Identifying an alt

[Rhonda Huntress]

Me and my alts.

Like Seicher, I also have a kitty alt that did not make it in this picture.  I should do another group photo with the cat included some time.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

10 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

I wish people would stop the whole alt hunt thing. They never will. But back in the day because of a bat sh*t crazy person an alt hunt targeted many people in error and caused at least two people that I know of to leave SL.

This.

It's kind of inevitable that, as we interact with people here, we will generate our own personal "suspicions" about people we know and their supposed alts. Mostly, I think, that's pretty innocent.

But when it becomes, as you call it, a "hunt," it tips over into toxicity. Not only is it literally impossible (however strong our suspicions) to verify an alt with certainty, it also verges on a violation of the TOS and CS, especially when we make our suspicions public.

I get that some may find themselves in situations where identifying an alt seems imperative, or a matter of "safety," as in a case of stalking, and anyone is of course free to act upon their suspicions, however tentative these may be, by avoiding or muting or banning someone they suspect of using an alt for nefarious purposes. But they should do so in the knowledge that they may very well be wrong. Acting upon one's suspicions in a way that really adversely affects those who are targeted, as for instance spreading rumours that lead others to ban, mute, or attack said person, is just dumb, and pretty damned toxic in its own right.

[Seicher Rae]

Oooooh. I had forgotten I had a more recent alt picture. Funny thing, I created my first alt so she could be a mermaid. I just could NOT role play with Seicher. Seicher is her own deal. (Still kinda is but I have mellowed on that a bit... for a while I couldn't even change her skin or hair! Boy, have I gotten over that.) So my first alt was created to be mer and a pole dancer (not at the same time). That's all she was allowed to do.  I mention all of this because, in the photo below, Seicher is the mermaid and the alt is the hooman.   I can't remember if that is Ellyn or Calico.  Not sure what it is called when you're making out with yourself as two people. And no, the blue pentagon over the bits is not part of the mer skin. Can't have those pesky parts showing, now can we?  2018 screenshot

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by Seicher Rae

[Ajay McDowwll]

48 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

Oooooh. I had forgotten I had a more recent alt picture. Funny thing, I created my first alt so she could be a mermaid. I just could NOT role play with Seicher. Seicher is her own deal. (Still kinda is but I have mellowed on that a bit... for a while I couldn't even change her skin or hair! Boy, have I gotten over that.) So my first alt was created to be mer and a pole dancer (not at the same time). That's all she was allowed to do.  I mention all of this because, in the photo below, Seicher is the mermaid and the alt is the hooman.   I can't remember if that is Ellyn or Calico.  Not sure what it is called when you're making out with yourself as two people. And no, the blue pentagon over the bits is not part of the mer skin. Can't have those pesky parts showing, now can we?  2018 screenshot

 

I used to be really hardcore like that with Ajay (my main, the one I post under), but of late I've been a horse, a micro-dragon, a wyvern, a baby diplodocus, and I may or may not have recently terrorized my home marina as a tylosaur...

[Solar Legion]

To answer the OP question: You don't. Linden Lab does.

On the latter parts: No matter what criteria you use to 'detect' an Alt, you're guessing - quite plain and simple.

@JUSTUS Palianta: This is a General Discussion subforum, contained within the People category of the main forum directory. There is an Answers section for purely Q&A type entries. Anyone is free to respond and - within ToS/CS - free to respond in any manner they wish. No one here can speak for anyone else - meaning you have no idea whatsoever as to why most may choose to simply read instead of directly participating.

[Janet Voxel]

[AdminGirl]

I hear a lot of alt shaming, but I actually find those who try and sniff out alts to be shady and creepy.

I was at a store one time when I got an IM from a random dude asking me if I've seen a certain avi at that store. He went on about how he suspects she's been playing on an alt account so he's hitting up women stores to do his "homework". Mind you, he was a one month old avi so clearly he's created an alt to hunt her down. I told him I don't help stalkers and he was all like "no no, we're old friends, I'm just trying to get in touch". Whatever. If you're trying to find someone when they don't want to be found, that's not just invasive, it's stalkerish and creepy.

[Lindal Kidd]

2 hours ago, Seicher Rae said:

... Not sure what it is called when you're making out with yourself as two people...

It could be

• Narcissism
• Incest
• Incest squared

[Garnet Psaltery]

3 hours ago, Seicher Rae said:

Not sure what it is called when you're making out with yourself as two people.

Pixelonanism?

[Maitimo]

13 hours ago, Selene Gregoire said:

My brain will never be the same.

