Lots of reasons they are unreliable. A search shows some were already mentioned on another thread on this forum and on GQ, but I’ll repeat a couple to make the question.
IP numbers are easily forged, but nobody would really have to.
Everyone at my school has the same IP#. It’s like that for most big networks. They farm everything out to generic middlemen so they can offer coast-to-coast toll-free access for travelers in their groups.
And the chain copyshop I am now also has the same IP # on every machine, every day and every branch. If you look it up, it’s owned by “Sprint”. I guess that narrows it down.
And if you use a dial-up service, they may get the identical numbers. All the Spinway servers (the ones giving away free retail-branded CD’s at the exit, like Kmart) are using the same IP#. The same number for all brand names, even.
Thank you for your comment. I’m not sure why you felt compelled to make it but thank you all the same.
For the record, we don’t even begin to look at IP numbers on someone unless they exhibit bad behavior. For all we know, half the board has the same IP number. For probably 99% of our membership, it just doesn’t matter.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
I guess that’s two questions.
Why I felt “compelled” to comment–
Because when I signed up the most recent post was this:
I felt it was correct as far as it went, but didn’t say enough.
I could have added to that thread, but it was mainly about charging fees, which I don’t have anything to contribute on.
For the second question, what I was trying to point out was that if you look at IP#'s at all, you’re going to mix the 1% with the 99%, who are vulnerable to crossfire. Instead of IP’s, you should be logging something else.
Well, yes, except that nobody’s quite sure what to log instead. IP numbers are circumstantial evidence at best, but anything else gives even less information. Got any ideas?
Like???
This isn’t true. I had tried another name just in test threads before deciding on this one.
I hadn’t even stated an opinion yet, and I got a letter saying I had two usernames and had better choose one.
So now I’m afraid to post with it or I’ll be branded “the next Mark Serlin”.
I got another free service and started over. I’m on “ABC 33 40”, a free service sponsored by a TV station. When I switched to Lycos, I found I had the same IP #! So I switched again. I don’t want the flack of posting a while and maybe meeting people, and then find I’m falsely accused of being a troll.
I think you’re being a bit defeatist, NFoC.
Firstly, the board admins don’t “brand” anyone as anything–the only ones who might call someone a troll are the members. The admins don’t have to call anyone names.
Secondly, it is against board policy to have two user names. If you have two, you are asked to drop one. If you only have one and receive a message fromt he admins, you need to clear it up. They aren’t out to get you, there here to administrate the board.
Thirdly, yes, IP addresses are often the same. My company uses a total of about 3 or 4 firewall and proxy servers, so my neighbor and I, while having different addys, will appear to the outside world as the same IP. But ya know what? It only really matters if I’m a jerk. If for some reason Tuba thinks I’ve created another user name (for whatever purpose), it’s up to me to talk to her about it and resolve the issue.
Does that make sense?
Don’t you mean “It only really matters if someone else on my IP is a jerk” ?
For the OP, that becomes “It only really matters if someone at my school or coffee shop is a jerk.”
Or “omeone who shops at Kmart or another store is a jerk”
For the guy you quoted, it becomes “It only really matters if someone using ABC or Lycos is a jerk”.
As pointed out, to his knowledge, no one was a jerk.
In fact, when I read it, I got that he never did have two names. I thought he said he had just signed up and hadn’t gotten past testing when some one “falsely accused” him of two names. That’s enough to make anyone turn “defeatist”.
In all of these cases it’s about people not following posted forum rules, so I’m not real sympathetic. If you can’t be bothered to play by the rules why should we give you any extra consideration?
And it’s not like we’re real hard cases or anything, there’s not a one of us that’s not available via email, some of us are available via AOL IM as well. We’re here to facilitate your use of the system, make your experience on the board as good as we can make it.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
You still don’t get it do you? At the risk of belaboring the point, what did No Fear do? Doesn’t sound to me like he had two names, only that somebody said he did, so he decided to start over rather than go on under a cloud.
Even if I read that wrong and he did try two names but was still at the first test stage, why would somebody write him?
You just said “For the record, we don’t even begin to look at IP numbers on someone unless they exhibit bad behavior.”
How would testing fit that picture?
And I’m sure I’ve seen people say they were blocked from posting in error.
Saam, what is your game here? Why are you so personally concerned with this? And for the record, you did read No Fear’s post incorrectly. He admitted to having two names.
I’m not playing games. I read it the way it sounded to me.
What game are you playing? You seem to be at the center of a lot of fights. I guess they all pick on you? Well, for the record, I didn’t give about you until I saw you challange me here, so don’t try to make something out of thin air.
Oh, yeah, almost forgot. You ticked me off so much I forgot about your question. Why am I concerned with this? Read above. I already answered that one, twice. I guess there’s no rule you have to read a tread to resond to it, but I expected more from a “moderator”.
tshirts, read his post. He had two names, Tuba asked him to pick one and only one. As per board rules. What’s your problem with this?
saam, I’m not sure why you’re so upset, but I’m sure if it sucks so much, you’ll be on your way. Come back when you can’t stay as long. Buh-bye, now. Buh-bye.
