I fully understand now why @choggie didn't like @blankfist... the dude has issues.

Good morning Worm your honour
The crown will plainly show
The prisoner who now stands before you
Was caught red handed

when you guys say sock puppets, that's like ghost accounts, right?

>> ^legacy0100:

when you guys say sock puppets, that's like ghost accounts, right?


Yep

The timing is highly suspicious... and this has happened right after someone gave out dft's number on Reddit by the way, so I am not taking any chances. @marinara and @eric3579 and @deathcow agree that this is serious enough to merit attention.

all the puppets say the same things
at the same time of day
with somewhat similar profiles,
and have similar birthdays

and post on issykitty's profile when they have just joined videosift yesterday.
what are the odds of 4 different accounts posting comments within 45 minutes of each other?

legacy0100
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sockpuppet_%28Internet%29

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Just had another look at the behind the scenes member information and there is no evidence of sock puppetry - but of course that all can be faked with the right amount of diligence. If this is a sock puppet campaign it's pretty obsessive to the point of being pathological. If we'd like to ban these people on our suspicions - I say we put it to a community vote.

>> ^dag:

Just had another look at the behind the scenes member information and there is no evidence of sock puppetry - but of course that all can be faked with the right amount of diligence. If this is a sock puppet campaign it's pretty obsessive to the point of being pathological. If we'd like to ban these people on our suspicions - I say we put it to a community vote.


If the sock fits...

Just so all information is out here.

I sent a message to @silverpoint16's account on Youtube and received a reply from silverpoint16's Youtube account confirming that the Youtube account and our silverpoint are the same people.

I also am Extremely Suspicious and have noted the behavior of all of the following defendants as most likely sock puppets.

@silverpoint16
@PlayhousePals
@beekinder
@pumkinandstorm
@jazzy77

BUT, there is still a small possibility that all are innocent people who coincidentally all started accounts at the same time--all upvote and comment on each others videos en masse--all show a high degree of knowledge of the ins and outs of the sift--and all have gone out of their way to poke at dft and Issy.

I don't know how much probability is needed to preemptively ban an account--I would always feel that I might have maligned an innocent person. If--IF--the silverpoint16 who has a videosift account is the woman from Canada who puts video cameras on her cats I would love to have her around--she seems very cool.

If this is the work a one person that is a very, very sad and unhinged person.

Yeah, that's all a bit creepy and disturbing. I'm not sure community vote is the best way to deal with this. I tend to favour executive decision.

They all have yt accounts, and post vids of different cats... I agree with @Boise_Lib, if it's really one person running 6 yt accounts and 6 vs accounts from different IP addresses it shows serious dedication.

If you didn't want them here, why did you upvote and promote their vids???

Oh, and the birthday thing is a vs bug.

Go and edit your profile if you don't have a birthday set and it will be set to "today".

The plot thickens.

>> ^oritteropo:

They all have yt accounts, and post vids of different cats... I agree with @Boise_Lib, if it's really one person running 6 yt accounts and 6 vs accounts from different IP addresses it shows serious dedication.
If you didn't want them here, why did you upvote and promote their vids???


I didn't say I don't want them here--I said I have my suspicions.
My suspicions were raised after I promoted and upvoted.

Do you think that running 6 different sock puppets is above blanky's abilities?
I don't.

>> ^kymbos:

Yeah, that's all a bit creepy and disturbing. I'm not sure community vote is the best way to deal with this. I tend to favour executive decision.


I agree.
I don't think a community vote will get us any closer to any objective truth.

No I don't, but I think that it is more likely that each of our vs users matches one individual yt account, and they were all created at different times and mostly well before @blankfist was banned. He is known for sock puppets, but he's hardly the only one!
>> ^Boise_Lib:

>> ^oritteropo:
They all have yt accounts, and post vids of different cats... I agree with @Boise_Lib, if it's really one person running 6 yt accounts and 6 vs accounts from different IP addresses it shows serious dedication.
If you didn't want them here, why did you upvote and promote their vids???

I didn't say I don't want them here--I said I have my suspicions.
My suspicions were raised after I promoted and upvoted.
Do you think that running 6 different sock puppets is above blanky's abilities?
I don't.

My correspondence with @silverpoint16 via Youtube.
Posted with permission.

I am not a sockpuppet

I think I begin to understand why you where checking up on me yesterday. I am communicating with you via YT to ask your advice on how to proceed because you contacted me yesterday.

