Modern Vespa

Here at MV, we really don't approve of ghost accounts. That is, secondary accounts where a user has an established presence here. If someone wants to change their identity and abandons their previous account, we'll generally look the other way. If a user is actively using both accounts here, we will most likely notice. Depending on how the ghost account is being used, we may or may not have something to say about it. We might even let it slide, depending on circumstances.

If, however, the ghost account is being used for underhanded purposes, we will most definitely have something to say about it. A few examples of things we would have an issue with would be:
- Using a ghost account to boost the post ratings of the owner's primary account
- Using a ghost account to agree with the posts of the owner's primary account, as if to give the appearance of support for a particular viewpoint
- Using a ghost account to give negative ratings to some other user that the owner has a grudge against
- Using a ghost account to attack another user while taking the high road with the primary account

The thing about ghost accounts, though, is that the person using a ghost account will probably get caught. Once someone notices a similarity in posting style or vernacular between two users (and this happens a lot, trust me) then it is trivially easy to determine if the two users are in fact the same person.

That's the case on this fine evening. A fairly long-time and very well known user was caught using a ghost account. Both accounts were being actively used, were rating each others posts, and were even conversing. The ghost account even had an elaborate backstory, all of it a complete fabrication.

Both accounts have been banned, permanently. No warnings, no discussion, just banned.

We're serious.

I gotta admit - the idea of someone talking to themselves on a forum like this is pretty hilarious.

Also kinda really messed up.

Anyway... The thing that's the hardest to grasp is that soemone would care that much to go through the hassle.

Then again, a certain xkcd comic comes to mind....

This one?

http://xkcd.com/386/

It was awfully obvious.

Wow, some people have WAAAAAAAY too much time on their hands... time that could be much better spent actually RIDING! Sheesh!

I'm still here....

That was a close one....

R

8)

So Yard Sale got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. When I read a few posts from his new alias, "Sarah", it looked like much more than coincidence that they were in lockstep with each other. I figured that you (Jess) or one of the moderators would catch on quickly because Yard Sale just couldn't help himself and kept posting with his same, very-identifiable style of writing on both accounts. He got what he deserved.

Thank you Jess!

OMFG LOL

That's a shame: I was starting to warm to that dude.

Roolz is roolz though.

Poor Sarah123...taken from us before we really knew her

Too bad, I didn't have anything against Yardsale ... but he really did push the limit at times.

I'm surprised Sarah didn't have a yellow scooter too! They might have become soul mates. Well, he listed his occupation as "Inventor" ... I guess he was just doing what comes naturally!

Were the offender's monikers "Golum" and "Smegel"?

I'm shocked I didn't see that coming. Good call.

Did she (or he) post: "NSR, no really this is NSR. Well maybe it's not if you happen to drink while you are driving your scooter, but for most it will be NSR: What kind of coffee do you like?"

hmmm, i had a thought that Yardsale was actually someone that posts over in the mp3 forum...similar writing styles.

I seen it coming a few days ago, Sara123, LOL I work just down the street and have never seen a RED gts in the Aera. he tried to bate me with the harley sounds ugly post. Geee


Had yardsale did this "If someone wants to change their identity and abandons their previous account" he could have gotten a fresh start with no negitvefeed back. to bad.

An old Moderator went reading out one dark and windy day
Upon a thread he rested as he went along his way
When all at once a mighty herd of red eyed trolls he saw
A-plowing through the ragged sky and up the cloudy draw

Their keyboards were still on fire and their mice were made of steel
Their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel
A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky
For he saw the Moderators coming hard and he heard their mournful cry

Yippie yi Ohhhhh
Yippie yi yaaaaay
Ghost Writers in the sky

Their faces gaunt, their eyes were blurred, their shirts all soaked with sweat
They're clicking fast to catch those trolls, but they ain't caught 'em yet
'Cause they've got to ride forever on that Board up in the sky
On Vespas snorting fire
As they ride on hear their cry

Yippie yi Ohhhhh
Yippie yi yaaaaay
Ghost writers in the sky

As the Mods loped on by him he heard one call his name
If you want to save your soul from a-reading on our board in pain
Then Moderator change your ways today or with us you will be dead
Trying to catch Yardsale's trolls, across these endless threads

Yippie yi Ohhhhh
Yippie yi yaaaaay
Ghost Writers in the sky
Ghost Writers in the sky
Ghost Writers in the sky

(apologies to Jonnie..)

lord of the rings FTW!

