# Sock Puppetry: Victimless crime? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 3, 2007, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421 "2007-03-03T14:20:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/21 "2007-03-04T02:00:44Z")
I remember the time when I thought the screen name **OncleBiere** was a nom de plume of **UncleBeer**. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/22 "2007-03-04T12:01:08Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] To **What Exit** ’s list, let me add: • and have emotionally tempestuous angst-filled soap operas going on on the board. To be sure, some people use their single sole identity in that fashion, and may or may not have stirred a lot of fiction in amongst the personal facts, but at least when they’re limited to one identity they can’t just toss in a new situation or experience willy-nilly without being caught at it due to contradictions and whatnot. And/etc: what **Fish** said. [/QUOTE] I think you’re on the ball on that one,I’m quite sure at least some of regular and long term posters regulary stretch the truth about their lives judging by some of the contradictory information given by them and at least one has an entirely fictional past that they have based their entire persona on on this M.B. and for all we know back in the real world. By using only one post name they always expose themselves sooner or later. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/23 "2007-03-04T13:15:38Z")
[QUOTE=Red Barchetta] Perhaps so one could post a question they wouldn’t otherwise want associated with their name. Examples: “I have herpes; any advice?” or the equally embarrassing “Full House is the best show ever” [/QUOTE] Nitpick Part II: Come on dude, it is obvious one is far more embarrassing. I mean who would ever admit even as a sock that they thought “Full House is the best show ever”. Jim ---
**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:** [March 4, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/24 "2007-03-04T14:33:21Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > Socks are almost always up to no good: why would you need an alias unless you were doing something you wouldn’t do under your own name? > [@Red Barchetta](#): > > Perhaps so one could post a question they wouldn’t otherwise want associated with their name. I guess we’re saying the same thing, aren’t we? We dislike the idea of anonymous posts. Our experience has been that people (well, OK, trollers) lie about things like “I’ve got herpes” or “I just killed my mother-in-law.” Allowing socks is just making life easier for trolls and their ilk. Agreed, the rule means that there are some things that people might be embarrassed to discuss (although, frankly, I think that’s a small number of things and a small number of people.) If someone just “wants to share” something embarrassing, well, tough. If someone is seeking serious information and support (“I’ve got herpes”) there are ways of doing it within our rules: - Go to a herpes-help board, where you’re more likely to get serious support and less likely to get nasty but funny comments; - Ask a moderator to post for you. We have, on occassion, allowed Moderators to post "A poster who wishes to remain anonymous has asked me to say: \<\< I’ve got herpes.\>\> - Post yourself, under the “I have a friend who is not on these boards who has herpes.” ---
**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:** [March 4, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/25 "2007-03-04T17:39:49Z")
…Or, of course, just post the question straight-up. I think it’s probably safe to say that, no matter what personal detail of your life you might post, there’s someone here who’s posted something even more embarrasing. And while we Dopers can be a frivolous bunch at times, we can also be serious when it’s called for. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/27 "2007-03-04T21:48:35Z")
[QUOTE=nola scoro] But my children sometimes jump on the computer when I am called away from it. I wouldn’t want those “personal matters”, as you so delicately put it, to come back to haunt me. [/QUOTE] So just don’t post it then, of course I am led to wonder why a guest would worry about it. Until you join, this should not be a concern. > [@](#): > > Plus, I notice that you yourself are posting with a pseudonym. If there’s no embarassment, why do you do that? Not the same thing. \*\*Chonos \*\* has built up a long term rep on the Dope, it might be his alias, but it is the Alias he is recognized by. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/28 "2007-03-04T21:56:06Z")
I don’t like sockpuppets, and I don’t feel a need to reiterate all of the reasons, since they’re plainly spelled out in the thread already. [QUOTE=Lust4Life] Using a sockpuppet is being dishonest ,if you’re dishonest about who you are then its more then likely that your post is equally dishonest. [/QUOTE] This, however, is silly. You’re posting under an alias already! This argument would apply in a professional forum where people use their real names, but it makes no sense in the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/29 "2007-03-05T05:01:27Z")
I can understand the desire to use a sock at times. If you use your real name which some people do and need to post a question on an embarrassing issue such as the Herpes one you wouldn’t want an prospective employer to find that under a google search. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/30 "2007-03-05T05:08:02Z")
[QUOTE=nola scoro] But my children sometimes jump on the computer when I am called away from it. I wouldn’t want those “personal matters”, as you so delicately put it, to come back to haunt me. [/QUOTE] If you’re saying that your children might type something under your username that could embarrass you, then you need to be sure to log out when you’re not there. You are responsible for everything typed under your username. Some posters here have found that out the very hard way. Some of them are still kidded (!) about it to this day. And if it’s something that could get you banned, you’re responsible for that as well. It’s spelled out in the member agreement. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/31 "2007-03-05T05:12:54Z")
[QUOTE=Heffalump and Roo] …Some of them are still kidded (!) about it to this day… [/QUOTE] Well not \*kidded \* as much as _lambed_. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/32 "2007-03-05T05:15:33Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] Sock puppets are often imaginary/hypothetical character creations of folks who want to use the board as some kind of Second Life experience [/QUOTE] If you want a Second Life experience, you really should just head over to [Second Life](http://secondlife.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Spiral\_Stairs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Spiral\_Stairs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiral_Stairs)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/33 "2007-03-05T16:57:30Z")
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven] … - Post yourself, under the “I have a friend who is not on these boards who has herpes.” [/QUOTE] I can see it now: “I have a friend who is not on these boards who has herpes. I have scrutinized my friend’s penis, and it exhibits the following symptoms…” ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/34 "2007-03-05T17:06:25Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Well not \*kidded \* as much as _lambed_. 😉 [/QUOTE] You mean, lamb-basted. And them’s good eatin’s. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/35 "2007-03-05T18:03:53Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] I remember the time when I thought the screen name **OncleBiere** was a nom de plume of **UncleBeer**. [/QUOTE] As it turned out though, OncleBiere was indeed a sock puppet - just not mine. The creator of OncleBiere made that name during the time I was a moderator here and used it in a mostly innocuous manner. He did, however, use it infrequently to yank my chain. The same guy also used Penny Dreadful in an identical fashion as a goad to Ukulele Ike. (Ike made it known on the boards at one time, that Penny Dreadful was an alternative name he strongly considered when joining). ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/36 "2007-03-05T21:39:14Z")
[penny dreadful](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php) ---
**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:** [March 8, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421/37 "2007-03-08T22:28:36Z")
Okay, now it’s just a troll farm. Enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sock-puppetry-victimless-crime/394421.md?page=1)