The accounts in question are not sock puppet accounts. We are innocent of the charges and we are five real people.

Here's the backstory. It is not coincide that all accounts were opened within a short period of time. The 5 of us became friends on YouTube because we admired the videos each other has created. Most of them are cat channels. When one of us discovered Videosift and liked what we saw, we shared it with the others and all of us decided to set up accounts.

We are an enthusiasic, friendly and supportive group of people on YouTube and we have taken that behaviour to Videosift where we have apparently aroused some suspicions.

This group is active commenters and participants in the communities they join. And yes we have been upvoting and commenting on each other's submissions but it's because we truly like what each other has posted. Is this wrong?

I can't speak for the others but I love the Videosift site and I would hate to be banned because I have been over enthusiastic and mistaken for the sockpuppet of a guy I've never heard of before.

So what is the best way to clear up this misunderstanding? I assure you we have not been trying to deliberately harass anyone. We're just trying to make friends.

Silver

My response to silverpoint16 on Youtube.

Silver,

blankfist is an extremely intelligent and vindictive person who was rightly banned from videosift for being abusive of members here.

As far as clearing up any misunderstandings that's a hard one. Any protests you guys make could be seen (will been seen) as just another ploy by blanky. dag is a very careful person and will not take unwarranted action. If you just continue being yourselves--and avoid dystopianfuturetoday and Issykitty--you will probably be okay (as Issy has said someone posted personal information on reddit about them--if I knew who did that I would kick some ass).

I must admit that I still have doubts--but as I said if you are the person from Canada who puts video cameras on her cats I think you are neat.

Do I have your permission to post your message on the Sift Talk?

Boise_Lib

Received from silverpoint16

Yes you have my permission to post my previous message on the Sift Talk.

I understand that from your point of view it will be difficult to prove we are who we say we are. We will continue to be ourselves, those of us that choose to continue using your site. These accusations are very upsetting. I will tell the others to avoid dystopianfuturetoday and Issykitty. I am very sorry to hear that their docs have been dropped on reddit. That is very wrong and I agree that the culprit's ass should be soundly kicked.

I would like to say a word about Jazzy77. It seems a bit harsh to ban her for having the word puppet in her profile. I know she actually meant puppet as in marionette. I sincerely hope that you will reconsider that decision and ask her directly about any concerns you might have.

I am really the person from Canada who puts video cameras on her cats. I guess only time will convince you of that.

Silver

Is this proof that they are not sock puppets? No, but banning should only be used after actionable activity--not suspicious activity. We Do Not want to kick people out just because we think they might be up to something. @marinara please take the ban off of jazzy77 until we know more about this situation.

[Note to silverpoint16--I wasn't clear enough--I don't represent videosift, I'm just an interested person. dft and Issykitty are my friends and really great people who have reason to be leery--please don't think badly of them--or the sift.]

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Thanks for reaching out like this - I have to say I'm kind of intrigued. One way to prove identity would be to have these people make a short video wherein they address us directly. Although, it could be BlankFist in Mrs. Doubtfire makeup.>> ^Boise_Lib:

My correspondence with @silverpoint16 via Youtube.
Posted with permission.

I am not a sockpuppet
I think I begin to understand why you where checking up on me yesterday. I am communicating with you via YT to ask your advice on how to proceed because you contacted me yesterday.
The accounts in question are not sock puppet accounts. We are innocent of the charges and we are five real people.
Here's the backstory. It is not coincide that all accounts were opened within a short period of time. The 5 of us became friends on YouTube because we admired the videos each other has created. Most of them are cat channels. When one of us discovered Videosift and liked what we saw, we shared it with the others and all of us decided to set up accounts.
We are an enthusiasic, friendly and supportive group of people on YouTube and we have taken that behaviour to Videosift where we have apparently aroused some suspicions.
This group is active commenters and participants in the communities they join. And yes we have been upvoting and commenting on each other's submissions but it's because we truly like what each other has posted. Is this wrong?
I can't speak for the others but I love the Videosift site and I would hate to be banned because I have been over enthusiastic and mistaken for the sockpuppet of a guy I've never heard of before.
So what is the best way to clear up this misunderstanding? I assure you we have not been trying to deliberately harass anyone. We're just trying to make friends.
Silver

My response to silverpoint16 on Youtube.

