How paranoid I am about creating sockpuppets on TV Tropes.

DYRE

Because of, of course, the automatic-banning sockpuppet-checker.  And that while we can get an estimate on how many sockpuppets the forum thinks we have, there is absolutely no reason to believe that that estimate is the same as what the forum actually thinks we have (and we also don't know if the real number is higher or lower).  And so, while I actually only have four sockpuppets (plus my main account), I'm worried that if I make any more, I'll get autobanned, even though the limit is far more than what I have.

Tnophelia

Guess what? it doesn't ban you anymore. Ask me how I know. :>

DYRE

I was under the impression that the banning thing doesn't happen instantly, and that it was something that ran periodically, like the thing that deletes all threads that haven't had posts in a month.  So... yeah.

Central Avenue

I think DYRE is correct. Fast Eddie said that you would be able to create more than 10 accounts, but if/when the system find you have more than 10, you're gone.

So if you have more than 10, Tnoph, delete some, because it'd be a shame to you get banned for the same thing twice.

DonZabu

It'd be nice if they could send you a warning message before doing it. Give you 24 hours to delete your sockpuppets or else you get banned. Why isn't it done that way?

DYRE

No idea.  That would certainly be nice, since... yeah.  The way it is right now is kinda scary...

Like I said, I only actually have 5 accounts, but the sockpuppet estimate for one of them shows 9 still-existing accounts, because I used a proxy to post once.  Unfortunately, I have no way to know if those 4 extra accounts will count towards my total as the deletey thing sees it, so I don't know how many more I'm allowed to make without getting banned.  And, of course, I'd rather not get banned.

Tnophelia

It's a trapdoor system. Secret banflags are secret.

Either way I guess I will delete some sockpuppets. If you don't see certain new people post anymore...well...

glennmagusharvey

What Don Zabu says.

Offenses should be made known to the offender.

randomtropeloser

^Agreed.  I didn't realize I had too many sockpuppets until my Stalin sockpuppet got me banned.  Apologies in advance to anyone who was hoping to make a Stalin sockpuppet.

@Tno: Just curious, were you Similar to a G6? 

Super Lazuli

Most retarded rule on the site.

Oh hey, we have a sockpuppet problem, so instead of just banning the people making the problem, let's ban EVERYONE WHO HAS MORE THAN AN ARBITRARY NUMBER OF SOCKPUPPETS yeah no, that makes total sense, dawg.

Also, same thing with the colortext.

DYRE

I'm extremely glad that Fast Eddie at least realized there are some legitimate uses for sockpuppets.
Because for some reason I imagine that if he didn't, he'd autoban anyone found to have more than one account via the same method they use now.  Including different people who happen to live together or go to the same school or just happen to share an IP address or whatever.

Super Lazuli

I share an IP with six other tropers, so I don't think he's quite that stupid.

DYRE

I'd hope not.

ClockworkUniverse

"Oh hey, we have a sockpuppet problem, so instead of just banning the people making the problem, let's ban EVERYONE WHO HAS MORE THAN AN ARBITRARY NUMBER OF SOCKPUPPETS"

It wasn't because of a perceived sockpuppet problem. It's because creating a lot of sockpuppets is one of the most common precursors to trolling and it wasn't expected that anyone would actually need that many. Most fora don't allow them at all.

Super Lazuli

The 'problem' he referred to happened exactly TWICE on our site.

TWICE. THATS' AS MANY AS TWO ONES.

DYRE

^^ Though, on forums that I've been on, you don't usually get automatically banned with no way to even figure out what happened for doing it.  Like, a mod might at least notify you about how you're going to get banned first.

Tnophelia

TV Tropes, DOES NOT LIKE WARNING PEOPLE EVER

DonZabu

From what I remember, the sockpuppet problem was mostly confined to IJBM. Am I wrong about that?

Tnophelia

I dunno.

My 40+ sockpuppets think so

snowbull

I thought the "problem" was confined to Tnophelia.

ClockworkUniverse

^The system existed long before she tripped it. She just got the gold medal for a legitimate poster tripping it.

snowbull

Oh, I thought she was the "reason" it was made.

derpaderp

ClockworkUniverse

Apparently, the plan to lower the limit also predates that.

glennmagusharvey

Well, first, posting in the TVTF ought to be seen as a privilege rather than a right.  That said, I'm not sure how much sockpuppets contribute, other than for occasional jokes based on who says what.

I don't currently have an intention of purging this place of sockpuppets, but I reserve the right to ban ones that are getting on my nerves.  And for that matter, I'll probably feel less bad about banning sockpuppets than about banning actual people.

DYRE

Well, first, posting in the TVTF ought to be seen as a privilege rather than a right.

True, but that shouldn't mean it's immune to criticism.

That said, I'm not sure how much sockpuppets contribute, other than for occasional jokes based on who says what.

Not a whole lot, to be honest, but there is some use. Could be used for roleplaying, though I'm not sure how many threads other than "Kagami Hiiragi snuggling with onions" actually use them.

My problem with this whole thing has more to do with the fact that it is an automatic sitewide permaban, which, in theory, could come any time completely without warning. Not that I expect it to, since I'm almost completely sure that I'm under the limit, but we also have no way of knowing exactly how close to this limit we are. So, yeah...

glennmagusharvey

I say the most feasible solution right now, politically, is to give the person-to-be-banned a heads-up of at least 24 hours, preferably 72.