This thing with the accounts' farming has to stop...

[BlackHatCoiner]

Many established members do it. But many established members also don't make it a secret that they have multiple accounts and have left themselves neutral feedback to confirm this. Selling your account is also allowed and not against forum rules.

And even if they do, they are by their characterization, established, they create quality content. They don't write some BS non-sense just to increase their post count and show to the buyer that these are “worked” accounts. By filling the first page of a thread with useless garbage that won't help the OP, you're being disrespectful to him.

Enrolling multiple accounts in signature campaigns is against the rules. It's cheating, and those who do it take away valuable spots from other members who would gladly particiate in the campaigns as well.

Yes, it's against the rules, but I doubt if a campaign manager would ever consider this ethical side of campaigns. I believe that enrolling multiple accounts is against the rules, because you can fill the required posts easily. Imagine that if you had two accounts, both in signature campaigns, doesn't really matter if they're in the same one; you could simply quote yourself and create discussions and thus, abuse it.

For me personally, it is not moral for someone to use it in such a way at all - because one way or another someone is abusing their position to the detriment of someone else.

IMO there's a lot of merit abusing, it may just not seem clear. For example, a person that merits a campaign manager for... paying him should be considered merit abuse.

[Rikafip]

IMO there's a lot of merit abusing, it may just not seem clear. For example, a person that merits a campaign manager for... paying him should be considered merit abuse.

I always cringe when I see someone  meriting manager for sending the payment lol. I wouldn't really call it merit abuse, but maybe not the best way of using the merit. Then again, people nowadays use merit for all sorts of things, not necessarily for quality/helpful posts.

[BlackHatCoiner]

I wouldn't really call it merit abuse, but maybe not the best way of using the merit.

If you're a merit source, it's abuse.

[Rikafip]

I wouldn't really call it merit abuse, but maybe not the best way of using the merit.

If you're a merit source, it's abuse.

If you feel like that, then report merit sources doing that. You won't have much issues finding some cases. As I said, I don't think that it's the best way to use merit, but I'm not sure that theymos wants to meddle too much into that, as people are sharing merit for all sorts of things nowadays.

[Lucius]

IMO there's a lot of merit abusing, it may just not seem clear. For example, a person that merits a campaign manager for... paying him should be considered merit abuse.

Then the forum is full of merit abuse, you can include me because I gave 1 merit to my campaign manager - and many do it without any bad intentions. I agree that there are dirty moves when it comes to merits, but most of it was in the beginning - yet it is clearly said that everyone can dispose of their merits in the way they want - and if someone abuses it, it will sooner or later be noticed.

What I find completely inappropriate is to share merits between alt accounts and to trade them - in that case they should be taken away and such users punished as an example to others.

[lovesmayfamilis]

I wouldn't really call it merit abuse, but maybe not the best way of using the merit.

If you're a merit source, it's abuse.

I disagree that this is abuse.  Here is an example where people thank the manager, although they are a source of merit.



There are many reasons why they might send merit to the manager. Good and stable company conduct and so on.
In addition, even if the sources of merit give credit to managers, the merits may belong to them.

[BlackHatCoiner]

I disagree that this is abuse.  Here is an example where people thank the manager, although they are a source of merit.

Each one may see it differently. I, personally, see this meriting-for-payment as a way to encourage the manager to continue paying. Especially in that campaign, if I remember correctly, there were lots of merits given when the manager picked merit sources for the weekly bonus. Well, that was a mark of continuing picking them for the bonus.

But, yes, it can also be seen as a “thank you”, as you said.

[Rikafip]

Each one may see it differently. I, personally, see this meriting-for-payment as a way to encourage the manager to continue paying.

Some members are probably doing that (or at least trying), thinking that it might increase their chance of staying in the campaign, or getting into new one. But mostly this is just sort of "thank you" for work done etc.

Doing that imho is not the best way to use your merit (as I said before), but I don't think that it would be good for forum to start picking on each of the ways someone spends the merit as it may bring more harm than good. Who in their right mind would want to be a merit source if you have to think few times before sending merit to someone, and how its going to be perceived.

Especially in that campaign, if I remember correctly, there were lots of merits given when the manager picked merit sources for the weekly bonus. Well, that was a mark of continuing picking them for the bonus.

You were part of that campaign for 9 weeks, and 7 times you got the bonus (well deserved I must say, you are quality poster), without you giving merits each time you were picked up. I was also picked up many times in the last year since I was part of the campaign without giving merit for that (at least I don't remember doing that) so were the others. So I don't think that giving merit will increase  chances at all, at least not in the eyes of the manager.

[lovesmayfamilis]

Who in their right mind would want to be a merit source if you have to think few times before sending merit to someone, and how its going to be perceived.

I don’t want to post a new thread, so let me ask you how you would feel about a merit source that gives merit to explicitly farm accounts?
I know that you are well versed and can distinguish between alternate accounts, so I just suggest taking a look at this topic and see how the source of merit distributes the merit to Newbies.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5294824.40

Furthermore, I understand that the source of merit should not check every post for plagiarism, but the registration dates and the nicknames themselves indicate the link between the accounts.
I cannot yet prove that newcomers to this topic are breaking anything, but that this is a  farm, I think there is no doubt.
Now the question is, can we somehow influence this?
And if you pay attention, today those accounts are active that Merit's source awarded a merit in that topic. Did he give them a start in life?

[Mpamaegbu]

Take this for example: I bought my first 500 us dollars Bitcoin! [archive.org]. The first page is consisted of 18 alt accounts with the same activity/post count and no merits. You'll observe that the guy behind these accounts was just submitting meaningless posts and then logging out from each account to log in to the next one. Each post time difference is around 2 minutes. Then, he did it again 4 hours later.

It's really horrible beholding such obvious spam posts (I followed the link to check the thread) and this leaves me wondering what mods of such a board are doing or are they simply turning a blind eye to it all? It's obvious those first string of posters there in that thread are shit posters. So, where are all those who take care of shit posting on the forum?

Additionally, we have theymos to thank for introducing the Merit system. Otherwise, this forum would've turned a shit paradise by now. I ain't saying that the merit system is doing what it's supposed to do in totality (I still see a lot of shit posts that get unbelievable amount of merits) but it has helped to a greater extent to keep account farming in check.

[Rikafip]

I don’t want to post a new thread, so let me ask you how you would feel about a merit source that gives merit to explicitly farm accounts?
I know that you are well versed and can distinguish between alternate accounts, so I just suggest taking a look at this topic and see how the source of merit distributes the merit to Newbies.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5294824.40

Generally I am careful when sending a merit to a newbie, but then again I have very limited amount of merit so it makes it much easier for me to do something like that. I do agree that there was an obvious account farm active in that thread, but not everyone cares about checking accounts prior sending merit, especially if they have bigger monthly allocation.

I cannot yet prove that newcomers to this topic are breaking anything, but that this is a  farm, I think there is no doubt.

Yep, that it is an account farm without a doubt, but as you said, so far they haven't started doing bounty, shilling in threads or any of the other typical stuff they do. Sooner or later they will probably start doing something as you don't make bunch of accounts for no purpose.

My guess is that person behind those sock puppet accounts saw that there is some merit being shared in that topic, so he tried his luck with couple of accounts. Some got merit, some didn't.

And if you pay attention, today those accounts are active that Merit's source awarded a merit in that topic. Did he give them a start in life?

Thing is, even if you occasionally give some fake Newbie account merit or two (which is bound to happen if you are merit source and like to give merit to Newbies) in the grand scheme of things it doesn't mean much, as shitposter will have a hard time reaching  higher ranks so I think that's why no one cares much about it.