...sets Scylla on fire

Gotcha! You're Maddy's alt!

[Selene Gregoire]

56 minutes ago, Matty Luminos said:

Gotcha! You're Maddy's alt!

Run Matty Maddy! Run!

[Ajay McDowwll]

Since we're talking alts and I mentioned my poor Piper, who was languishing in system misery, I decided to upgrade her today.  Her we all are:  AjayMcDowwll Alter, Ajay McDowwll (me), and Piper Kitalpha.

Fear our squirrely wrath.

[Katz Republic]

5 hours ago, AdminGirl said:

I hear a lot of alt shaming, but I actually find those who try and sniff out alts to be shady and creepy.

My post has nothing to do with alt shaming. I don't care how many she has. I think the point is how you use them and why you have them. I myself was made as an alt. My original account had 2 alts. I'm one of them. Being a full perm content creator I would never use an alt to go to another fp creators store to join their group and buy tons of merchandise. I mean, what is she going to do with all of it? And why would she do that I think is the main question. And instead of sneaking around about it, why didn't she use her actual account to do it? People have told me that she went on some kind of rant on her Facebook page about some competitor trying to set it up to make it look like she was a copybotter.  When someone's mind works like that it's hard to tell what they're thinking. I guess the main question remains is why didn't she use her own account to make all these purchases with. Were her intentions less than honorable? If she wanted to rip apart and dissect something I did to see how I did it, she could have asked me. It would have saved her a ton of money and saved me a lot of anxiety. There's something just not right about this whole situation.

[Tari Landar]

My display name in sl is Tari Bravin, has been since we got display names. I was recently accosted by, erm...a person I presume...about both having and being an alt. Why? because there is an av named Tari Bravin.  That's happened numerous times, but hasn't happened in some years, until recently. I've had people from the forums do it too, lol.

(ETA) A creator here has done it numerous times, because I've bought a lot of their things, and apparently me giving them money is a bad thing, and I'm surely up to no good when I do it.

Apparently someone contacted her (clarified: my Tari alt) about something regarding their partner(sl, or rl, I don't know), and when she didn't respond, said person took a short walk off a high cliff into looneyville over it.  

That av is also me, she's my only alt and was made for creating, testing and to fix ghosting (see: one of my previous posts in this thread, lol) issues LL was (at the time) having difficulties eliminating. She is now, has always been, and will remain, a system av with a severely limited inventory and an AOL email address for any offlines. In fact, she's only ever been present on three regions, ever, in her entire existence. I don't even remember her rez date, but I'm pretty sure it's late 2008-ish.  

I've been called all kinds of people over the years, most of which I am not even remotely familiar with, so would have no inkling why someone would want to hunt them down. But I suspect it's that whole paranoia of the grey matter infection that can wreak havoc on the human psyche. I can't help but laugh when it comes up, then laugh harder when the topic of alts gets revisited here.

Some of y'all are really, really, super, super bad at hunting down alts, especially people that think they're good at it. I'm just saying.....

 

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by Tari Landar
clarification is important

[MoiraKathleen]

1 hour ago, Katz Republic said:

There's something just not right about this whole situation

There's also something not right about you quoting someone, removing their content and inserting your own content into their quote, especially when the content you inserted is basically accusing another creator by name of using their "alt" to do something.    At least that is how it looked to me.

[Maryanne Solo]

Before pixels evolved to walking............. they've been hunting alts.
Before cartoons were dunked & burnt.... they've been hunting alts.
Before 5" floppies & Pong........................ they've been hunting alts.

Once, twice, thrice - begets - nothing. No more, no less. 🌞

👉Movie stars. As was precisely intended 😂

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by Maryanne Solo

[Katz Republic]

30 minutes ago, moirakathleen said:

There's also something not right about you quoting someone, removing their content and inserting your own content into their quote, especially when the content you inserted is basically accusing another creator by name of using their "alt" to do something.    At least that is how it looked to me

Removing their content was done accidentally. I don't usually troll or post on these forums much, so yes, it was a mistake. And yes I used her name, as I'm sure she would have used mine if I had done this to her. What she did was questionable, to say the least. I occasionally buy other FP creators things for my own personal use. Usually when I'm in a rush or it's something I don't usually make and I like what they've done. Or if I want to customize it. But not 11 pages worth of transactions! I suppose I shouldn't complain too much, she did help pay a bill for me.

