I think trying to codify what is and isn't appropriate regarding humor, is a dangerous slope to be on

Is it really less funny with the user IDed in the profile? I know I don't think they're that funny to start off with, but is the joke really in the impenetrability?

Is it really less funny with the user IDed in the profile?

I'm not really trying to comment on whether it's more or less funny with the user IDed in the profile. That's not my point. My point is that if the sockpuppet person think's it's funnier without IDing themselves, you're saying that they can't do that, because *some* people don't think it's funny unless they ID themselves, and maybe not even then. It feels like telling people that they can't be funny, unless everyone else approves of how they're being funny.

I don't like much of the political humor I've seen here. Some of it's really pissed me off. So I stopped lurking for a bit, and *voila*, I stopped being pissed off. I never would have dreamed of making a proposal that would restrict people from political humor unless *I* though it was funny. And not because I know I would have lost the vote, but because it's not my place to tell people that they can't be funny unless I like how they're doing it.

Now, if the majority of the board wants this sockpuppet issue to be codified, then even though I disagree with that, the voting procedures in place say that it shall be so. I guess I'm just not convinced that a vote would play out that way. I could be totally wrong. Maybe I'd be the only person voting not to codify it. But to just decide that it's consensed, when there are still people arguing aginst it, seems unfair to me.

Well, it is clear that some sorts of humour can fall into consistent demon-like behaviour, or at least I'd thought so.

I thought the magic of the compromise is that a) joke just as funny and b) people put off by the anonymity are appeased.

Someone did speak up to say b wasn't entirely true, but it hadn't occurred to me that a was under debate.

Well, it is clear that some sorts of humour can fall into consistent demon-like behaviour, or at least I'd thought so.

I agree. I just don't happen to think that sockpuppet kind of funny qualifies. And I also think that someone engaging in humor that the majority of the board feels is consistent demon-like behavior, will be dealt with without having to codify exactly how people are allowed to go about being funny.

Again, I'm not trying to debate whether the IDing of a person would make the joke less funny. I'm debating wheher it's right to tell someone how to go about something because it's annoying to *some*. If someone can tell a joke 6 different ways, I don't think the board should have the right to tell them which way they're allowed to present it, barring that their not being derogatory or insulting.

I'm not trying to upset you or anyone else. This is just my opinion and I'm fully aware that not everyone shares it. I'm also fully aware that my being a lurker, probably makes what I have to say not as important as what the die-hard regulars have to say. You guys live here, I just visit from time to time. I'm really not that vested in which way this thing goes, but I saw some people arguing against codifying this while others were trying to say a consensus had been reached. I just don't see where anyone sees a consensus. The majority may well go with codifying, but you won't know for sure until you vote.

Do you disagree with Burrell, then? I guess that's where I'm confused. To codify, or not to codify -- unconsensed. To ID -- only one person has said that doesn't fix things. And they bowed out.

Or did I miss more dissenters?

I think Denise's point is that it doesn't matter whether people have agreed on whether putting the real name in the profile helps things because we haven't decided whether that's something we want to codify or not.

If you don't codify it, it doesn't really matter who thinks it would or wouldn't help things to have an ID in the sockpuppet profile. If people reading this discussion want to ID themselves, they now know that it would be appreciated by some (merely tolerated by others), and can do so if they wish. People that want to sockpuppet anonymously can continue to do so as well, as there's nothing written anywhere saying that they can't. So basically, unless it's codified, nothing changes. and I've seen plenty of people arguing that it shouldn't be codified. Cindy, msbelle (I think, she at least wants to take it to a vote), JohnSweden, Aimee, ChiKat, Noise Design. And that's just going back a few pages. So, yeah. I see plenty of dissenters to actually making a change in policy or etiquette. And given that such a change would be the only thing that would actually restrict a user from sockpuppeting without IDing themselves, it's the only thing that makes any sense to debate.

People that want to sockpuppet anonymously can continue to do so as well, as there's nothing written anywhere saying that they can't. So basically, unless it's codified, nothing changes.

And if they do, and if they're asked to identify themselves and refuse, then that moves them at least into the category of rude behavior, which is dealt with in a number of ways, both formal and informal. There's all kinds of behavior that might not be specifically mandated or prohibited but in practice are community norms. I'd rather see us build this into those norms than make it a Rule.

I don't think anyone's claiming codifying is consensed. I think everyone's admitting that it looks like IDing is pretty much okay.

I don't care if it's codified or not -- this is all way to meta for me to be invested in at this point.

However, for those who are against codifying (does that mean making it votable, or does it mean writing it down) how do you see handling refusal to ID? It is rude? It'll just a a thing we all yelled about for days but decided not to write down anywhere else? Is that fair to newcomers?

how do you see handling refusal to ID? It is rude? It'll just a a thing we all yelled about for days but decided not to write down anywhere else? Is that fair to newcomers?

Refusal to ID and not knowing it's nice to ID beforehand aren't the same thing. One can be rude, and the other's an acceptable newbie mistake that's easily rectified.