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> Why would you use a throw-away account? Mostly because they know the question they're asking is a bad one, and don't want the inevitable negative karma to ac
by outsidetheparty 9y ago
> Why would you use a throw-away account?
Mostly because they know the question they're asking is a bad one, and don't want the inevitable negative karma to accrue to their "real" account (if they even have one); or they're otherwise abusing the site.
For example: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13496399 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13496399
- ordinaryperson 9y agoIn that example, he's (diabolically) using multiple accounts to upvote his own questions. Genius, in a way. But I doubt everyone has the time and energy though to maintain a stable of fake accounts to boost your own stats. I can understand fear of negative karma but the throw-away account will still receive just as much hostility (maybe more), you just don't keep the record of it attached to you. Is that better? I guess, a little bit, maybe.
- outsidetheparty 9y agoYeah, that guy's an outlier -- I hope! -- but the "throwaway account for sub-par questions" thing seems to be pretty common. Either that or there are an awful lot of brand-new users with an oddly intimate understanding of site jargon...