(And try not to deliberately piss off your hosts at the next party, 'kay?)
God’s Nightgown! Ok, saam, I’ll make it real easy for you to understand.
2 names=bad
2 names=bad
2 names=bad
1 name=good
1 name=good
1 name=good
No Fear has 2 names at one point. That’s bad. He got an email telling him to pick one. That’s right. An email telling him to pick one. Not an automatic ban. Not an email to his IP provider or whatever. Just a request to pick one. Why? Because:
2 names=bad
1 name=good
Do we understand that?
Just so we are all completely clear on the concept:
2 names=violation of board rules
I’m not picking on you, Saam. I’m just trying to figger out why you are so personally concerned with this.
Are you afraid you’ll be banned for some misunderstood infraction? I assure you that won’t happen. If there’s a true misunderstanding, we’ll make a fair attempt to straighten everything out. What’s not clear to me is why posters live in fear of being banned for minor nits. If we didn’t want people to post here, we wouldn’t run a message board. It’s that simple. We do this for your enjoyment as well as ours. I’m sorry if I’ve ticked you off, Saam. That was not my intention.
I don’t think he had two names before he got the letter, or it would make no sense for him to be upset. It still reads to me like he had to pick a new name because his first one landed in a tarbaby, and e decided to start over. If I’m wrong, it won’t be the first time. This stuff isn’t Supreme Court testimony, it’s more like overhearing something at a party, to use your analogy. The first way you heard something is what you respond to; you don’t replay the tape for the jury and parse a sentence diagram.
As for the kiss-off message of yours to saam, he doesn’t deserve that at all. You’re not the host here.
If UncleBeer can be nice, what makes you such a jerk. He said something simple in response to another thread on the same forum on the same day. Everything after that was caused by this grilling, not his posts at all.
I’m tired of all the smear campaigns going on in the pit.
Don’t try to move them upstairs to the parlor here. This should be the one place you can comment About The Message Board in peace and tranquility.
Thanks. I guess your last post sounded harsher to me than you meant, and I overreacted.
I wasn’t “personally” concerned at all, it was “technical”.
I saw a couple of wrong assumptions floating around about IP#, and thought I could add information.
New topic.
andros -
If we’re going to have our every word converted by the spin doctors, to try to dig out an ulterior motive, I guess it’s fair to reverse this and ask you:
What was your ulterior motive for coming here? Just to insult someone you don’t know? To make me think you had more to say here at the board than I do? Well, OK, you’ve said more. I’m not impressed. You can go home if you like. I’m staying. I have some questions to ask and some answers to give, and as Tubadiva said, that’s the whole point.
New Topic.
pepperland girls - you seem to be working on another OP. This thread is about the validity of IP’s. Invoking god’s nightgown and repeating things nine times doesn’t make your “argument” any more convincing. The opposite.
saam, there are certain posters in this thread who do not understand what is going on. When you are trying to teach a small child to read, or a primate to recgonize letters, you must present the information repeatedly. I figured I would stoop to some posters levels in order to educate certain posters.
Let me state it again, with emphasis added, to satisfy the grammar drones.
This has to be the nastiest message board offered for the general public. Usually if they tolerate this amount of hate mongering they are named something to tip you off, like The Hate Board.
Pepperlandgirl- Your singsong wit and childish name makes me wonder wonder if you shouldn’t be in bed. Try reading this over and over: he had one name in a box, he had one name with a fox…you know the book. It’s on top of your Britney Spears alarm clock. Just keep reading it until your lips go numb and you fall asleep on page 2.
Andros - your insults to saam are the identical ones you made to ChiefScott and Homer. And you got the same reaction. Time to hang up your tongue. It’s lost it’s fork.
And for those scoring motives at home, here’s the rundown:
Poster ---- Motive
saam-------- impart information
tubadiva---- say “thanks” but we don’t want information here. Ignorance got up into this mess, and it will just have to get us out of it.
saam-------- repeat himself for the hard of thinking
chronos----- contibute by asking saam a fair question
techchick68- contibute by asking saam a redundant question
no fear----- impart information
andros------ impart information and spin my words to insult me and make me look like someone with two names (rousing the ignorant pit rabble?)
tshirts----- contibute by asking andros a fair question
tubadiva---- spread misinformation to blame the victims of board management ignorance; whining about her problems and ignoring the fact that several people above are trying to help her with them
saam-------- trying to get a dead horse to wake up
unclebeer— ask a simple question and challenge saams motives
saam-------- defend his remarks
saam-------- defend his motives
andros------ show his true colors (pasture lump brown)
pepperlandgirl— proving she needs to be kept from swallowing small objects
unclebeer— rephrasing nicely (don’t ask me to explain it- surprised me too)
tshirts----- defending himself and whining about the pit
saam-------- thanking unclebeer and taking a couple of potshots back at his attackers.
pepperlandgirl— proving she can’t stay asleep, and still wants to pester the big scary growed-ups. She can’t really talk yet, but her widdle mind doesn’t know that.
That’s pretty lame odds for a thread on an “information” formum. Excuse me if I go puke to get the taste of this board out of my mouth.