SilverWook said:

Alas, mods are not omniscient. If anyone has proof Mr. Olie the 2nd is a sock, kindly provide it to the mods. Anybody maintaining a sock account at this point is taking a calculated risk. Is it really worth it?

AFAIK, nobody was given special permission for anything, certainly not from me. Joke socks were likely tolerated so long as they were obvious, and didn't stink up serious threads. It takes just one or two people to piss in the pool and ruin it for everyone.

In this forum, I don't believe in coincidence. Ric Olie 2 didn't just materialize out of nowhere from some newbie that just happened to choose that name blindly when joining. That name was chosen for a reason, but by whom, I do not know.

It is my guess that these socks probably weren't meant to exist outside the "off topic" forum. That is why some of us that don't normally have a reason to peruse this section had no real idea who they were ..... making it easier for them to slink around the main forum mostly undetected. With some of their alter-egos being regulars in the main forum it was only a matter of time before things got out of hand.