But no, really, I am vaguely shocked that more people don't so this. At some of the old forums I went to this was a constant issue.

I wonder what Eric's next name will be?

I think this may be the first Karma-ratings related casualty. It was obvious that Eric was trying (too hard) to get rid of his negative Karma by posting manically. Way too many NSR threads, just trying to be artifically chatty and friendly. It backfired on him, gained him some more negative Karma, thus I suppose Sarah123 was born.

He killed himself, jess or forum had nothing to do with it.

I'm pretty shocked that anyone would do such a thing. I mean, how sad is that ... really? In one thread, (in which I got pummeled with negative karma for merely saying "Really? I mean really?" ... good old Sarah123 called himself "a character" and was lavished with "positive" karma: Yeesh!

The purposes for which karma ratings are used/abused is sad. I wish people would use the system as it was intended and stop the subterfuge.

Signing up under another nic is a sad commentary on that person's strength of character and willingness to respect the rest of us who populate the forum. I feel like a real jerk for welcoming Sarah123 to the forum and asking for pictures of "his" scoot ... to which "he" replied that "he" had no camera! If ever there was a lie on this forum ... that was a whopper! He lied because he doesn't have a pretty red GTS and we were all being taken for fools!

Not very nice at all.

I'm not defending what Yardsale did, of course he earned the ban all by himself. But it was obvious what motivated him. That's all I'm saying.

I'm dumbfounded. Simply dumbfounded.

Its really simple people Just be civil and don't post stupid stuff and you won't get negitive feedback. a forum is like life if you won't say it to a persons face don't do it in a forum.

As far as welcoming new people don't stop. if you let evil win we lose.

I think the whole thing is rather sad and pathetic. Jess, I liked the way that you did not name any names with your post. Yardsale was here for a long time and it was nice of you to close the door softly.

Only a messed up mind would do this.

Paul

YardSale as a user name was born out of resident bullies. Eric embraced the name. Regardless of his sins, he was often bullied. The primary bullies are in another MV forum with 6-10 other bullies unable to play here anymore.

Yardale is born,

What is happening? [very forum related] (Post 251472)

Almost immediate controversy,

YardSale (Post 317468)

Please make MV a Bully Free Zone.

So, I'm living in a multi-user household. Not only are we a multi-user household, but we're a multi-scooter multi-user household. Would we be running the risk of becoming a multi-banned household if my other half starts getting active on the forums?

Wasp, I don't see that happing losts of fourms have that same issue. if one of your niks get banned just email Jess and explane it.

+1

I think it was pretty obvious in this case what was going on. You and your spouse posting on 2 different accounts from the same computer is not what was going on...and doesn't concern us.

Besides, it was the userbase here who alerted the moderators as to what Yardsale was up to. YOU guys tipped us off because you recognized the way he was typing, etc. I don't know that we would have noticed it so readily.

-Eric

No, not likely. Two people logging in from the same IP address doesn't raise any red flags. It's only ever an issue when someone notices a similarity between two users, at which point I have to do some digging to see if there's evidence of subterfuge. If there was even a remote possibility of there being a multi-user household, we would talk to the people involved before taking any action.

From yesterday: Sorry, not buying it at all!

Yardsale certainly knew the answer to this question by yesterday,
since y'all set him straight just recently
This post was designed by someone else to be really annoying

So, IMO, someone ELSE here has waaaaay too much time on their hands
Yardsale certainly was often annoying, but really!!!

You can believe whatever you like. I am 100% confident that Sarah123 is entirely a fiction of YS's making, and there is substantial evidence to that effect.

I'm sure Jess did his homework and probably was tipped off as it was so obvious anyway.

The whole thing is just really sad, reviewing some of the cross replies from A to B and B to A the guy needs assistance and he is a Vespa owner.

I hope he finds his peace with all of this and continues to ride even though thru a computer he was a real annoying fella.

SDG

And your logic is badly flawed. You assert that because YardSale already knew the answer to this question, he would not have asked it. Yet in the same breath, you assert that someone else, who presumably also knew the answer to the question, pretended not to know the answer... under an assumed name... to make YardSale look bad.

That's preposterous on the face of it.

Right

Please do ban me
It looks like there is some nasty stuff going on here
that I don't want to be a part of

Please elaborate, L. Tell us what kind of "nasty stuff" you think is going on here.

L is not allowed to leave!