B/R Alter Egos: What Are They, and Why Are They Here?

What is the definition of an alter-ego account here on Bleacher Report?

As I understand it, an alter ego is an alternate account created by an existing member that operates under a pseudonym or pen name.

Ever since I arrived here on Bleacher Report, I have read comments by members discussing the topic of alter-ego accounts.

Most of the time, I see people accusing other members of having these alter egos, and sometimes I see members getting accused of being the alter-ego accounts themselves.

I, myself, in my brief time here, have been accused of being an alter-ego account by no less than four B/R members. I have been accused of being the alter-ego creation of:

1. A writer who is barely literate, and more closely resembles a cartoon character than anything else I can think of at the moment.
2. A notorious B/R troll who continues to plague the community incessantly.
3. A member who seems to spend most of his time here seeking out and persecuting trolls and has actually even harassed me on several occasions.
4. A Bleacher Report administrative official.

To add insult to injury, I've even had an actual troll accuse me of being someone's alter-ego account here. The rumors are indeed spreading.

Why are so many members of Bleacher Report so concerned with alter-ego accounts here? Why do some people actually seem to fear them?

I was starting to see a pattern of obsession and paranoia going on here in this "virtual community," and that prompted me to explore this issue further and write this article.

First, let me dispel some myths and discuss some of the actualities about alter-ego accounts:

Alter-ego accounts are NOT always used for malevolent purposes, or created with nefarious intentions in mind, as some here have vehemently suggested. 

Alter egos ARE subject to B/R's Terms of Agreement policies, just like any other member, so they can be reprimanded and banned just as easily as anyone else if that person decides to conduct themselves in a disruptive or anti-social manner. 

The truth of the matter is that alter-ego accounts are generally just a way for a member to establish a new identity that allows them to express themselves in a manner that is "out of character" for their "normal" selves. 

An alter-ego account can be serious, silly, spiritual, boisterous, benevolent, madcap, odd, etc. An alter ego is essentially used as a vehicle for online role playing.

If there are writing goals that someone wishes to accomplish that seem to be too far out-of-character for their current identity, then this is where an alter ego can come in handy. 

An alter-ego account can allow a writer a generous degree of anonymity within the confines of their favorite sporting section, as well. As sports fans go, often arguments will occur when two people are fans of rival teams.

An alter-ego account can often be used to discuss a sports-related topic with a previously hostile member, or others, without having to relive any of the previous animosities exhibited by the person they were in disagreement with, or other fans of the rival team.

An alter ego can allow a writer the chance to critique a player or a team more freely without attracting a host of "enemies" that will follow that writer from thread to thread to badger them unnecessarily.

In other words, the alter ego can be used to take some of the heat off the writer in certain situations. 

The concept of an alter ego is often mistaken with that of a troll. Trolls are pretty much defined by their intention to annoy others and their propensity for maliciously disrupting online communities with their bothersome and anti-social comments and patterns.

Alter egos are generally not trolls, and usually wish to express themselves constructively rather than disruptively.

To gain some good insight into what constitutes troll-like behavior, as well as acceptable B/R etiquette, these are two links written by community members that I would highly recommend:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/170127-br-helpful-hints-comment-thread-etiquette

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/147175-trolling-what-it-is-and-how-to-fight-it

All that being said, I, Gilligan Henry Dorpfeld, will neither confirm, nor deny, that I am an alter-ego creation, as some have claimed, of an existing community member or any member of the Bleacher Report staff.

As far as I know, I'm still a snarky, witty, little person (I reject the unflattering term "midget" wholeheartedly) with bad teeth who still believes, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that professional wrestling is absolutely real. 

People here should try to remember that truth is often stranger than fiction, so I'll leave that out there as a possible hint to the truth of the matter on this subject.

Also, conventional wisdom suggests that a book should never be judged by its cover. And finally, as a side note, in cyber space every last one of us can be classified as an alter ego, if you really think about it. So why sweat it?

—Gilligan Henry Dorpfeld

aka B/R Devil's Advocate Supreme

aka Master of All Pork Rhines and Dietary Supplements 

aka Planet Earth's Ultimate All-Purpose "Go To" Guy

aka Mr. Global Fashionista

aka Enemy of All Fresh Water Fisherman

aka "Skillet"

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?