Is this socking?

If you post under your username, but saying that you are someone else (your SO, for example), is that considered sock puppetry?

Obviously it would be a bit difficult to prove, but I’m curious of the prevailing opinion.

No, it’s not socking. But we prefer all our users to have a unique user ID. So if your SO wants to post, they can just register a new name. Should you have any problems with regard to cookies et cetera (it happens), please contact an administrator and they’ll help you out. The two posters need to have different e-mail addresses, I should add.

I’m reading it differently. Aren’t you asking f’rinstance:

Hi. I’m superbee’s ol’ lady, and I hate LOTR.

But it actually is superbee making the statement. Isn’t that what you mean Wikkit?

Or should I just get back to my job and shut up?

Aye, superbee be correct. Using “I’m not me” to post an inflammatory opinion or criticise a member while trying to avoid retribution.

<minor hijack>
I was just in Esprix’s Pit thread concerning jeanster and it occurred to me - We have a term for one user posting from different accounts (sock puppet), but we apparently don’t have a term for two people posting from one account. So I came here.

How about “mitten?” It’s kinda the opposite of a sock.

Or maybe “Pock Suppet?”

Or maybe I presume too much and the mods/admins already have a term for this?

Just curious.

</hijack>

And thus, THespos divines the impetus of this thread.

Well, there is a term for a handwarmer into which two hands are inserted; to quote the OED on this:

Yes, I understood Wikkit just fine - perhaps I didn’t express myself clearly.

The quoted scenario is exactly why we want to avoid two people using one account.

And I humbly submit “Pup Socket”.

I like everybody’s name suggestions, except mine.

C’mon Coldie…You mean to tell me that the mods haven’t had a pet name for this situation? Frankly, I’m surprised. :wink:

I thought the name for them was “banned”?

Didn’t tomndebb (sorry if I’ve misspelled that) used to be a twofer?

Sorry, I’m way too much a Southern gentleman to start calling anyone a muff. :slight_smile:

Coldfire is a poopy head.

– The guy from ConEd who reads Ukulele Ike’s meter

Regarding the “dual-use” of jeanster’s account: That has been resolved. I have contacted her husband and he’s since registered his own account.

Not really. Tom has been using that handle everywhere for many years. I remember him stating once long ago that Deb had never used it (anwhere) and had no desire to do so. If that were to change, we’d likely ask Deb to set up an independent account.

raises hand

Yep. My bad. Didn’t know about the rule. But I now have my own account. I’m sure my dear wife read that rule a while back, but due to her recent bout of stress what with the upcoming blessed event, it must have slipped her mind when she asked me to thank someone in another thread for her kind words.

Oh, I’m sure the Mods. already have a term for it.

And it’s not one that they’d be willing to use on open board! :smiley:

Seriously, situations in which two people must use one account and are careful to distinguish who is saying what are permissible – when I was posting from work, and limited to the e-mail account I had there (and had no idea one could get free e-mail, the product of my own naivete), I made several posts in which I placed questions or responses from my wife on matters of interest to her – clearly specifying that I was asking or typing a response in her behalf in the post in question. matt_mcl and Hamish, Libertarian and Edlyn, and Joe Cool and Jersey Diamond, were at one point sharing a single computer per two-person grouping, and would occasionally have situations where one posted under the other’s identity and then posted to clarify that the views expressed by “Hamish” had actually been typed by “matt_mcl” – not noticing which login on the board was active. The moderators seem inclined to give situations like these a bye when clarification of who is actually saying what is included with the post.

There’s a difference, though, between accidentally forgetting to log off, and not having separate accounts at all. The mods (I imagine) don’t mind cases like the ones that you mention because it’s a very simple and understandable mistake, but not having an account at all is a situation which is easily remedied.

Say, Chronos… you’ve been awfully helpful as of late. D’ya want your old gig back? You missed out on the 2003 calendar man, and it’s spiff-eeeee. :wink: