alternative accounts

[absinthia]

what is the deal with alternative accounts, is it legal or not?

while i do understand that it is illegal to create an alternative account with the intention to evade a suspension. what would be the case if one made the alternative account long before being suspended?

[Astaroth]

You can make as many alternative accounts as you want to as long as you do not break the rules with them.

However, keep in mind that only one of your accounts can become Citizen and that all warnings which you receive on your alternative account will be transferred to your main one. It's also not allowed to give your own account reputation.

what would be the case if one made the alternative account long before being suspended?

One wouldn't be allowed to use it anyway. If one is suspended from TWC that means he isn't allowed to use any of his accounts.

[Augustus Lucifer]

If you post at all during your suspension, then the alt is banned. If your main account has no access to social group or visitor messages and these are used on an alternate account, then the alt is banned. If it any time an alt account is used to self-rep, then the alt is banned. If an alt account receives an infraction, it is added to the main account, and the alt is banned. If the alt attempts to simultaneously achieve a rank such as Citizen with the main account, the alt is banned. If the alt is used to vote extra in a poll, then the alt is banned. If the alt is of an indefinitely banned member, it is immediately banned. There's other scenarios but that covers the most common.

When can you use an alt? Legally for the means of posting. Alts of members who are in the realm of getting suspended are not encouraged because it only compounds the chances that they will break one of the many rules.

I should also add that a user on probation who receives a evading suspension warning gets a month added to their sentence, whereas the same is not true to users not on probation. And some users who have been found to rep-whore with alts will get a message from admins prohibiting them from ever using alts, and all subsequent alts will be banned.

[Bokks]

How exactly would we know if a members alt gives himself rep? Is there a mass rep storage device somewhere?

[Augustus Lucifer]

How exactly would we know if a members alt gives himself rep? Is there a mass rep storage device somewhere?

It can be checked by admins.

[Garbarsardar]

How exactly would we know if a members alt gives himself rep? Is there a mass rep storage device somewhere?

We simply call it "Hex's Ultra Secret Gigantic Rep Sentient Accumulator of Sorts"

Use of the acronym HUSGRSAoS is not encouraged.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

Just a question: what defines "alternate" and "main" account?

[Viking Prince]

Another question -- do we need to file paternity for the alts with someone or some place? Or is just a working backwards thing for those who have had a history of infractions?

[Augustus Lucifer]

Another question -- do we need to file paternity for the alts with someone or some place? Or is just a working backwards thing for those who have had a history of infractions?

No we know which alts people use and the rules concerning them are applied on an as is basis.

[Viking Prince]

So you know my other two accounts?

(kidding -- really)

[Ragabash]

How exactly would we know if a members alt gives himself rep? Is there a mass rep storage device somewhere?

Has reputation actually ever meant anything? If someone wants popularity points let them do it themselves, it doesn't concern me at all; it's not like this feature is any sort of reliable indicator towards absolutely anything.

[Garbarsardar]

Just a question: what defines "alternate" and "main" account?

There is no constant rule. It can be defined by precedence, post count or being designated as such by the user.

[absinthia]

i am not concerned about giving rep to one self, as that is simply bling-bling with no real status connected to it.
what concerns me is the possibility of multiple account with citizen status and by that multiple votes.

while i do realize that other than in rare cases such multiple votes would not tip the balance, i have read the memoirs of horse archer and that puts things somewhat into perspective.
i do not buy into the "we know who is who" myth, that is pure propaganda as there is no way of detecting the human behind any given computer. so i do realize that there is no way to safeguard against this.
still i am concerned that the practice of multiple accounts is not frowned upon in the tos, at least as a symbolic measure.

[pannonian]

i am not concerned about giving rep to one self, as that is simply bling-bling with no real status connected to it.
what concerns me is the possibility of multiple account with citizen status and by that multiple votes.

while i do realize that other than in rare cases such multiple votes would not tip the balance, i have read the memoirs of horse archer and that puts things somewhat into perspective.
i do not buy into the "we know who is who" myth, that is pure propaganda as there is no way of detecting the human behind any given computer. so i do realize that there is no way to safeguard against this.
still i am concerned that the practice of multiple accounts is not frowned upon in the tos, at least as a symbolic measure.

And that is why Q&S polls are of no concrete worth, as users may create multiple accounts and vote with them (unless admins take time to investigate, which they probably won't). Citizens go through human scrutiny, and being of lesser number, admins can take the time to check whether a user has multiple citizen accounts. Thus I was concerned when Disgruntledgoat was nominated for opifex, when Caius Britannicus was already an opifex. Whatever the general dangers of allowing multiple accounts by members, you can be sure that citizens are unique.

[Hunter Makoy]

We simply call it "Hex's Ultra Secret Gigantic Rep Sentient Accumulator of Sorts"

. . .or NAMBLA for short.

[Elrond]

i do not buy into the "we know who is who" myth, that is pure propaganda as there is no way of detecting the human behind any given computer. so i do realize that there is no way to safeguard against this.

I used to think that but the alt detection stuff I know about being a Junior mod is quite accurate and the techniques used by the admins are extremely accurate (although I am not sure what they are). Simply using a Proxy wont stop you being detected. No system is going to be 100% accurate but the system used at TWC is much better than most people think it is.

[Augustus Lucifer]

i am not concerned about giving rep to one self, as that is simply bling-bling with no real status connected to it.
what concerns me is the possibility of multiple account with citizen status and by that multiple votes.

while i do realize that other than in rare cases such multiple votes would not tip the balance, i have read the memoirs of horse archer and that puts things somewhat into perspective.
i do not buy into the "we know who is who" myth, that is pure propaganda as there is no way of detecting the human behind any given computer. so i do realize that there is no way to safeguard against this.
still i am concerned that the practice of multiple accounts is not frowned upon in the tos, at least as a symbolic measure.

It is something that is looked into. During my tenure I've seen something like 3-4 cases where a double-citizenship was called into question. It doesn't happen that often but often enough to catch the cases where it is the situation.