Lessons from Macca has brought up a big question, as to whether that type of commenting is just using an alias, or engaging in sock puppetry. Sock puppetry is a distinct act, and we should be careful not to accuse it when what we’re really seeing is use of an alias. Sock puppetry requires misrepresenting yourself as another distinct person. Was the poster misrepresenting themselves as another person? Or merely trying to hide identity? To me that’s the key distinction. Sebastian, for instance, is an alias. I use it to hide my true identity, but anything I tell you about myself, or any of my opinions, are the real deal. I’m not trying to represent myself as a different person than I am.
Is Macca and alias, or a sock puppet? Discuss in the comments.
Sockpuppet. S/He misrepresents who they are in order to shore up their point. As long as you are using your alias to protect your identity but don’t attempt to modify how others see your point it remains an alias, as soon as you take advantage of it then you are using it as a sockpuppet.
I disagree. Sock puppet is a term that indicates a single user operating under multiple names to give the illusion of support from the outside. Macca is simply dishonest about his / her position in the Brady Bunch. But, unless Macca is also Kelli~, then the term sock puppet does not apply.
I joke around when I call Kelli~ a sock puppet because she is so ineffective as a commenter that she might as well be Paul Helmke in drag.
I seem to remember Macca admitting that she was involved with the brady campaign. I dont think she is a sock puppet.
Yeah, I’ve got to agree with “alias” as well. Since I tend to roll on “non-gunny” portions of the internet, I’ve come to accept that sock-puppetry generally involves one person using multiple screen names on one site/forum/discussion.
A classic example would be if I was posting comments on Sebastain’s blog under two screen names, using the 2nd screen name to support and agree with the points made by the first screen name.
Eh, pretty close to sock puppetry in my book. Being on the Brady Campaign’s board is NOT working in law enforcement.
There’s been numerous other posters that have had similar posting styles to “macca”. There was also Repeal2nd that turned up the day after macca claimed to leave the blog. Macca also kept using anecdotes to support his/her position that had no evidence to support them.
I say a little of both.
And as I recall, it was Macca on the BC blog that tried to discredit John Lott’s research finding based solely on his unethical use of the alias “Mary Rosh.” Funny, at the same time Macca was doing this, she was actually a BC board member misrepresenting herself as a normal non-BC affiliated pro-gun-control poster.
I’m not even sure Macca is a real person, in any guise. He/she is just too ephemeral and shifting and adjusting to what was said last. Could she be a committee?
I hope so, I would hate to think any one person could be that dim. This almost certainly is the work of a committee, don’t you think?
I remember macca saying one time that he/she was involved in the BC as a volunteer. Also, Kelli mentioned something about them both being strong women, for whatever that is worth. Kelli also talked about them meeting.
Michael