Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-9300845-20150627101555

In light of recent events, I have noticed the inconsistency in which we discipline users who have sockpuppeted, especially regular users who are perceived as friends, for a lack of better term.

Two regular users here have had histories of sockpuppeting, and both have been disciplined quite differently. One user had admitted to their wrongdoing -- twice -- and has negotiated on serving their 6-month block. The other user was originally banned infinitely, but was unbanned due to popular demand (and in direct contradiction to our current rules.) The reason both users got off with a temporary or no ban at all was probably that they were popular with the community (I even admit that I didn't want one of them to be punished, even though I pushed for a ban on the other. Call me a hypocrite all you want.)

Our current rules on sockpuppeting state the following:


 * Do not impersonate other users by using multiple accounts.
 * This is known as sock puppetry, and is a serious offense.
 * Users that are caught doing this will have all of their accounts blocked indefinitely.
 * However, multiple accounts are allowed as long as they are not used for deceit, and should clearly state which user originally owns them.

The issue is that we have bent and/or broken the rules in favor of some users, while countless others got no such leniency. Now, is it really fair that some users get off easy on the virtue of being popular and/or good friends with them? I say no, because I believe that friendship shouldn't be placed above rules.

I propose that we amend the sockpuppeting rule so that it would be more consistent on how users are disciplined. Instead of blocking all of an offending user's accounts, I suggest that their original account only gets a temporary ban, while their sockpuppet account(s) get infinite.

Here are some suggestions offered by some users in chat:


 * 1st offense: 3 months
 * 2nd offense: 6 months
 * 3rd offense: 9-12 months or possibly infinite

That's all I have to say. Please offer your opinions and suggestions.

'---This is not a place to complain about, challenge or appeal certain users' blocks. Please keep such subjects off this thread.---' 