Long before Facebook became the place for community news, gossip, and disagreements, I owned and operated a message board for our little corner of southern Indiana. But I had help! Three level-headed friends that also had their hands full as enforcers.
We had a surprisingly large following for such a small community.
Unlike Topix (remember that mess?), we had rules. Members could criticize public officials, debate local issues, and disagree all they wanted. Personal attacks, name-calling, and making fun of someone’s appearance? Nope.
Our yard, our rules.
Most members used screen names, but as administrators, we could see who was behind them. One respected teacher created a fake identity to criticize the school board and superintendent, then logged in under another identity known to the community to defend them when others joined the complaints. He/she was literally arguing with him/herself!
My 3 fellow moderators and I couldn’t believe it at first — then found it quite amusing. We knew plenty of secrets, but we kept them.
Eventually, Facebook came along.
Although our message board still had a decent following, we’d grown tired of managing it. I donated the domain name to the town of Crothersville and continued providing hosting for several years. It’s all nothing more than a memory now.
Watching today’s political campaigns, I sometimes wonder when personal insults became an acceptable substitute for discussing issues. Both parties are guilty, and I’m tired of it.
If three volunteers plus me could keep a small-town message board civil while allowing spirited debate, shouldn’t we expect at least that much from people asking for our votes?
Now you know: The term sockpuppet describes a fake online identity used to deceive others, often to manufacture support for an argument. The practice existed long before modern social media.
And trust me, we had a few sockpuppets of our own. 😉