[Tari Landar]

32 minutes ago, Katz Republic said:

Removing their content was done accidentally. I don't usually troll or post on these forums much, so yes, it was a mistake. And yes I used her name, as I'm sure she would have used mine if I had done this to her. What she did was questionable, to say the least. I occasionally buy other FP creators things for my own personal use. Usually when I'm in a rush or it's something I don't usually make and I like what they've done. Or if I want to customize it. But not 11 pages worth of transactions! I suppose I shouldn't complain too much, she did help pay a bill for me.

So your complaint here...let me get this right....adjusts my screen a bit more.....

Your complaint here is that someone dared to go to your store, use their own money, buy your goods, and give you money for them. ..... and that's questionable?

I know I'm blind and all, but what the actual puck, am I missing some words on the screen? Help a gal out, someone, anyone, Bueller, Bueller.....

Two things first, though

1-Naming and shaming here is never okay, the lindens don't give a rip who you are, how often you come here, or why you're doing it. It's a no-no for us all. That's gonna get your hand slapped, and you already knew that. 

2-As someone who, quite extensively, invests money in the FP creations of others, most especially mesh because...well, yeah me and blender are very much NOT bed buddies..I guess I can thank you for giving me a name to never go to again

(that wouldn't be the other person, btw, in case you were wondering)

Sometimes these alt discussions lend an awful lot of information to the readers. Sometimes it's pure entertainment, and sometimes it's educational. Never before has it left me scratching my head, while simultaneously laughing. I am, however, owed a new screen, and cleanup in aisle four because I have Dr Topper (yes that's not a typo) all over my desk.  You're literally doing to someone else what someone has done to me, and I'm NOT a FP creator, but someone who has been accused of not only being, but having, multiple alts. You sure you don't have alts yourself? I'm pretty sure what you've said here, I've read verbatim somewhere else, lol. 

Wait, maybe you're the alt. Maybe we're all the alts. Oh no, we're all doomed! 

[Dhyaanee]

1 hour ago, Katz Republic said:

What she did was questionable

How did you know the person purchasing your stuff was an alt of hers?

[Prokofy Neva]

On 10/1/2019 at 3:27 PM, usedcars said:

How would or do you identify an Alt??  How many alts are too many??

Get both of the suspected avatars online at the same time, and ask one to talk and the other to drink a glass of water.

[Katz Republic]

3 hours ago, Tari Landar said:

My display name in sl is Tari Bravin, has been since we got display names. I was recently accosted by, erm...a person I presume...about both having and being an alt. Why? because there is an av named Tari Bravin.  That's happened numerous times, but hasn't happened in some years, until recently. I've had people from the forums do it too, lol.

(ETA) A creator here has done it numerous times, because I've bought a lot of their things, and apparently me giving them money is a bad thing, and I'm surely up to no good when I do it.

Apparently someone contacted her (clarified: my Tari alt) about something regarding their partner(sl, or rl, I don't know), and when she didn't respond, said person took a short walk off a high cliff into looneyville over it.  

That av is also me, she's my only alt and was made for creating, testing and to fix ghosting (see: one of my previous posts in this thread, lol) issues LL was (at the time) having difficulties eliminating. She is now, has always been, and will remain, a system av with a severely limited inventory and an AOL email address for any offlines. In fact, she's only ever been present on three regions, ever, in her entire existence. I don't even remember her rez date, but I'm pretty sure it's late 2008-ish.  

I've been called all kinds of people over the years, most of which I am not even remotely familiar with, so would have no inkling why someone would want to hunt them down. But I suspect it's that whole paranoia of the grey matter infection that can wreak havoc on the human psyche. I can't help but laugh when it comes up, then laugh harder when the topic of alts gets revisited here.

Some of y'all are really, really, super, super bad at hunting down alts, especially people that think they're good at it. I'm just saying.....

 

 

OK, I'm not really sure what your post has to do with this situation. But this is an open forum and you're entitled to tell as many stories as you'd like or share your opinion. And yes, what you're missing here is that it is very odd for one fp creator to go buy so much from another fp creator. If you don't get that, then really, there's nothing more I can say to you to make it any clearer. You can "Scold" me for naming names, but she has a whole little gang of buddies in SL that like to throw rocks at people, and I've been one of them. Regarding LL, I have every right to be protective of my work and while there's no way she can download the DAE files, she can take my textures. Or she could just hand them off to another alt and sell them. It's SL, people do crazy things all the time. Which leads me back to my original question, why didn't she just use her account to buy these things?

[Scylla Rhiadra]

21 minutes ago, Katz Republic said:

But this is an open forum and you're entitled to tell as many stories as you'd like or share your opinion.

