# Help a noobie: how to not get banned **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 4, 2022, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228 "2022-01-04T23:17:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/21 "2022-01-05T02:24:48Z")
I understand about socks. However there is a long history of allowing socks for exactly this purpose. Certainly when I was a mod it was not unusual or inappropriate to sock to get moderator attention in ATMB, especially when you can’t figure out what email to use. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/22 "2022-01-05T02:26:02Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I believe that if you are a TL0 (a brand new user) the default on Discourse is to require that your posts be moderated until you reach TL1. Thank you for clarifying – I had heard about that limitation once or twice, but had forgotten about it. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/23 "2022-01-05T02:34:43Z")
I get it, but the discussion upthread seemed likely to give the noob the impression that socking specifically was banned, when in fact the prohibition is broader than that. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/24 "2022-01-05T02:51:07Z")
The mods on this forum tend to use “sock” to refer to any second account created by a user, not just for actual sock-puppet accounts. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/25 "2022-01-05T03:40:15Z")
That was my point. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/26 "2022-01-05T14:21:06Z")
Yes, you were helpful. I doubt most newbies realize how broad the definition of a “sock” is on this site. ---
**Author:** ![Pseudonym](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pseudonym/32/9895_2.png) [@Pseudonym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pseudonym)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/27 "2022-01-05T15:46:30Z")
Yeah, I realized what I was doing could basically constitute socking, but considering the situation I thought honesty would be the best policy. Also since I wasn’t “pretending to be some one else” (which I actually thought was what socking strictly meant) I thought I had a good chance of clearing things up. To clarify: I got the same username as I originally took – I frankly found a bit strange this was possible. I mean, would seem logical to me that the username wasn’t available anymore either, to avoid confusion. Thanks again to everybody for the help, esp. @engineer_comp_geek ! ---
**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:** [January 5, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/28 "2022-01-05T16:44:28Z")
> [@Pseudonym](#): > > I got the same username as I originally took – I frankly found a bit strange this was possible. This is the weirdest part for me. How is this possible? If I’m banned, can I create a new account with the same name? The fear of losing my username has been the only thing holding back my rampage across the board… ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/29 "2022-01-05T16:49:23Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > The fear of losing my username has been the only thing holding back my rampage across the board… Easy to say from the safety and comfort of your perch. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/30 "2022-01-05T17:04:12Z")
Comfort? It’s downright crappie up here. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/31 "2022-01-05T17:04:22Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > If I’m banned, can I create a new account with the same name? No. Pseudonym was caught by our spam filter and was deleted as a spammer. Since the original account was completely deleted, the name was no longer in the system and he was able to create a new account using the same name. If you are banned, your account is not deleted and the name does not become available for re-use. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/32 "2022-01-05T17:05:15Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Since the original account was completely deleted, the name was no longer in the system and he was able to create a new account using the same name. This is much more mundane and logical than I was hoping for. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/33 "2022-01-05T17:06:52Z")
Sorry to disappoint you that it’s nothing fishy. ---
**Author:** ![TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thegunismightierthanthepen/32/2981_2.png) [@TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheGunIsMightierThanThePen)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/34 "2022-01-05T17:08:45Z")
I’m more surprised by the fact that after almost 23 years of the board’s existence, no one else has taken “Pseudonym” as a username yet. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/35 "2022-01-05T17:25:32Z")
Back in the day, it probably just would have caused confusion since @Sue_Duhnym was a pretty prolific poster. There was also @Sue_D.Nymme and @Sue_Denim. And there is always @Pseudonihm. ---
**Author:** ![Pseudonym](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pseudonym/32/9895_2.png) [@Pseudonym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pseudonym)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/36 "2022-01-05T17:36:21Z")
Yeaaaah, this. Imagine MY surprise! Maybe I’ve established a new bottom line for the amount of imagination in choosing a name… There were others I was contemplating that I was equally as surprised were available. Perhaps people just have come to assume that all obvious ones will be taken. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/37 "2022-01-05T17:46:24Z")
> [@Pseudonym](#): > > Maybe I’ve established a new bottom line for the amount of imagination in choosing a name… No, the bottom line is a friend of mine who, when registering for an online game, was told his chosen user name was not valid. So, he entered “Valid”. It took it, and that was his user name. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/38 "2022-01-05T18:12:01Z")
Now we just need to get our new vict…err…member a suitable avatar… ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/39 "2022-01-05T18:18:48Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Now we just need to get our new vict…err…member a suitable avatar Here’s Zero Mostel as Pseudolus from _A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum_ – the name is close, at least. 😃 [![](https://media.npr.org/programs/wesun/features/2006/aug/zeromostel540-cdbe7905295d2d1ad77670cd83bbecf9c467677d.jpg) ](https://media.npr.org/programs/wesun/features/2006/aug/zeromostel540-cdbe7905295d2d1ad77670cd83bbecf9c467677d.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Pseudonym](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pseudonym/32/9895_2.png) [@Pseudonym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pseudonym)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228/40 "2022-01-05T19:18:02Z")
Hmmm. I’m not saying that picture doesn’t describe everything about my inner self in every conceivable way. Jedi mind tricks… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-noobie-how-to-not-get-banned/957228.md?page=3)