SOCK PUPPET POLICY

[Anonymous]

I think you should mark the posts as with some kind of sock puppet symbol and leave them up so everyone can see them for what they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you should mark the posts as with some kind of sock puppet symbol and leave them up so everyone can see them for what they are.

I would find this deeply amusing.

[Anonymous]

What's the point in sock puppeting? To rile up others?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the point in sock puppeting? To rile up others?

To make it appear that you have a chorus of supporters, when in fact it is just your own voice via your sock poppet.

[Anonymous]

6:28 has it exactly right.

[Anonymous]

Since 6:34 and 6:28 are actually the same poster (me) -- 6:34 is the sock puppet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since 6:34 and 6:28 are actually the same poster (me) -- 6:34 is the sock puppet.

Awesome. Thank you. Perfect example!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the point in sock puppeting? To rile up others?

To make it appear that you have a chorus of supporters, when in fact it is just your own voice via your sock poppet.

Why does that matter?

[Anonymous]

But is it sock puppetting if you post a comment, then right after post another comment? Sometimes I want to say something more so I just post again. I guess I should start writing "Me again" or something. I don't pose a question then answer my own question, I understand that is sock puppetting. But maybe multiple comments falls under that too? I'm going to stop that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the point in sock puppeting? To rile up others?

To make it appear that you have a chorus of supporters, when in fact it is just your own voice via your sock poppet.

Why does that matter?

Okay, another example (this is totally made up)

I post at 7:15: "My child got scolded at for talking too much in school. I'm outraged!"
Then 3 people (not me) post saying things like "Perhaps your child deserved it, should not have been talking, etc."
I come back at 8:00 as my own sock puppet and post "OP has a point! There are better ways of handling children than scolding them! Children have to be nurtured."

Can you see that in the face of people disagreeing with me I'm inventing a friendly poster who doesn't really exist -- a sock puppet -- who agrees with me and supports me, just to make myself look better? The reason this "matters" is that debates should unfold realistically, without manipulation. Unfortunately, we've all ended up in the wrong. It sucks, but that's life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But is it sock puppetting if you post a comment, then right after post another comment? Sometimes I want to say something more so I just post again. I guess I should start writing "Me again" or something. I don't pose a question then answer my own question, I understand that is sock puppetting. But maybe multiple comments falls under that too? I'm going to stop that!

I've done this too and wonder whether it qualifies as S.P. I often add another thought to a debate later on.

[Anonymous]

Sock puppetting is when you pretend you are not a new poster or not the OP. It is lying - not multiple posting.

Sock puppetting that really bothers me is when someone (a sock puppet) starts a thread that goes something like "I an looking for daycare that is not quite Montessori but not traditional, near Bethesda" and the sock puppet posts "Oh, I know of a great one right on 355 that follows the Regio Emilio theories. I think they have openings." The sock puppet owns the daycare. I hate these because I count on DCUM to get real recommendations, not ads pretending to be them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the point in sock puppeting? To rile up others?

To make it appear that you have a chorus of supporters, when in fact it is just your own voice via your sock poppet.

Why does that matter?

Okay, another example (this is totally made up)

I post at 7:15: "My child got scolded at for talking too much in school. I'm outraged!"
Then 3 people (not me) post saying things like "Perhaps your child deserved it, should not have been talking, etc."
I come back at 8:00 as my own sock puppet and post "OP has a point! There are better ways of handling children than scolding them! Children have to be nurtured."

Can you see that in the face of people disagreeing with me I'm inventing a friendly poster who doesn't really exist -- a sock puppet -- who agrees with me and supports me, just to make myself look better? The reason this "matters" is that debates should unfold realistically, without manipulation. Unfortunately, we've all ended up in the wrong. It sucks, but that's life.

I understand what you are saying but it still seems like it doesn't matter because people can still have and express their opinions.

Anonymous wrote:Sock puppetting is when you pretend you are not a new poster or not the OP. It is lying - not multiple posting.

Sock puppetting that really bothers me is when someone (a sock puppet) starts a thread that goes something like "I an looking for daycare that is not quite Montessori but not traditional, near Bethesda" and the sock puppet posts "Oh, I know of a great one right on 355 that follows the Regio Emilio theories. I think they have openings." The sock puppet owns the daycare. I hate these because I count on DCUM to get real recommendations, not ads pretending to be them.

But in this example, it seems wrong because it is a biased and non-transparent posting presenting itself as a open recommendation.

[Anonymous]

Is this a sock puppet on this thread?

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/151711.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this a sock puppet on this thread?

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/151711.page

Per this thread http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/162757.page , yes.