There are only about five active posters running thousands of sockpuppet accounts

August 11, 2003 12:34 AM

I hate to derail the potental hilarity from within the 'quonsar - who he?' thread, but I have a teeny bug: I was searching for stavros (to make sure he really was in Korea and I wasn't making a huge mistake asking him to comment on something of which he knew nothing), and got two results for 'stavrosthewonderchicken'. One was him. The other was actually vacopinta.

Here's the url of the search.

And just to get back to quonsar-filter, there are five of him - one of which is jonson, one of which is madamjujujive, and none of which really are quonsar.
posted by humuhumu to Bugs at 12:34 AM (49 comments total)

Unless, of course, I've stumbled onto Metafilter's guilty secret - there are only about five active posters who repeatedly sign in and out with different identities to give the impression of this being a popular and playful community...

In reality, I'm really number six.
posted by humuhumu at 12:37 AM on August 11, 2003

This has been posted a few times before, the search is actually searching the contents of the userpage. You'll find that all of the fake quonsars have the word 'quonsar' on their user page.

Perhaps some clarification on the search page is in order, considering the number of times this comes up.
posted by fvw at 12:55 AM on August 11, 2003

There are more than 70 of me, which explains why I post infrequently. Most of what I might say gets tied up in committee.
posted by Nothing at 1:00 AM on August 11, 2003

Ok I 'fess up. You have caught this drunk chicken single-handed!

*awaits mefi mob justice*
posted by vacapinta at 1:05 AM on August 11, 2003

quonsar is a no talent assclown
posted by eddydamascene at 1:07 AM on August 11, 2003

Perhaps some clarification on the search page is in order, considering the number of times this comes up.

Do you honestly think that would make one whit of difference?
posted by timeistight at 1:14 AM on August 11, 2003

Do you honestly think that would make one whit of difference?

Yes, if it's mentioned more prominently on the search page I'll feel a lot less guilty when I flame the next person to ask this...
posted by fvw at 1:19 AM on August 11, 2003

Ahh, I see.
posted by timeistight at 1:20 AM on August 11, 2003

This has been posted a few times before, the search is actually searching the contents of the userpage. You'll find that all of the fake quonsars have the word 'quonsar' on their user page.
This might be true for quonsar, but not for me.
Search for ginz, profile Phaedrus.
posted by ginz at 1:24 AM on August 11, 2003

fvw: I searched MT threads for 'search users' and 'searching users' and 'duplicate users' and the like, but nothing appeared. So I posted it. As it was a bug and all. Sorry to annoy.
posted by humuhumu at 1:26 AM on August 11, 2003

The string "ginz" (which may be part of a longer word) occurs in a hidden field (maybe email?).
posted by timeistight at 1:27 AM on August 11, 2003

It's not a bug. It's working as designed.
posted by timeistight at 1:28 AM on August 11, 2003

Metafilter: It's not a bug. It's working as designed.
posted by ginz at 1:33 AM on August 11, 2003

vacapinta's me? Then who the hell is vacapinta? quonsar? And where does quarsan fit into all of this?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:32 AM on August 11, 2003

And don't forget to specify "since day one" on user searches. In spite of that, there are two results on a search for wendell, and neither of them is me.

If I weren't already feeling totally hopeless, that would be rather depressing.
posted by wendell at 3:45 AM on August 11, 2003

I don't understand the logic in having the user search work this way. When one searches for a user, generally one would be...searching...for...a...user, not mere mentions of him/her by others, no? Is it just a case of requiring additional coding to do it properly?
posted by rushmc at 6:43 AM on August 11, 2003

rushmc - but then there'd be no NEED to "search", as you can find any user by typing in:

http://www.metafilter.com/username.mefi/username

This way you can find out who's saying things about you on their page. Turns out, FYI, it's me. I'm saying things.
posted by jonson at 7:51 AM on August 11, 2003

Since eyeballkid's not here to say it:
I hate you all.
posted by me3dia at 8:23 AM on August 11, 2003

wendell - it's not just you; nobody with a low user number shows up on user searches. I've mentioned this before, but nobody had anything to say about it. Not even "huh?", or "weird!". Hmph.
posted by taz at 9:29 AM on August 11, 2003

it's not just you; nobody with a low user number shows up on user searches.

Huh? Weird!
posted by Shane at 9:33 AM on August 11, 2003

Huh? Weird!

No, that's me.
posted by thatweirdguy2 at 9:35 AM on August 11, 2003

Is it just a case of requiring additional coding to do it properly?

Pretty much. What is there is a total hack, written in a couple hours. I should/could refine it someday.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:39 AM on August 11, 2003

Thank you, Shane! I do feel better now.
posted by taz at 10:06 AM on August 11, 2003

Why would you search for a user instead of going directly to their page?
posted by timeistight at 10:52 AM on August 11, 2003

Pretty much. What is there is a total hack, written in a couple hours. I should/could refine it someday.

