Self-Interest, Part 1

FEE ^ | Donald J. Boudreaux

[tpaine]

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How to Keep an Account At Free Republic
Posted on 08/29/2003 12:58 PM PDT by tappers
1. Use a dialup ISP with randomly-assigned ISP numbers, such as AOL or NetZero or such, one which allows you to create new e-mail account (screen) names. This will facilitate re-registering in case your account gets banned in spite of your care (as one of mine was).
2. Post only plain-vanilla comments. Nothing controversial. Nothing too witty or sharp. Letting on you know a lot -- or that you are sharp -- will raise suspicions and make them feel threatened. This could make you a target for banning at the first infraction, real or imagined.
3. Misspellings are good. Sprinkle in a few and it makes you less threatening. Use common ones like "looser" and "truely" and such. Misuse an apostrophe or two, and throw in some poor grammar. Don't overdo any of this. Moderation is the key. As is consistency -- don't use perfect spelling and grammar in some posts and imperfect in others.
4. Keep all posts short, short, short -- one or two short sentences at most. This lowers your profile somewhat, but makes your posts easy to read, and therefore your screen name will become increasingly familiar. After a few months, you will be considered a non-threatening good guy, one of the regulars, although definitely not a top-tier freeper. That is an unattainable class, an exclusive clique whose numbers and members are firmly established. There are no new openings in that clique and never again will be.
5. Never ping a moderator. Period. You do not want to become a poster of moderator-interest on any level.
6. Never post anything that gives away that you are versed in freeper lore, or are unusually familiar with how things work. On the other hand, don't pretend you are a newbie either. Suspicions run very high at TOS, and anything you do to call attention to yourself ("Look, I'm a newbie") can work against you. The brownshirts are always looking for someone to accuse of witchcraft and party disloyalty and turn in.
7. Watch current events and leading Republican statements, positions, and administration comments CAREFULLY and post circumspectly. This is probably the biggest key to preserving a screen name. Because Republican positions shift to the left with increasing frequency, you may post something routinely conservative and find you have raised ire over there because someone with an (R) behind their name has recently denounced or abandoned that traditional position. Your first clue that this has happened is a complete lack of response to your reply. Fear rules the day at TOS now, and few will dare speak up and agree with you if it means going against a party line, even if it is a brand new party line. No one will risk provoking the low rumbles of displeased thunder from the moderator mountaintop.
9. Speaking of sickeningly sycophantic toadies -- don't be one. This could draw undue attention and be taken as sarcasm. Result: Bye bye. Don't post falsely (as in pretending to be a picture-licking Bushbot), as that is clearly, purposely deceptive. Don't post at all on a given topic or thread if you can't post innocuously. Post plain-vanilla (as mentioned earlier) and save the controversial stuff for far down the line. Sure it's boring, but it's smart. Compliment occasionally as you can and as the situation calls for it, but never overdo it, and never compliment for a political position that will give away your own position.
10. Leave the guild and viking kitties alone. They'll get familiar with your screen name as time goes on. There's no need to purposely get in their field of view. They are the most suspicious and accusing lot of all. They are the Salem witch-hunters, apt to scream "Burn him, burn him at the stake!" for sheer sadistic pleasure and embittered, resentful amusement. Better to just steer clear of DOSE threads and the like.

 
1 posted on 08/29/2003 12:58 PM PDT by tappers