LPF Voluntary Vetting

I know RCB because I met him in Atlanta. The main thing is to know someone is not one of the guys who keeps coming back here with multiple identities using an internet service to make their IP appear to be coming from many places in the world (or different states) who appears to enjoy getting some of us to jump through hoops answering questions he already knows the answer to.

There are a lot of members who have been here a long time I have no doubts about, vetting isn't needed for a large number of us, but there has been a recent influx of members for whom it would be nice to be able to lay those doubts aside, this was a much better place to discuss our hobby in the past before the sockness trolling started, my bet is this guy has a dozen socks here now, at least that.

I think I found a way to get vetted without any personal information being available, but I need to test it. RCB, since we already know one another on a personal basis I need your help to make sure the method I want to use works without giving me personal info, or a way to get your real name. I will PM you with what I want to try, but please don't post in the open forum what it is, don't want our trolling sock puppet to have the ability to try to think of ways to get around it.

Since this is completely voluntary it won't prevent anything, but at least it is a step in the right direction for those who want to participate.

I will PM you about this Alaskan. :beer:

I'm down. I feel like I've been here a while and dealt with enough people to know I'm not a sock but if need be I have dealt with Pman and Ehgemus and The Lightning Stalker and a couple others. I'm glad to help in any way. PM me if need be.

Interesting I'm down. I can assure you I am no troll, I have already had transactions with a couple of the vets (Pman, Hap) So hopefully that says something. But yeah less spam the better

This won't stop spam or socks, but nothing further needs to be done for it to work. I've set everything up now to use it, but I have not asked anyone to participate yet except for a test to make sure personal information regarding who the individual actually is would not be provided.

Many members are obviously solid sincere posters, I wouldn't ask anyone I had no suspicion of being a six headed sock monster to participate in a voluntary vetting, but I might ask a couple of guys who appear to have unusual motivations in what they post, what they ask, or what old threads they dig up. Sometimes I see a pattern going on which appears to be someone trying to cause issues within the forum. If I ask one of those fellows if they would mind a voluntary vet and they refuse, they might do so for solid reasons, or they might not, but from that it would be easier to understand their motivations, at least, as a guess; troll....

If such a system were widely accepted, in time, it could function as a confidence builder among members they they are indeed legit members here for a common interest and not just playing with forum members for the thrill of being a dirt ball, or what ever their motivation is. All of that said, it would not be a fool proof system, there are ways to defeat it, but it would take a lot longer than just creating email accounts linked to several member names here, or being able to hijack old accounts due to people using common passwords which can be guessed.

I guess I am just getting fed up with some of the stuff I see going on, maybe I will chill on the idea and just forget it later. Won't work without agreement anyway, I can't require anyone to vet their real geo-location is what they claim it to be or that they are indeed just one individual. I don't believe making such a requirement would be a good thing for the forum if I could, so even if I could, I would never require such of anyone, just ask if they might, when new and appearing to be here for more reason than just joining in on the hobby.

Here's a good thing about the method, anyone can do it, so it need not be tied to any one member, but if tied to a trusted member the results would have more weight, as some members might claim to have vetted someone or another and not really doing so, or the individual causing the problems themselves. So, it really is best used one on one, one member to another to confirm they aren't playing games with multiple ID's within the forum, that is all. The vetting method can only show that, nothing more, and even then, limited accuracy unless every suspected sock is asked to participate, which won't happen. It is just something to help relieve suspicions, or confirm them, but not a fool proof method or something we could ask very many people to join in on, although some might want to.

I don't want to ask, or feel there is a need for established members who have been here a long time to join in, unless we suspect someone has highjacked an inactive members account guessing commonly used passwords. This should probably only be used for newbies who start posting stuff which makes any one of us ask if they are in the forum due to an interest in lasers, or just to play games with members because they are miffed from being banned in the past.

You don't want to post your method in public, because it won't work if these "socks" understand it.
But if you try it on them, they for sure will get it and the next time they'll be immune. Do you agree ? So the method is kind of not so reliable.
Now follows a half-joke: How can we be sure that you did not hijack the profile of the original sincere member Alaskan ?
There are posts or two which appear to have hm unusual motivations, you know... :angel:

OK I will PM you the link, you can give it a try, lets see what you think, it works both ways as it also confirms my geo location, as it will for you too.

Most here post builds and collections.

Most socks won't do that but neither will new members that are looking for their first laser. There is also always google images.



However in the end your pushing water with a broom. Even if money were no object, no level of forum sophistication or moderation is going to stop the problem without reducing new honest membership.

I think in the end you are better off keeping it simple and easy to "terrorize" this forum because if it is no challenge they get board and move on.



A feature that needs added or used more often is deleting threads. I think that established members could do a service by motioning 2nding 3rding etc that a Thread be deleted.

I am terrorism the forum? I can send you the link too and see if it frightens you, I don't think it will.

Hi Alaskan, I'd like to try your service. If you don't mind, please send me the link. And I don't know what Aaron means by terrorize, it seems that you're just trying to clean up the spam which seems fine by me.

it won't stop spam, won't stop socks, won't ban anyone... All it does is help us verify someone is where they say they are if in a different country and aren't a sock because they can't use the same verification account twice. But it is not fool proof, just helps, not proof of anything. I am seeking a better method, but this is easiest and doesn't cost anything.

maybe in the future I will ask a suspect sock if they want to clear the air, so to speak, someday. I don't know, I don't want to ask anyone to verify themselves like that, not unless they become an obvious troll or something.. Although I bet this very thread likely has one of the six headed socks in it commenting! If one were to be attracted to a thread, this would be the thread.

Unless there are no active socks, maybe that is the reality. In any case, CrazLaser does vet properly! More reps coming from me soon.

The method is funny, but with me there was an error. I recommend the members to try it (but when it gets fixed).Either your method didn't work for me or you already have my location... ?
Today I must go to sleep now, so .. PM if you fix it.

UPDATE: It doesn't work well, someone just cheated the method to show me it isn't fool proof... well, I guess I admitted that earlier. Never mind folks, bad idea.

"The seller has specified that this item cannot be shipped to addresses in ****"
You have wasted me 20 minutes !
Btw it shows you outside Iraq ;-) O.K. I realize it was for a noble cause.

There are other ways. For example, if sbd. claims sth., he should be able to provide reasonable arguments when asked to. If he can not, he should peacefully accept that he might be wrong ....

That has vetted you already, it worked. Just have the settings for international wrong, local pickup clashes with that.

Edit: Yes, since it shows me in Alaska but my member profile shows Iraq, I would say I failed the vetting. That is exactly what it is supposed to do. But someone showed me how you can just change your location with a fake shipping address which makes the whole thing crap, so this method isn't fool proof at all, less a confirmed shipping address but not everyone has bothered to do that.

At this point I give up, hands up, white flag.... what a waste! I spent more than 20 minutes trying to find a way, but you know what, I think being concerned over this is probably stupid, it is just a fricken internet forum, you get what you get, live with it or leave.

Didn't mean that Alaskan was terrorizing the form but that the "socks" are.

3rd party verifying is good, send a link in an im to me. But it wouldn't be worth the investment to improve site structure to improve security, it would just attract slightly more inventive "socks".

It is better to simply remain boring and simple to these fledgling "hackers"



The simplest way would be to vet through established sellers on the forum.

If a new member buys something they are obviously not a "sock".



Same would apply to those that donate to the forum.