login farm animal

September 2, 2010 9:00 AM

When I log out of my regular account and log back in as a sock, I have to re-find the post in order to comment on it.

Typically, I do this by going back a few pages, but then I have to remember to reload the page I want to comment on, or it won't work. Would it be simple to make the page after logging in go back to the page it was on before?

This is my first pony request and I'm not metatalk or tech-savvy, so be gentle.

posted by lover to Feature Requests at 9:00 AM (36 comments total)

Do you mean you want Metafilter to go back to the page your other account was on after you log in a new account? Cause yeah, no.
posted by Justinian at 9:02 AM on September 2, 2010

I think this should be true on this and all websites.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:02 AM on September 2, 2010

Generally speaking this makes sense because in most cases logging out and in again will be done by two different users. While we tolerate sock puppets for occasional comments/questions that require anonymity, maintaining two active accounts on the site isn't something we're really wanting to condone or assist. I think the easiest way to accomplish what you're doing is to open the login link in a new window, login and then reload the thread and you'll be logged in as the proper user.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:04 AM on September 2, 2010

Also: If you are using a sock puppet account often enough where this is an issue, you are probably misusing metafilter.
posted by Justinian at 9:04 AM on September 2, 2010 [14 favorites]

When you login, we record where you were before you logged in, and redirects there, not where you were 2-3 pages before.

It sounds like the logout page (which pitches you to the front) is your last location when you hit the login page again, so you get redirected there. If you wanted this to work right, you'd have to do this:

1. You're on ask.metafilter/123/foo and want to answer a question as your sock puppet.
2. Hit logout.
3. Hit back button a few times to reload ask.metafilter.com/123/foo
4. Hit the login link
5. You should redirect to ask.metafilter.com/123/foo
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:04 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

Puppetry does not come in a convenience package.
posted by keli at 9:05 AM on September 2, 2010 [2 favorites]

When you login, we record where you were before you logged in, and redirects there

If you implement this for logout as well, then you could skip this step and it would work the way the poster wants:

3. Hit back button a few times to reload ask.metafilter.com/123/foo
posted by smackfu at 9:23 AM on September 2, 2010 [2 favorites]

or do this:

1. copy the URL from the address bar
2. logout
3. login with puppet
4. paste in the URL to the address bar, enter
posted by jrishel at 9:24 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

Or:

1. Don't use a sockpuppet.
posted by eyeballkid at 9:31 AM on September 2, 2010 [3 favorites]

I try to be good about using the sock appropriately. Thanks for the help.
posted by lover at 10:06 AM on September 2, 2010

Just stay logged in in different browsers. It's what I do for my accounts. Well, three of them.
posted by Eideteker at 10:11 AM on September 2, 2010

I try to be good about using the sock appropriately.

What's the fun in that?
posted by Think_Long at 10:19 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

Just stay logged in in different browsers. It's what I do for my accounts. Well, three of them.

It's a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

*nods sagely*
posted by Glenn Beck at 10:20 AM on September 2, 2010 [3 favorites]

It's a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

*nods sagely*

Goddammit, you're my sockpuppet. Get back in your cage. Get.

No loyalty, honestly.
posted by djgh at 10:20 AM on September 2, 2010 [2 favorites]

This isn't over redirecting properly!
posted by Passillododorconquail Buttonquivorybidododorbacon at 10:35 AM on September 2, 2010

While we tolerate sock puppets for occasional comments/questions that require anonymity, maintaining two active accounts on the site isn't something we're really wanting to condone or assist.

I think this is an excellent policy.
posted by Astro Zombie 2 at 10:37 AM on September 2, 2010

I wish I had a secret identity. I should see if "Mister_B" is taken...
posted by Mister_A at 10:40 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

I think this is an excellent policy.

But what does Astro Zombie 3 think? He's the braaaaaains of the outfit, after all.
posted by djgh at 10:41 AM on September 2, 2010

"keeping to page" between logins would be problematic for users who share a computer, like husbands and wives (e.g. Alice posts a question "Gift for my husband; Bob don't look!", and logs out. Bob logs in and gets to where he shouldn't, automatically).
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 11:24 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

You kids and your internet sock puppets these days have it made! Back in my day when I was having a conversation and wanted to inject a comment as a different person I had to excuse myself, change clothes, put on a fake mustache and wig, and return to the conversation and speak in a moderately believable fake accent. Then excuse myself again and change back to my other clothes, remember to take off the mustache and wig, and return as myself and mention something like "I just passed a guy in the weird mustache" to avoid suspicion.