Silver,
blankfist is an extremely intelligent and vindictive person who was rightly banned from videosift for being abusive of members here.
As far as clearing up any misunderstandings that's a hard one. Any protests you guys make could be seen (will been seen) as just another ploy by blanky. dag is a very careful person and will not take unwarranted action. If you just continue being yourselves--and avoid dystopianfuturetoday and Issykitty--you will probably be okay (as Issy has said someone posted personal information on reddit about them--if I knew who did that I would kick some ass).
I must admit that I still have doubts--but as I said if you are the person from Canada who puts video cameras on her cats I think you are neat.
Do I have your permission to post your message on the Sift Talk?
Boise_Lib

Received from silverpoint16

Yes you have my permission to post my previous message on the Sift Talk.
I understand that from your point of view it will be difficult to prove we are who we say we are. We will continue to be ourselves, those of us that choose to continue using your site. These accusations are very upsetting. I will tell the others to avoid dystopianfuturetoday and Issykitty. I am very sorry to hear that their docs have been dropped on reddit. That is very wrong and I agree that the culprit's ass should be soundly kicked.
I would like to say a word about Jazzy77. It seems a bit harsh to ban her for having the word puppet in her profile. I know she actually meant puppet as in marionette. I sincerely hope that you will reconsider that decision and ask her directly about any concerns you might have.
I am really the person from Canada who puts video cameras on her cats. I guess only time will convince you of that.
Silver

Is this proof that they are not sock puppets? No, but banning should only be used after actionable activity--not suspicious activity. We Do Not want to kick people out just because we think they might be up to something. @marinara please take the ban off of jazzy77 until we know more about this situation.
[Note to silverpoint16--I wasn't clear enough--I don't represent videosift, I'm just an interested person. dft and Issykitty are my friends and really great people who have reason to be leery--please don't think badly of them--or the sift.]

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Also, I'm going to unban @jazzy77

tase every last one of em

>> ^oritteropo:

Oh, and the birthday thing is a vs bug.
Go and edit your profile if you don't have a birthday set and it will be set to "today".


I must admit, I do find that one BLOODY annoying. I'm forever changing GIF images on my profile page & 9 times outta 10 I forget to change it back to dd mm yyyy so it looks like "today" is my birthday until I spot it & change it (which could be days or even WEEKS)

*Gives Siftbot a dirty look :-/

I still think they are sockpuppets. Look at their accounts. They better watch their backs...

Silverpoint16's avatar is blankfist's cat Maceo. Kind of a giveaway if you ask me.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

This is the first I've heard about this bug.>> ^Barseps:

>> ^oritteropo:
Oh, and the birthday thing is a vs bug.
Go and edit your profile if you don't have a birthday set and it will be set to "today".

I must admit, I do find that one BLOODY annoying. I'm forever changing GIF images on my profile page & 9 times outta 10 I forget to change it back to dd mm yyyy so it looks like "today" is my birthday until I spot it & change it (which could be days or even WEEKS)
Gives Siftbot a dirty look :-/

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Can we see some pics?>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

Silverpoint16's avatar is blankfist's cat Maceo. Kind of a giveaway if you ask me.

In UR PM, @dag.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I hope this period on the Sift doesn't become known as "The Great Furry Massacre of 2012".

And so it came to be known...

It's just a bizarre set of events all round.>> ^dag:

I hope this period on the Sift doesn't become known as "The Great Furry Massacre of 2012".

Hi everyone. I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jennifer and I have had an account on youtube since July where I post videos of my cats Pum'kin, Storm and Beauty. I recently found out about this great site and since you were all so supportive and welcoming, I passed the word along to some of my other youtube friends that it would be a cool site to join. That's probably why you've noticed a few extra cat people on here recently. We are all very active members on youtube and really enjoy social interaction. I believe we have all posted our youtube sites on our profiles if you would like to find out more about us. You will see that we are all very active on youtube and are friends. My sincerest apologies if we have offended anyone. I can vouch for all of these people that they are a very sweet bunch of girls that are VERY supportive and would never harass anyone or downvote a video. I was just being friendly and trying to get to know people here just as I do on youtube. If I see a cat profile pic, I automatically go out of my way to get to know that person. I certainly didn't mean to "harass" anyone and I have no idea who this sock puppet person is. We have been enjoying all of your videos very much and have been excited to discover this wonderful site. If you have any questions about my account, or that of the other girls please feel free to ask us. I have contact lock on my youtube account to control spam but if you want to get in touch with me there, write to me on my youtube channel wall, I can add you as a contact and send you a note.
Sincerely, Jennifer

>> ^dag:
Can we see some pics?>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
Silverpoint16's avatar is blankfist's cat Maceo. Kind of a giveaway if you ask me.


