Ken C wrote:
Could a registration system prevent people from using multiple handles (each with a different email address)?
Someone could register more than once with different names & email addresses, but you should check off that you have to approve all registrations rather than automatic approval so you can catch most of it. Registrants can wait half a day to get approved.
To get away with it, they'd have to log in and out constantly to change identities especially if you check off the "remove the name line" so everyone registered must use the name attached to the registration. No one can keep up a pretense forever. They'll screw up sooner or later and reveal themselves as who they actually are. That's the thing about posters. It doesn't take long to recognize style, typical language, personality, and the like so that it's very difficult for someone to pretend to be someone else for long.
Their IP address comes with all registrations. What I do is check all IP addresses attached to registrations. If it is a proxy, I automatically reject the registration because allowing someone to get in using proxies guarantees trolls in the mix. If it's questionable, I'll let someone in on a trial basis and watch them carefully. People cannot hide who they are for long.
If you do go to registration, I'll share my registration list with you so you can identify our regulars who might want to use different names there. I know of at least one who does that, but it's not fraudulent, it's consistent so it's not someone trolling.
What you cannot see is D.O.B., real names if given, and passwords. Passwords are randomly assigned when registration is approved. Posters should immediately change their password to something they will remember because you can't tell them what it was if they forget because you can't see it. However, you CAN change it for them if they email you for help getting back in and then they should immediately change it to something only they will know.
Registrants can use throwaway email addresses to register, but they should create and use an email they can access later on if they need to reset their passwords and they must have access to it to get their first password.
Posters can choose to stay "logged in forever" rather than have to log in every session. The only issue with that is that it's really easy to forget your password if you didn't write it down and never have to use it. Staying logged in forever works quite well, but on rare occasions when your computer or phone updates, it might log you out so you'd have to log back in. Posters who are logged in forever only show as logged in when they are posting.
You can put people on a temporary time out or delete them permanently because once a registration is revoked, they can't get back in.
My registration list includes chosen names (and regular names if I know it's someone who uses a different name elsewhere), email account used, and IP addresses.
There are also rejected registrations on the list so you can see them too. If you want it.
