Multiple Accounts

1. Multiple Accounts

This article provides a comprehensive guide to understanding and utilizing multiple accounts within a MediaWiki environment, particularly relevant for users seeking to manage different roles, permissions, or personas on a wiki. It aims to cover the reasons for using multiple accounts, the potential implications, best practices, and how to manage them effectively. This guide is intended for beginners, assuming minimal prior knowledge of MediaWiki administration.

Introduction

MediaWiki, the software powering Wikipedia and numerous other wikis, generally encourages users to operate under a single, unified account. However, there are legitimate and justifiable reasons why a user might need or want to operate multiple accounts. Understanding these reasons, the policies surrounding multiple accounts, and the technical aspects of managing them is crucial for maintaining a healthy and productive wiki environment. This article will delve into these areas, providing a detailed overview for both users and administrators.

Why Use Multiple Accounts?

The use of multiple accounts isn't inherently malicious, and in many cases, is perfectly acceptable and even beneficial. Common reasons include:

• Separate Roles/Personas: A user might have distinct roles within a wiki community. For example, an editor might also be an administrator, or contribute both as a neutral editor and as a representative of a specific project. Using separate accounts clarifies these roles and avoids conflicts of interest. This is particularly important in contentious editing situations; see Wikipedia:Conflict of interest for more information.
• Privacy: Some users may wish to maintain a degree of separation between their personal identity and their wiki contributions. While MediaWiki allows for pseudonyms, some users prefer entirely separate accounts for certain types of editing.
• Testing and Development: Developers and administrators frequently use separate accounts for testing changes to the wiki software or extensions without affecting the live environment. This is vital for ensuring stability and preventing disruptions to the user experience.
• Automated Tasks (Bots): Bots are automated accounts used to perform repetitive tasks, such as fixing typos, adding infoboxes, or categorizing articles. Bots *must* be operated under a separate account and follow specific guidelines. See MediaWiki:Bot policy for details.
• Circumventing Blocks: *This is a violation of most wiki policies and is strongly discouraged.* Creating a new account to evade a block imposed by an administrator is considered sockpuppetry and will likely result in further action.
• Language-Specific Editing: Users fluent in multiple languages might maintain separate accounts for editing different language versions of the wiki.
• Project-Specific Contributions: A user involved in multiple, unrelated projects within the same wiki might prefer separate accounts to organize their contributions and manage notifications. This mirrors concepts in Project management.

Wiki Policies Regarding Multiple Accounts

Most wikis have specific policies governing the use of multiple accounts. These policies generally focus on transparency and preventing abuse. Key considerations include:

• Transparency: Users should be upfront about their multiple accounts, especially if those accounts are interacting with each other or involved in potentially contentious discussions. Failure to disclose multiple accounts can be seen as deceptive. This is analogous to Disclosure in finance, where transparency builds trust.
• Sockpuppetry: As mentioned earlier, using multiple accounts to deceive, manipulate, or circumvent blocks is strictly prohibited. Sockpuppetry can undermine the integrity of the wiki and erode trust within the community. It's akin to Market manipulation in trading.
• Voting: Using multiple accounts to influence votes (e.g., in deletion discussions or administrator elections) is almost universally forbidden. Each user should have only one vote. This parallels the principle of One person, one vote.
• Conflict of Interest: Disclosing multiple accounts can help identify and manage potential conflicts of interest. For example, if a user is editing an article about a company they work for under one account and simultaneously participating in a discussion about the article under another account, this creates a clear conflict. Understanding Risk management is crucial in these scenarios.
• Account Creation Limits: Some wikis impose limits on the number of accounts a single user can create. This is often implemented to discourage sockpuppetry.

Technical Aspects of Managing Multiple Accounts

Managing multiple accounts can be straightforward, but requires careful attention to detail.

• Login Process: MediaWiki allows users to be logged into multiple accounts simultaneously, but only one account can be actively used for editing at any given time. Switching between accounts is typically done through a dropdown menu or a separate login form.
• Cookies and Browser Settings: Your browser's cookies play a vital role in maintaining your login sessions. Ensure your browser settings allow cookies from the wiki domain. Clearing cookies can log you out of all your accounts. This is similar to understanding Session management in web applications.
• User Preferences: Each account has its own set of user preferences, including email address, signature, watchlist, and appearance settings. Managing these preferences for multiple accounts can be time-consuming.
• Email Address: Each account ideally should have a unique email address associated with it. This is important for password recovery and receiving notifications. However, some wikis may allow users to associate multiple accounts with a single email address, but this is less common and can create complications.
• CentralAuth (Unified Login): Many wikis utilize CentralAuth, a system that allows users to log in once and access multiple wikis within a cluster using a single account. This doesn’t directly relate to multiple accounts *within* a single wiki, but it simplifies account management across a network of wikis. See CentralAuth for details.
• AccountMerge: If a user has inadvertently created duplicate accounts, or wishes to consolidate their contributions, the AccountMerge extension can be used to merge the history and user data of multiple accounts into a single account. This requires administrator intervention.