I have a 2nd youtube account for personal/private videos and it has a video with me in it dedicated to my friend Silverpoint16...posted as well is my picture in the profile pic. Please feel free to see that account as well.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jenniferwaine

sorry for the accusations. Really I'm very wrong.

But please don't post any more messages on Dystopianfuturetoday's and Issykitty's profile.

>> ^marinara:
sorry for the accusations. Really I'm very wrong.
But please don't post any more messages on Dystopianfuturetoday's and Issykitty's profile.


That's ok It really is a wonderful site and as you can see from my profile, I have been watching and upvoting a very large number of your videos as well as trying to leave positive comments. I will not bother Dystopianfuturetoday or Issykitty again.

>> ^chingalera:
^ "I can vouch for all of these people that they are a very sweet bunch of girls that are VERY supportive and would never harass anyone or downvote a video"
Well THAT'S no fun!?
Looks like all the cat women came clean through one suspicious, "alleged" female character and co-conspirators to some cuteness-spamming plot with Videosift in their sites.
These cutesy-types infect the interwebs with their smarmy, gooey offerings. Self-cleaning, fish-breathed demons is what they are! Sent to steal our souls while we sleep while pissing and shitting in boxes!!


LOL! That's cute!

The avatar is my beloved dead lilac point Siamese cat Belle who was with me for 19.5 years. As for pictures here is a birthday video I did for one of my friends that also has two of the cats you can see in my videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRJ5h9iOfQc


>> ^pumkinandstorm:

>> ^dag:
Can we see some pics?>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
Silverpoint16's avatar is blankfist's cat Maceo. Kind of a giveaway if you ask me.


I have a 2nd youtube account for personal/private videos and it has a video with me in it dedicated to my friend Silverpoint16...posted as well is my picture in the profile pic. Please feel free to see that account as well.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jenniferwaine

>> ^kulpims:

omg, I loved reading this. the suspense, the collective paranoia ... much better than any movie I've seen this year


gawd i have such a man-crush on @kulpims.
i shall now create multiple accounts on random sites and stalk him.

Problem?

Wow I came into this drama late in the game. I am rather shocked by it all. I am a puppeteer who makes cat videos (see an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8aqSvWpSoc) I am not a sockpuppet plotting evil attacks on users here. I am innocent even though it looks like I was found guilty without a trial. Thank you to those folks here who stood up for my friends and I. Yes we are all youtube creators and new here. Now some of us are trying to lick our wounds from this character assault. I am limping away and thinking to myself.. Forgive them for they know what not they do. I was loving it on the site too> Ok I will have to think about this awhile.

Thank you Silverpoint16 and pumkinandstorm for trying to enlighten this group.

How are probies voting on each others' videos? Didn't siftbot used to prevent that?


To the accused -- don't sweat the weird reaction. Like all communities, VS needs it drama, but being fairly small and insular, sometimes it's necessary to stir some up.

Now that is just massive dickitude. I wouldn't think that was blankfist though, unless he's gone to a whole new level of asshole.
>> ^Issykitty:

The timing is highly suspicious... and this has happened right after someone gave out dft's number on Reddit by the way, so I am not taking any chances. @marinara and @eric3579 and @deathcow agree that this is serious enough to merit attention.

More sad drama over naught.

There really didn't seem to be much evidence these accounts were a bunch of sock-puppets, particularly because their IP addresses are all geographically disparate. It seemed to me they were a group of YouTube friends who joined the Sift and started uploading and voting on the videos of one another (carefully tip-toeing around our no-self-linking policy).

The presence of "puppet" on someone's profile should not be cause enough for immediate banination, nor should a cat-lover posting a comment on another apparent cat-lover's profile (who has a cat avatar and "Kitty" in their username), nor should having a cat of the same breed as a banned member's. Looking at their comment histories, there didn't seem to be any harassing comments directed at anyone.

I understand the sensitivity to potential attack, but please let's all find some meaningful evidence before wrongfully convicting enthusiastic new members. For example, @votedem (who commented above) is a blankfist sock-puppet and has been banned.

OK, so, in the future, can we not go all witch-hunt and court of the commons, and just PM lucky760 if we have these kinds of suspicions? Especially if the foundation is so flimsy?

I mean, I enjoy a good shaming in the public square, but then it has to be very egregious and very obvious.

