I don't recall that it ever worked that way.
Back in the day one could put anything in the "To:" field. On the DD thread we'd frequently make jokes or poke fun at each other with variant spellings and puns on screen names.
Eventually people started abusing this ability, and JimRob added code so that only valid screen name could go into the "To:" window.
That's when I created the dummy accounts, I also wanted to create a "The Author of the Article" account so that the person posting a controversial article wouldn't necessarily feel blasted every time someone responded to the article.
By that time The Mod Squad was enforcing the one screen name per customer rule, and that account got nuked.
I suppose the "All", "Y'all" and "No one in particular" accounts are in technical violation of that rule, but I haven't the slightest clue what their passwords are and couldn't use them to create mischief even if I wanted to. Besides, they're dead useful...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2312169/posts?q=1&;page=251#264
I had always thought it pinged the thread to the post.
I bet I am not the only one who thought that. I never really noticed as if I was doing it...
Anyway. Null, please just get off my back. I am sick and tired of this. I admitted I was wrong about all sorts of things, now freakin drop it. At least I had the balls to admit it.
From my point of view you are just harassing me. Picking apart every little thing unjustifiably. Just because you are bent about something. Go punch a pillow, get it out of your system, just get off my back. You don’t even have a dog in this fight.