Alts in the forums

[Scylla Rhiadra]

So, translating this into the terms of the forum and alts here -- why should we assume that the rules here are different than in-world.

If we all accept people as they represent in-world -- excepting, in some cases, deeper romantic relationships -- why not here too?

[Love Zhaoying]

14 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

So, translating this into the terms of the forum and alts here -- why should we assume that the rules here are different than in-world.

If we all accept people as they represent in-world -- excepting, in some cases, deeper romantic relationships -- why not here too?

In-world, you're less likely (depending on your social habits  - for example, if you don't date or hang out with a lot of people) to have an Alt of someone you "know" approach you to bamboozle you. Here, you can't get away from it.  You will encounter both users and Alts of those same users.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Love Zhaoying

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Just now, Love Zhaoying said:

In-world, you're less likely (depending on your social habits) to have an Alt of someone you "know" approach you to bamboozle you. Here, you can't get away from it.

I think that the stakes here are very different than in-world, though.

I am not going to pretend that my relationships here on the forum, and social identity ("reputation," if you like, in the true sense of that word, not those stupid point things) don't matter to me: they do, a great deal. And I've made a great number of in-world friends that I met here first, including Maddy, and the group of women I am closest to on Discord and in-world.

But I think an alt can, generally speaking, do a lot less personal and emotional damage here than they can manage in-world.

Maybe?

[Love Zhaoying]

1 minute ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

But I think an alt can, generally speaking, do a lot less personal and emotional damage here than they can manage in-world.

Maybe?

Agreed - but from here in the Forum, someone could "get a foot in the door" for shenanigans in-world. Get to know you / spur your interest here, then proceed there. 

(Sorry, I edited the post you quoted to better explain the caveats.)

[Bree Giffen]

I don't mind alts in the forums but I really have no idea who is an alt of who. Even if the alt is identified I have forgotten it. 

[Tayt3rChip]

19 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

And, as I say, I conduct myself accordingly here: I don't make assumptions about people's RL on the basis of their SL identity (although, like anyone else, I do speculate and come to "conclusions").

I basically operate the exact same way. Only thing I would add to that is that because of my understanding of SL being so openended  I limit how much of SL friendships go into my real life. I tend to casually use  voice and add a lot of people on  discord ( I prefer it to sl voice because I can be elsewhere doing other things and still maintain conversation), we will often discuss real life issues but I NEVER give people my real life name, real life picture, real life social media , email etc. I have heard too many horror stories, and seen to many friends to enemies scenarios.

[Sid Nagy]

I could use my only alt that I have left, but his name is Sid (resident).
A bit too obvious I guess. 

I need new alts.

 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 minute ago, Sid Nagy said:

I could use my only alt that I have left, but his name is Sid (resident).
A bit too obvious I guess. 

I need new alts.

 

You'd be outed in a second by your sardonic and drily ironic wit anyway.

Once a Sid, always a Sid. Which is actually just as it should be. 🙂

[Persephone Emerald]

58 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

It's bad, it's really bad.  If I meet someone who says they're a lesbian I assume there's a 75% chance they're a man.

I'm unlikely to hook up with anyone who comes onto me in SL, but a man presenting as a man probably has a better chance than a man presenting as a woman. I suppose the guy could try each version of themselves on a woman to see which works better, but my suspicion is that being friendly and real, rather than pushy or fake is going be what works best.

[Rowan Amore]

8 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Agreed - but from here in the Forum, someone could "get a foot in the door" for shenanigans in-world. Get to know you / spur your interest here, then proceed there. 

(Sorry, I edited the post you quoted to better explain the caveats.)

And isn't that what actually happened?  

[BillFletcher]

27 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

why should we assume that the rules here are different than in-world --- If we all accept people as they represent in-world --- why not here too?

A lot of people just do what they want when they want and twist the rules around to justify their behavior.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Just now, Rowan Amore said:

And isn't that what actually happened?  

Yes. Love has a point: this can happen.

And in fact my SECOND SL bf (did I mention that I've had TWO? /me fist pumps in triumph!) was someone I met here, on the forums.

I'm VERY close to some of the people I've met here. They could hurt me -- and I could hurt them, I suppose.

