# Socks and writing styles **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 14, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712 "2005-01-14T14:40:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [January 16, 2005, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/21 "2005-01-16T13:30:38Z")
> [@](#): > > I mean, who lives to be banned from message boards? Kind of a sad existence, if you ask me. There are plenty of people online who get their thrills from being a nuisance to others. Consider: - the spammers who pop onto our message boards to post an advertisement and then disappear. They have to register, it has to take them a little time (it’s not like sending out a zillion spam emails), and their pleasure if from being a nuisance. (Last night, we had one person who registered under five different names, posted the same spam message in five different forums, then left. Maybe it was a 'bot, but someone had to create the 'bot.) - the hackers who create and distribute viruses that damage computers - the drive-by posters who think it’s funny to disrupt discussions - the petty thieves who try to get away with not paying membership fees - the nutcases who think it’s funny to make the moderators chase after them and ban them, making no (or little) effort to hide their identity Yeah, it’s a sad existence, and amazing how many jerks there are who (one presumes) go orgastic over this kind of behavior. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mermaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@The\_Mermaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mermaid)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/22 "2005-01-16T18:02:22Z")
Maybe I just don’t care enough but I have never been able to read something and immediately be able to identify the author by style. On a certain anon board people take great pleasure “identifying” other anon posters but I think that’s just an attempt at humor and not some educated guess or the result of real analysis. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/23 "2005-01-16T19:04:37Z")
> [@kniz](#): > > I’m not trying to be snotty about this, but that statement strikes me as “nah\_nah\_nah I know something nobody else does.” ☹ I’m not trying to be snotty, **kniz**. I wanted a discussion about writing styles, not what a poopyhead Poster X was, which is why I didn’t name names. I didn’t feel it was appropriate, since this isn’t the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/24 "2005-01-16T19:22:23Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I’m not trying to be snotty, **kniz**. I wanted a discussion about writing styles, not what a poopyhead Poster X was, which is why I didn’t name names. I didn’t feel it was appropriate, since this isn’t the Pit. I got the feeling that your purpose was sincere, but there was also that feeling that I expressed. I’m glad I didn’t upset you too bad. That was not my purpose, I just had to get something off my chest. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/25 "2005-01-17T13:49:11Z")
This thread set me wondering how easy it would be to counterfeit a new style of writing. As a chess player, I reckon I can tell roughly how experienced any player is after seeing just one game played by them in their normal style. Probably a musician could do something similar if they heard you play. Let me try an experiment (as it says in my profile, I’m a teacher)… ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/26 "2005-01-17T13:51:47Z")
… my teacher said i could tyope stuff here.But no-thingf rude. Hi! How R U? I use mi phone always, so this is nu 2 me. What do i say now. C U! ---
**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:** [January 17, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/27 "2005-01-17T13:53:23Z")
Do **NOT** try your experiment by creating a new screen name to see how long it will take to catch you. That would be a bannable offense, even as an “experiment.” Testing to see how long it takes the Moderators to discover a sham name is NOT a good idea. Period. You might go to Cafe Society, you could open a thread on writing the introductory paragraph of _A Tale of Two Cities_ in the style of various authors or something of the sort. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2005, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/28 "2005-01-17T13:55:35Z")
Sorry, **glee** , I saw your first post and leapt to an unwarranted conclusion. Simulposting can be an awkward thing. My apologies, but my warning does go to anyone who’s even thinking about it. The real question is not whether you could make a single post in a different posting style, but how long you could keep it up. > [@](#): > > But no-thingf rude This would have been an immediate give-away that it was you. Well, that it was someone from England, in any case. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![indecisive1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/41988e/32.png) [@indecisive1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indecisive1)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/29 "2005-01-17T14:41:04Z")
**Glee** You also made a manual line end after each sentence. Well sort of. ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/30 "2005-01-17T15:25:18Z")
I couldn’t sock myself.Everyone would know it was me straightaway.I don’t punctuate you see 🙂 Gaps are for losers! ---
**Author:** ![coop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@coop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coop)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/31 "2005-01-17T16:20:59Z")
So why the punctuation/gaps [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5721800#post5721800) ? :wally ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/32 "2005-01-17T18:14:44Z")
> [@kniz](#): > > I got the feeling that your purpose was sincere, but there was also that feeling that I expressed. I’m glad I didn’t upset you too bad. That was not my purpose, I just had to get something off my chest. No worries. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/33 "2005-01-18T14:33:55Z")
> [@coop](#): > > So why the punctuation/gaps [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5721800#post5721800) ? :wally That was a separate personality speaking 🙂 who punctuates. Can I be allowed one username per personality? ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/34 "2005-01-18T19:51:41Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > Well, that it was someone from England, in any case. 😉 How so? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/35 "2005-01-18T20:18:45Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > Do **NOT** try your experiment by creating a new screen name to see how long it will take to catch you. That would be a bannable offense, even as an “experiment.” Testing to see how long it takes the Moderators to discover a sham name is NOT a good idea. Period. Have the mods ever had someone set up an alternate account and do just that, just to test their abilities/capabilities? Sort of like the security firms that hire old bank robbers to consult on their product. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/36 "2005-01-18T20:30:09Z")
> [@Shrinking Violet](#): > > How so? 😕 I believe that the dash between “no” and “thing” is probably indicative of UK English (at least I’ve never seen “nothing” spelled that way in the US). ---
**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:** [January 18, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/37 "2005-01-18T22:04:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Have the mods ever had someone set up an alternate account and do just that, just to test their abilities/capabilities? Sort of like the security firms that hire old bank robbers to consult on their product. There’s no need for that kind of silliness, when we have plenty of jerks who think they can fool us. > [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > Well, that it was someone from England, in any case. > [@Shrinking Violet](#): > > How so? You think I’m going to give away our secret analysis of posting styles? ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/38 "2005-01-18T22:11:50Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > You think I’m going to give away our secret analysis of posting styles? It involves a Ouija board, communing with the dead, and a big iron pot of boiling stuff that smells pretty bad. Trust me, you probably really don’t want to know anyway. Best not to ask what the mods do. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/39 "2005-01-18T23:22:27Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > Sorry, **glee** , I saw your first post and leapt to an unwarranted conclusion. Simulposting can be an awkward thing. My apologies, but my warning does go to anyone who’s even thinking about it. > > The real question is not whether you could make a single post in a different posting style, but how long you could keep it up. > > This would have been an immediate give-away that it was you. Well, that it was someone from England, in any case. 😉 Your warning was perfectly sensible! I am glad that my experiment was legal. I agree it can be a pain to keep up a pretence. However I would quibble slightly that being polite is automatically English - a teacher letting a pupil loose on the SDMB would naturally insist on it. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712/40 "2005-01-18T23:25:15Z")
> [@indecisive1](#): > > **Glee** You also made a manual line end after each sentence. Well sort of. Ah - a staccato posting style! (or as my pupil would say: nufhink - nuline 😕 ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks-and-writing-styles/284712.md?page=3)