Now you're complaining about just having to re-find the point in the post you want to comment in?!?
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 11:33 AM on September 2, 2010 [13 favorites]

A noob has already gotten in enough trouble to require an alternate identity to hide in? Impressive!
posted by Cranberry at 12:49 PM on September 2, 2010

Um, guys, I'm pretty sure lover is the sock puppet.
posted by sveskemus at 12:53 PM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

Not since I was 14!
posted by cjorgensen at 1:04 PM on September 2, 2010 [4 favorites]

Is lover your sock puppet account because you don't have any sort of personal information at all on it. Is this a sock puppet post? If not, I guess I don't understand why you would need a sock puppet account if you don't have any sort of personal information on here in the first place.
posted by TheBones at 1:35 PM on September 2, 2010

I do not like this one bit.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:34 PM on September 2, 2010

While we tolerate sock puppets for occasional comments/questions that require anonymity, maintaining two active accounts on the site isn't something we're really wanting to condone or assist.

but what if we have one only for when we're drunk?
posted by lester's sock puppet at 3:00 PM on September 2, 2010 [2 favorites]

We demand our rights!
posted by Sockpuppet Liberation Front at 4:07 PM on September 2, 2010 [2 favorites]

but what if we have one only for when we're drunk?

So, my "Justinian" account then.
posted by Justinian at 4:24 PM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

I try to be good about using the sock appropriately. Thanks for the help.

I just want to make sure I've been crystal clear for you and everyone else. We allow sock puppets for people to use sparingly when they want to add information to the site that they don't want to have connected to their username.

- If it looks like you've basically got two complete identities on this site, that is a problem.
- If you ever use both accounts to comment in the same thread without it being clear you're making a joke, that is a problem.
- If you use multiple accounts and segment them in terms of which parts of the site you use them in [this one is for Music, that one is for MeFi] that is a problem.
- A sock puppet account should be pretty clearly a "once in a while" thing that does not have its own identity on the site as if it were another independent person.
- Anyone using a sock puppet to get around the posting limits may find one or both [or all] of their accounts shut down, so please make sure you're not abusing the privilege.
- Anyone making mod-falsifiable sock puppet claims [i.e. by saying they don't have another account, by saying they didn't have a previous account, by saying an account is not a sock puppet, by commenting in a thread with multiple accounts except as a rare and/or obvious joke] puts us in an awkward position and needs to not do that.

In short, we allow people to have sock puppets as long as they don't become used for deceptive purposes. This isn't directed specifically at you, lover, just that asking a MeTa question with a sock puppet is already sort of odd so I thought it might be good to go over the sock puppet ground rules again
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:03 PM on September 2, 2010 [4 favorites]

I like that a lot better.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:54 PM on September 2, 2010

One time, a few years back, there was this kid that got into a fight on the WoW forums, then came back as his level 1 alt to continue the fight, but forgot that his signature would remain the same unless he changed it. There was much rejoicing at the troll roast that day, let me tell you! This troll was a gnome, of course.
posted by Mister_A at 7:21 PM on September 2, 2010

I would just like to clarify that lester's sock puppet is, in fact, my sock puppet and pretty much the same personality as me except for the occasional urge to drink gin and type in all caps.
posted by lester at 7:45 PM on September 2, 2010

Hey lester, this seems as good a place as any to finally say: I don't know anything else about you, but about four years back I bookmarked your brokeback mountain audition (you posted it in a comment, maybe?) and I watch it once a year when I need to laugh so hard snot comes out of my face.

(Though... it's a been a long time and it's possible I have you confused with somebody else.)
posted by hot soup girl at 8:57 AM on September 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Posted with this account because I didn't want the existence of a sock associated with my regular account. Google translate tells me that "Skarpetka" (my 'name') means "Sock."

Since we're talking about sock puppet ground rules, are there any on favoriting?
posted by lover at 3:10 PM on September 4, 2010

You're not getting the whole "socks are frowned upon thing," I think.
posted by Mid at 3:50 PM on September 4, 2010

I suppose "socks are frowned upon" thing would be better.
posted by Mid at 3:50 PM on September 4, 2010