Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25855974-20160806034121/@comment-452-20160808223544

Floatingaxehead wrote: I am a little confused as to why each IP address isn't by default imited to one account. Because having an alternate account is not against the rules, and there are many legitimate reasons for having an alternate account that do not fall within the definition of sockpuppeting.

Prowler64 wrote: Socking by itself is not against the rules. "Sockpuppetting" is by definition the act of deception. Simply having an alternate account is not sockpuppetting.

"A sockpuppet is an online identity used for purposes of deception."

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sockpuppet_(Internet)

"Multiple accounts are allowed on Wikia, but they should not be used to deceive others."

- Help:Sockpuppet, which correctly uses the term "multiple accounts" when not referring to sockpuppets.

Darkwing Duckness' opening sentence is accurate enough.

Because other people have had trouble understanding this concept in the past, I'm going to break it down to be really simple. I'm not trying to be patronising, but I've seen some really childish justifications for misusing the term in the past, so I want to make this as clear as possible so that absolutely everyone can understand the difference.
 * All sockpuppets are alternate accounts.
 * Some alternate accounts are sockpuppets.
 * But not all alternate accounts are sockpuppets.
 * Alternate accounts are not automatically sockpuppets, until they are used to deceive.
 * It is invalid to refer to all alternate accounts as sockpuppets.
 * They are not interchangeable terms.


 * All murderers are people.
 * Some people are murderers.
 * But not all people are murderers.
 * People are not automatically murderers, until they kill someone.
 * It is invalid to refer to all people as murderers.
 * They are not interchangeable terms.

See User_blog:The_Ultimate_Thinker/How_to_catch_a_Sock_Puppet? for a comprehensive list of what is and is not sockpuppetting.

In the comments of that blog post, I outline at least 10 of my alternate accounts.

I hope this comment educates and informs.