What would we talk about? I say you randomly sabotage various aspects of the site instead.
posted by The God Complex at 12:49 PM on August 11, 2003

timeistight, if you aren't in a thread in which the user has commented, but you want to find his/her user page, you would have to go to "search" and search for a thread containing that user's name, go to the thread, then click on the name to go to their user page. As opposed to just going to "search" and searching "users" to find their page.
posted by taz at 1:52 PM on August 11, 2003

No, you wouldn't. You would go to (in this case) http://www.metafilter.com/username.mefi/stavrosthewonderchicken.
posted by timeistight at 2:11 PM on August 11, 2003

but then there'd be no NEED to "search", as you can find any user by typing in:

http://www.metafilter.com/username.mefi/username

Yeah, THAT'S intuitive for new users (and old). Of course, if it's that simple, why not just replace the (user) search function with a field for people to enter names into, and then have the code substitue the username and load the page?

What is there is a total hack, written in a couple hours. I should/could refine it someday.

Okay, makes sense. I just couldn't figure out if it had been designed that way intentionally for some purpose that I was missing.
posted by rushmc at 2:22 PM on August 11, 2003

yeah, I know about that timeistight. I'm just answering why anybody would ever need to search for a user, and not everybody knows about the string you mention.

I have it bookmarked (because I can never remember it), but when I want to use it, it always takes me a while to dig it out. User search seems such a nice idea, if you want to search for a user.
posted by taz at 2:41 PM on August 11, 2003

I think an alphabetical list would be less strain on the database. I'll admit that the user page text search is more entertaining than useful.
posted by timeistight at 2:50 PM on August 11, 2003

Thank you. I have often wondered on these things, but never dared ask (or deign to query anyone else's coding)(speaking as someone who only vaguely knows what 'coding' is)
posted by dash_slot- at 4:10 PM on August 11, 2003

but then there'd be no NEED to "search", as you can find any user by typing
THX1138 43@#% username mathowiequonsarblort *&^&&
and then hitting SHIFT ENTER! It's so simple even a moron could do it with eyes closed and a rutabaga up each nostril.

I get really tired of the smug geek assumptions that anybody who doesn't automatically know the secret URL doesn't deserve to find anything. I agree with taz:
"User search seems such a nice idea, if you want to search for a user."
posted by languagehat at 5:53 PM on August 11, 2003

THX1138 43@#% username mathowiequonsarblort *&^&&
THX1138 43@#% username mathowiequonsarblort *&^&&
THX1138 43@#% username mathowiequonsarblort *&^&&
goddammit's not working!
THX1138 43@#% username mathowiequonsarblort *&^&&
posted by quonsar at 6:29 PM on August 11, 2003

It must be your browser, quonsar. Works fine for me.
posted by joaquim at 6:39 PM on August 11, 2003

Yeah, it works fine on Mozilla.
posted by dg at 6:41 PM on August 11, 2003

I'm sorry if I seemed smug, languagehat. I just don't agree that Matt should reprogram the search function because some people don't want to memorize "username.mefi".
posted by timeistight at 6:58 PM on August 11, 2003

note to self: cancel plans to hire timeistight to oversee the usability of my website
posted by GeekAnimator at 8:06 PM on August 11, 2003

Okay. I'm clearly wrong. Matt Haughey: drop the canadian postal code lookup project get to work on a new and improved user search. And where are those ponies?
posted by timeistight at 8:33 PM on August 11, 2003

Matt, forget the ponies, and just give us Mister Ed. Then HE can explain how to do the lookups himself...
posted by wendell at 9:13 PM on August 11, 2003

Wait, wait! For my pony, I'd like the zipcode lookup project to include all US zip codes first, dagnabit! Please! Thank you! (Looks up zipcode on user page to see if anyone is near, no one appears, *cries*.)
posted by Lynsey at 1:16 AM on August 12, 2003

Bugger the US zip codes, how about a GPS-widget for the rest of the world?
posted by adrianhon at 8:45 AM on August 12, 2003

Seconded. Got my GEOURL metatag thingo at my site, why not here?

Pony! Pony! Pony!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 8:49 AM on August 12, 2003

More, more, more! We want the world and we want it now! Quit your day job, give up your social life and dedicate yourself to our every passing whim.
posted by timeistight at 8:51 AM on August 12, 2003

also, could you permaban timeistight, matt? thanks!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 8:55 AM on August 12, 2003

You wanna a piece of me, Mr. Chicken?
posted by timeistight at 9:03 AM on August 12, 2003

Well, now that you mention it, that tender fleshy zone on the back of the upper thigh, just below the curve of the buttock, maybe? Couple hundred grams or so?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:19 AM on August 12, 2003

Sorry, I'm rather attached to that bit; it's one of my best features.

I've been considering liposuction. How about I save you a jar of fat?
posted by timeistight at 9:30 AM on August 12, 2003

I think I need to invoke #13.
posted by wendell at 1:29 PM on August 12, 2003

Hmm… the politics of searching. I hadn't realized. Okay, I'm gone.
posted by timeistight at 2:44 PM on August 12, 2003