Best Practices for Using Multiple Accounts

• Disclose, Disclose, Disclose: The most important rule is to be transparent about your multiple accounts. Clearly indicate when you are switching between accounts, especially in discussions or editing situations where it might be relevant.
• Maintain Clear Separation: Avoid using multiple accounts to engage in the same discussion or editing session. This can be confusing and appear deceptive.
• Use Descriptive Usernames: Choose usernames that reflect the purpose of each account. For example, "WikiEditor" and "WikiAdmin" are more informative than "User123" and "User456".
• Keep Accounts Organized: Maintain a clear record of your multiple accounts, including their usernames, passwords, and associated email addresses.
• Respect Wiki Policies: Always adhere to the wiki's policies regarding multiple accounts. If you are unsure about a particular situation, consult with an administrator.
• Avoid Unnecessary Accounts: Only create multiple accounts when there is a legitimate need for them. Don't create accounts simply to circumvent limitations or engage in disruptive behavior.
• Understand the Implications of Editing History: Each account has its own editing history. Consider how this might be perceived by other users.
• Utilize Watchlists effectively: Use separate watchlists for each account to focus on relevant changes. This is similar to using Price alerts in trading.

Advanced Considerations & Tools

• API Access: If you are developing tools that interact with the wiki, you may need to authenticate with different accounts using the MediaWiki API. This requires careful management of API keys and authentication credentials.
• OAuth: OAuth provides a secure way to grant third-party applications access to your wiki account without sharing your password. This can be useful for automating tasks or integrating with other services.
• User Rights Management: Administrators can use the User Rights Management system to assign different user rights to different accounts. This allows for granular control over access to sensitive features and functionality.
• AbuseFilter: The AbuseFilter extension can be configured to detect and prevent abuse associated with multiple accounts, such as sockpuppetry or spamming.
• RevisionDelete: Administrators can use the RevisionDelete extension to hide or delete revisions made by specific accounts. This is typically used to remove inappropriate content or protect sensitive information.
• CheckUser: CheckUser is a tool available to administrators that allows them to identify accounts that are likely to be operated by the same user. This is used to investigate suspected sockpuppetry.
• ORES (Object Recognition and Enrichment Services): ORES can be used to assess the quality of edits made by different accounts, helping to identify potential problems. Similar to Sentiment analysis in data science.
• Machine Learning for Anomaly Detection: Advanced wikis may employ machine learning algorithms to detect anomalous patterns of behavior associated with multiple accounts. This draws parallels with Fraud detection systems.
• Network Analysis: Analyzing the interaction patterns between different accounts can reveal hidden relationships and potential abuse. This is akin to Social network analysis.
• Behavioral Biometrics: In the future, behavioral biometrics may be used to identify users based on their editing patterns, even if they are using multiple accounts. This concept is related to Pattern recognition.
• Log Analysis Tools: Tools like Logstash and Kibana can be used to analyze wiki logs and identify suspicious activity related to multiple accounts. Similar to Technical analysis tools in trading.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Login Conflicts: If you are having trouble logging into multiple accounts, try clearing your browser's cookies and cache.
• Account Confusion: Ensure you are logged into the correct account before making any edits or participating in discussions.
• Password Recovery: If you forget the password for one of your accounts, use the password recovery process associated with that account's email address.
• Blocked Accounts: If one of your accounts has been blocked, do not attempt to circumvent the block by creating new accounts. Contact an administrator to discuss the issue.

Conclusion

Using multiple accounts in MediaWiki can be a powerful tool for managing different roles, maintaining privacy, and facilitating complex tasks. However, it is essential to understand and adhere to the wiki's policies regarding multiple accounts and to practice transparency and responsible usage. By following the best practices outlined in this article, you can effectively manage multiple accounts while contributing to a healthy and productive wiki environment. Remember, responsible usage is paramount. Always prioritize transparency and respect the rules of the community.

MediaWiki Help:User login Special:MergeAccount Special:ListUsers Help:User rights CheckUser policy Bot policy Conflict of interest Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigation AccountMerge

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