To wonder if I am a sock puppet?

[CormoranStrike]

I have various user names.

This is my everyday, and favourite, one. I occasionally post photos etc on it, so in that regard it is public, the real me.

Then I have a name I use if asking for medical advice, or moaning about something that involves other people, and I don't want to reveal that it is me.

And a good few other names from when I changed regularly to avoid being outed.

I occassionally change from name to name. I never do so on the same thread, but will do from thread to threepad as above.

Am I a sock puppet? If so, in these circs, why is that bad?

You are only a sock puppet if you use the multiple names on a single thread to back yourself up, eg -

Poster 1 - the sky is blue

You 1 - no, it's red

You 2 - yes, I agree with her, the sky is red

You 3 - yes, you are all idiots, it's clearly red as a red thing.

You 1 - Look! See, I am right, it's red, look at all the posters who agree with me!

(You 1, 2 & 3 are your various usernames btw)

You're only a sock puppet if you post on the same thread under multiple names, pretending to be different people, for the purposes of backing yourself up.

What you're doing is fine and using the NC function as intended.

Using various names across the site to maintain anonymity (like we can on MNlocal) is fine, but you might open yourself up to trolling accusations/reports if posters 'recognise' you under an alternative pseudonym, even though you were using the namechange legitimately/innocently.

You are only a sock puppet if you use the multiple names on a single thread to back yourself up

Do people really do this? That's mad. What is the bloody point of that on an anonymous forum ffs?

You're only a sock puppet if you post on the same thread under multiple names, pretending to be different people, for the purposes of backing yourself up.

Yes this ^ what you are doing is fine.

I don't think MN would make it so easy to namechange if what you were doing was wrong or against the guidelines.

MN allows you to NC as many times as you like.

So it's not sock puppeting to use that facility.

Do people really do this? That's mad. What is the bloody point of that on an anonymous forum ffs?

Excellent point, Manhattan, as always. Bloody insightful and kind of good-looking of you, somehow.

Shit. Forgot to NC would make a shit sock puppet

Could you be bothered

It is rather amusing when they get muddled up though and drop themselves in it

Lol manhattan