Yes, Katz. Anyone is entitled to share their stories here. Including you.

What they, and you, are emphatically not permitted to do is to name and shame someone -- that's against forum rules.

Someone above asked how you "knew" that this buyer was a rival of your target; you haven't bothered to answer that. It doesn't matter: you cannot know for certain that this account is an alt of the person you are accusing, and, because that is true, you are making a wild, unsubstantiated, and irresponsible claim about someone -- whom you have named here -- that is defamatory at best.

This is not the place to play out your petty rivalries with another merchant. Your post is actually a model of one particular kind of toxicity associated with "alt hunting" and paranoia.

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by Scylla Rhiadra

[Katz Republic]

30 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Yes, Katz. Anyone is entitled to share their stories here. Including you.

What they, and you, are emphatically not permitted to do is to name and shame someone -- that's against forum rules.

Someone above asked how you "knew" that this buyer was a rival of your target; you haven't bothered to answer that. It doesn't matter: you cannot know for certain that this account is an alt of the person you are accusing, and, because that is true, you are making a wild, unsubstantiated, and irresponsible claim about someone -- whom you have named here -- that is defamatory at best.

This is not the place to play out your petty rivalries with another merchant. Your post is actually a model of one particular kind of toxicity associated with "alt hunting" and paranoia.

 

Well that was a complete accident. I never meant to remove their content, I just don't post on these forums much and made a mistake. 

Edited February 12, 2020 by Katz Republic
Remove remark

[Tari Landar]

1 hour ago, Katz Republic said:

OK, I'm not really sure what your post has to do with this situation.

I didn't say that specific post did, it has to do with the TOPIC of this thread, though. My later post refers specifically to your topic, however.

1 hour ago, Katz Republic said:

And yes, what you're missing here is that it is very odd for one fp creator to go buy so much from another fp creator.

No,it's not, maybe to you it is because you wouldn't do it, but it's not nearly as odd as you think. What's odd, to me, and probably other people (as already pointed out, that probably is a definite) that buy fp or make fl stuff, is that your first thing to do was jump to "OMG it's an alt, doing nefarious things". I've been a fp creator, I buy from fp creators...your approach to someone giving you money for your goods is weird af to me. 

1 hour ago, Katz Republic said:

You can "Scold" me for naming names,

I don't need to, the community standards for here already does that   We're not allowed to do it, regardless of who we are, or why we're doing it.

1 hour ago, Katz Republic said:

Regarding LL, I have every right to be protective of my work

You sure are, and you should do so. Your claims have nothing at all do with that protection, though. I am 100% for protecting one's work, at all times. I support that, and I stand by that support of creators. 

 

1 hour ago, Katz Republic said:

It's SL, people do crazy things all the time

Like claim they know things they don't, or can't, and try to cause trouble for other people after profiting off them, even.

Like I said, I've been there, I've had a creator here who also used to sell fp stuff (probably still does, at least I hope so, that person did do fabulous work) go batpoop crazy because I bought several items that they were selling. I was accused of everything in the book....for no real reason, lol. That used to be my favorite fp creator too, I was kind of sad when that ended. I'm a mere peon, not even a cog in the machine, really, so, that person's loss of my sales will have likely meant stuff all to them. It definitely meant way more to me though, as the purchaser, accused of sinister things I didn't do.  Making wild claims against people just because you and that person have some kind of tiff between you, won't bode well for either party, honestly. It's more likely to get your own self blacklisted by people who would otherwise purchase your stuff.

Hell I own some of your stuff too, not that it should matter, as my opinion definitely does not matter in the grand scheme, and certainly never would matter more than the opinion of another. I wouldn't have ought anything of yours if I didn't think you were a good creator, no one would. I don't think people are going around buying your wares simply to piss you off, that's a bit far fetched lol.  I'm just saying things like that tend to backfire and make others who would likely shop for fp stuff avoid you like the plague out of fear that should they buy more than one item, or also be a fp seller themselves...they'll be next on the list (or worse, lumped in with that. eh hem "gang", lol)

Edited February 12, 2020 by Tari Landar

[Katz Republic]

I was unaware of that. If I was, I would not have done so. However Scylla, I am NOT making a wild, unsubstantiated, and irresponsible claim about someone.

The information was given to me backed up by facts. This is not about any petty rivalries with her. I have none. And how would this post encourage anyone to hunt her alt? I've given no hints, or references as to who she may even be. I've even stated that I don't care if she has one. What she does with her SL is her business, not mine. As long as she leaves mine alone.