[Love Zhaoying]

9 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

I could use my only alt that I have left, but his name is Sid (resident).
A bit too obvious I guess. 

I need new alts.

 

Welcome back!

[Love Zhaoying]

2 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Yes. Love has a point: this can happen.

And in fact my SECOND SL bf (did I mention that I've had TWO? /me fist pumps in triumph!) was someone I met here, on the forums.

I'm VERY close to some of the people I've met here. They could hurt me -- and I could hurt them, I suppose.

I'm sad that you stopped at two, you're quite a catch!

[Tayt3rChip]

And on today's episode of Alt busters, it has been concluded that Mr Kitty  is in fact  62 year old Agnes Crumplebottom from Downtown Simville

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Just now, Love Zhaoying said:

you're quite a catch!

Like a bad cold . . .

[Istelathis]

11 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

And in fact my SECOND SL bf (did I mention that I've had TWO? /me fist pumps in triumph!) was someone I met here, on the forums.

Most of the potential relationships that pursued me ended up being bots.  They said they loved me for my brains, at least that is what I assumed, because they kept muttering something about brains, but all they really wanted was to eat them.  I swear, they all only have one thing on their minds, and are all so predictable.  I'm more than my brains, dammit!

 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 minute ago, Istelathis said:

I'm more than my brains, dammit!

You should keep yours where I do . . . safely in my C-cups.

I ain't blonde in SL by accident, ya know. 😏

[Kathlen Onyx]

I think that the only reason I don't like alts on the forum is I see the forum as out of character and see people's opinions as there own.  I just find it odd to have two avatars that need to post in the forum.

[Sid Nagy]

BTW, Sid Nagy is an alt, who took over the circus act years ago, in 2007 to be precise.
The original main: I've canceled her and several other accounts months ago.

I like the K.I.S.S. management approach (and that for an asexual).
 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Sid Nagy

[Scylla Rhiadra]

2 minutes ago, Sam1 Bellisserian said:

I think that the only reason I don't like alts on the forum is I see the forum as out of character and see people's opinions as there own.

I think this is the general perception, and what Rowan has been getting at too.

I suspect it's also how I tend to view the forums myself.

I'm just asking, rhetorically, why we should make that assumption?

[MoiraKathleen]

5 minutes ago, Sam1 Bellisserian said:

I think that the only reason I don't like alts on the forum is I see the forum as out of character and see people's opinions as there own.  I just find it odd to have two avatars that need to post in the forum.

If one has another account that they frequently use, and that account take pictures that would go into one of the picture threads, I can see posting those pictures under the other account name because that is something the other account was doing in SL. 

[Ingrid Ingersoll]

20 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

I'm just asking, rhetorically, why we should make that assumption?

Because otherwise it's just RP. Which to be fair, is probably at least half of what goes on here. Because you're all insane. 

[Love Zhaoying]

2 minutes ago, Ingrid Ingersoll said:

Because otherwise it's just RP. Which to be fair, is probably at least half of what goes on here. Because you're all insane. 

 

[Persephone Emerald]

28 minutes ago, Sam1 Bellisserian said:

I think that the only reason I don't like alts on the forum is I see the forum as out of character and see people's opinions as there own.  I just find it odd to have two avatars that need to post in the forum.

25 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

I think this is the general perception, and what Rowan has been getting at too.

I suspect it's also how I tend to view the forums myself.

I'm just asking, rhetorically, why we should make that assumption?

I think maybe we're more likely to get into "deep discussions" on the forum than we are in SL. Whether those discussions are inworld, on the forum, or in RL, they bring out parts of our real selves that make us feel vulnerable with each other. They provide bits of information that could be used to hurt us, socially or emotionally. This is why it hurts so much when someone we've shared bits of our real vulnerable self with turns on us or shows us they've been fake about something after we trusted them.

We're used to these kinds of "deep discussions" here, as well as to honest appeals for help. We know a few forum regulars who post in character, but we're so used to these characters that we probably view them as the real person, and perhaps in some ways they *are* the real person. They are at least consistent, so we feel like we can trust them.

In RL, a person who is inconsistent is not always safe to trust, so maybe it's hardwired into us to view consistent behavior as a sign of trustworthiness, integrity and safety?