Wikibooks:Sockpuppets

This page is a hard rule on the Simple English Wikibooks. Many people agree with it. They see it as a standard that all users should follow. When changing the page, please check that the other people agree with your changes. Use the talk page when you are not sure or when you want to propose a change.

Sockpuppets are many user accounts created by a single person for different reasons. The main account of the user is called the puppet master. There are a few good uses for sockpuppet accounts, and some Wikibookians have sockpuppet accounts for good reasons.

Good Sockpuppets

Some good uses of sockpuppetry include:

• Creating a second account to act as a "bot" account.
• Creating account names that look similar, to prevent dopplegangers.
• Creating a second account to "escape" from hassles, stress, and harassment.

Bad Sockpuppets

There are some ways of sockpuppets that are not allowed. This is a partial list:

• Creating another account to go around a user block.
• Creating multiple puppet accounts to cast additional votes in discussions.
• Using multiple accounts to be uncivil, disrupt processes, or abusive in any way.

Single Person Accounts

A single person account is an account that is only used for one person. For example a user might create an account to only vote at request for adminship or at Simple talk. Use the template {{spa|username}}. Remember that users have to start somewhere and that the account might not be a single purpose account.

Violations

Sockpuppets that are created or used in bad faith can be blocked forever, and the owner of those accounts can be seen as violating Wikibooks:Assume good faith, which may come with some penalties.