When they're having arguments, that's when it's nuts.

Three of which have actually argued with each other

There's a Doctoral Thesis, right there. Oysh!

You might want to send the user a little email...

Hey, did you check using IP addresses? Isn't it possible that they're actually several different people behind the same router? Say, on a college campus or at work? I don't know how this IP thing works...

I've not used sock puppets (or have I?) in forum situations. I am guilty of using them in online game matches.

In the old Microsoft Game Zone where LucasArts' X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance games networked, I used aliases. The dastardly thing about doing that then is that a new alias/member that had no games under his/her belt (who actually had "Jedi"-level rank/skills/experience) could frak with opponents' ranks when they lost to the alleged newbie.

My ex-husband and I were in clans (otherwise known as guilds) and saw other folks hosting games, booting (disconnecting) pilots they knew they couldn't beat, and picking on fresh meat. I never went so far as to join an opposing clan for espionage purposes. Any game host with a modicum of networking knowledge could figure out IPs from the then-prevalent dial-up connections.

Same story with multiplayer Soldier of Fortune, iterations of Quake, UT, UT2K4, and Elite Forces. Not that we were gaming badasses, but logging into a free-for-all game and having it turn into a 1-person-versus-the-rest-of-the-clients spawnfrag fest got old. Eventually, ex-husband and I had two computers in the same room, but we didn't communicate about the game other than shouts of joy or dismay and certainly didn't team up. We were too busy fraggin' and listening to our respective choices of frag-worthy music.

arguing with yourself is nuts.

arguing with yourself is nuts.

is not. shut up, dumbface.

It depends on if their little skits are entertaining.
If it reads like bad exposition to try and make up for bad storytelling, or a poorly couched agenda, well, that's just creepy bad craftsmanship. Give 'em the hook.

if number of sockpuppets is greater than number of windows at puppetmaster's house, then loopy

Amateurs!

I've got a friend who's got at last count nine separate web accounts, albeit in different places. She does have arguments with herself, but that's just her way of working things out in her head. She'll clearly mark which "person" is speaking, and the person at site A doesn't go stalking the person at site B.

If that's the kind of thing going on (pseudo-stalking), then yeah, nuts. Otherwise it's bad performance art.

When someone creates one connected to a post made several months previously about an incident which occurred six years ago.

heh, has that happened brujita?

I'm a little wigged out, as I often get chatty in emails with members (they submit their work, we end up emailing a lot), and this case is no exception, so I'm feeling a little had at the moment since only one of the personas has spoken to me via email. I could have made at least seven new friends dammit!

oh and I've been that fresh meat bonobo describes so thank you for not doing that!

Hmm, imaginary friends of the online variety...

I believe my muse just swooned.
Silly muse.

Sockpuppet or no, I will find you.

EEEEEEP!

Yeah, I dunno. I guess my site attracts a lot of strange people. ;P Then again, this is teh intarwebs.