](https://memegenerator.net/instance/67721434) C’mon Straightdope, you’re better than this. I shouldn’t have to stand on a chair and shout that somebody has their hand in your pocket, to have you turn around and say “he’s rummaging too fast!” ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/67 "2016-10-27T18:00:28Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > I don’t get the **Hbk4894** hate. He just seems the harmless inquisitive sort. Plus he always gives his own answer to the poll in the OP. What’s wrong with that? Because **potential phishing.** ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/68 "2016-10-27T18:20:00Z")
That’s a good reason to shut down threads like “what’s your birthday” and “who’s your favorite teacher?” One’s like “have you ever seen a ghost” or “have you ever had a pen pal” are annoying but more harmless. I’d fully support immediately shutting down potential phishing threads while still supporting limits on the other threads he posts. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/69 "2016-10-27T18:43:04Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I’d fully support immediately shutting down potential phishing threads while still supporting limits on the other threads he posts. Basically he’s a great addition when he’s not phishing. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/70 "2016-10-28T04:57:37Z")
> [@Whiskey\_Dickens](#): > > Basically he’s a great addition when he’s not phishing. “Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?” ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/71 "2016-10-28T23:00:56Z")
(Kidding, I hope) He’s not phishing, he just works for the ad company gathering the final, remaining bits of info they need. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/72 "2016-10-28T23:11:55Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > I don’t get the **Hbk4894** hate. He just seems the harmless inquisitive sort. Plus he always gives his own answer to the poll in the OP. What’s wrong with that? One of his threads asks, “What are you currently thinking about” (no question mark, by the way) and his [entire OP](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19650955#post19650955) consists of “Bwfc”. He never returns to the thread to explain what he means or otherwise participate in the discussion. I don’t like that. I also don’t like people who only start threads and don’t participate in threads started by others. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/73 "2016-10-28T23:23:05Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > (Kidding, I hope) He’s not phishing, he just works for the ad company gathering the final, remaining bits of info they need. Now that I think it through while not kidding, i don’t actually dismiss it. If we know he posts the same stuff on other forums, I’d be interested to know if those boards have/had any ad companies in common. Could be they post the same stuff on different forums to gauge actual user participation. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/74 "2016-10-29T14:32:52Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > (Kidding, I hope) He’s not phishing, he just works for the ad company gathering the final, remaining bits of info they need. Given the amazingly abnormal nice treatment he’s been given by mods, I’ve been wondering if something like this was indeed the case. Normally, this guy would have been long, long bounced by now and the thread wished into the cornfield. Esp. since it’s not just here. This really raises the question of why the mods are holding back. Gleaning info for some purpose like this is a reasonable guess. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/75 "2016-10-29T16:37:47Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > This really raises the question of why the mods are holding back. Creating threads is not against the rules in and of itself. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/76 "2016-10-29T17:28:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > One of his threads asks, “What are you currently thinking about” (no question mark, by the way) and his [entire OP](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19650955#post19650955) consists of “Bwfc”. He never returns to the thread to explain what he means or otherwise participate in the discussion. I don’t like that. I also don’t like people who only start threads and don’t participate in threads started by others. He’s very much like **davidmich** in that regard, though I think that **davidmich** is an AI. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/77 "2016-10-29T17:41:48Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > He’s very much like **davidmich** in that regard, though I think that **davidmich** is an AI. I don’t see the parallel at all. **davidmich** asks a wide variety of eclectic but always highly specific questions, his only quirk is that sometimes he doesn’t give enough context. But I have answered a few, and as far as I can recall he has always returned to dicuss or express gratitude for the answers. It seems to me that his questions are precisely what GQ is good for, they are highly specific but often things that would be difficult to Google. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/78 "2016-10-29T17:42:34Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > He’s very much like **davidmich** in that regard, though I think that **davidmich** is an AI. **davidmich** _does_ participate lightly in some/many of his threads though. He will sometimes ask clarifying questions and usually thanks posters for their contributions. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/79 "2016-10-29T22:18:51Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > **davidmich** _does_ participate lightly in some/many of his threads though. I disagree: while there’s usually a follow-up, it’s only ever one, and very formulaic. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841/80 "2016-10-29T23:05:20Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > He’s very much like **davidmich** in that regard, though I think that **davidmich** is an AI. **Moderator Note** Please do not make insulting remarks about other posters outside of the Pit. No warning issued, but don’t do this again. > [@Quartz](#): > > I disagree: while there’s usually a follow-up, it’s only ever one, and very formulaic. You can disagree, but that’s nonsense, as a check of his threads will easily show. A spot check showed him replying up to 9 times in some threads. **davidmich** frequently replies multiple times to his threads, and his remarks and further questions contribute to the discussion. You made this false claim in your unsuccessful Pit thread about him last year, and it was pointed out to you that it was incorrect then. You shouldn’t be repeating it here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbk4894-whats-up-with-his-posting-history/768841.md?page=5)