I've got a confession to make...I too *pulls off mask* am a SOCKPUPPET

For the record, I believe blankfist is in on this still. Just so you understand where my suspicion is coming from, the day after I outed his last sockpuppet I got strange area code hang ups on my phone and a text asking if I was 'mypasswordispretty'. I pressed the texter for more details and he said the number had been posted on reddit, though there was no record of the number or account when I got home to check. With such suspicious timing, think it's fair to assume there is a connection. Shortly after this the cat crew got going and left comments for both issy and I, which I found odd.

Also, if you compare youtube comments to VS comments, playhouse pals appears to be doing a bad impersonation of his youtube counterpart, not to mention the disparity in volume of comments.

youtube comments over the past year.

http://www.youtube.com/comment_search?so=date&q=RockyBDemilleFan

Videosift comments over the last week.

http://videosift.com/usercomments/PlayhousePals

And what about this guy?...
http://videosift.com/talk/Blankfists-new-sock-puppets?loadcomm=1#comment-1432626

Anyway, just thought I'd add my opinion on all this.

@dystopianfuturetoday

That @votedem account is an old sock-puppet from last year, and he commented out of jest because he had nothing to do with these members and has a different looking cat.

I just communicated with blankfist directly, and I sincerely believe he had nothing to do with the reddit incident (and doesn't even know about it), that he has no other sock-puppets on the Sift, and that he has no intentions to lash out against you here or anywhere else.

There's no way to prove a negative, but I honestly think you're barking up the wrong tree on this one. All of those YouTubers are real people and by all accounts are upstanding members of the Sift, and there's really no indication they are all in league with blankfist.

It's a bit of a stretch to analyze a person's comments and conclude it must be blankfist pretending to comment like them. Plus, there's no motive for long-term fakery like that. If someone wanted to submit a ST post or video or comment about you, they could do it immediately instead of waiting days or weeks, while carefully plotting a series of fake comments.

Understood, but I'm still not convinced.

I talked to blankfist earlier this day on Facebook and told him about this sockpuppetry. of course, I asked him if he has anything to do with it. he denied it, of course, and we talked some more while following this thread on VS. he also told me about this @votedem account ... just wanted to say it was a good laugh all around you're a paranoid bunch

This is fucking retarded.

@jazzy77: hey, any exposure is good here on the sift. I'm sure everyone will be super nice to you from now on cause they're ashamed for being such fools. your videos will produce many many many new cat addicts and you'll be on siftcrack in no time. happy ending for all. btw, visit my private queue. lots of cat videos in there

Some of you have probably succeeded in chasing away the nicest group of people you could hope to meet in any forum. For some people facts are just totally inconvenient. There is a life lesson in this and I hope some of you take that to heart. Sometimes when you connect the dots, you are just connecting dots and not anything more. Knowing the difference is what makes all the difference.

For those of you who stood up and challenged the unfounded accusations, I sincerely thank you, that does hearten me. If you enjoy cat videos and the occasional nature video please feel free to join in our fun on YouTube anytime. Having fun, laughing and playing nice is the only price of admission.

>> ^marinara:

sorry for the accusations. Really I'm very wrong.
But please don't post any more messages on Dystopianfuturetoday's and Issykitty's profile.


Thank you for that. I have no desire to contact anyone who has so hugely misunderstood my intentions. May we all go in peace.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Group hug.

Setting the topic at hand aside, I think we should have a discussion on cat video aesthetics. Anyone can put a cute cat in a tea pot and film it. That doesn't make a great cat video. It ads nothing to the genre. And when you slather on the library music and cheesy home editing software titles and visuals, you border on parody. Don't pull a Lucas and try to cover up weak narrative by overloading it with graphics. Careless cat video production can risk proving cat video critics - who believe the genre to be a bunch of empty oohing and awwing with no artistic merit - to be correct.

You all need to study up on your cat video history. Look at the greats, study their work and discover what made them great. From Keyboard Cat's deft digits and flamboyant attire, to Stealth Cat's mastery of movement, to OMG cat's gift for physical comedy. Cats that can sing, climb or have narcolepsy are also fine contributors to the genre. Once you understand the basics of your craft, it is then AND ONLY THEN that you can begin to find your own cat video voice.

And once you have created a good video, you need to support it with appropriate commentary instead of overly saccharin glurge. I don't care who you are, that is not important to me. What is of major fucking importance is that you respect the craft and are responsible with what you choose to share with others on the internet.

Remember MySpace: Never again!

Good day to you.

Play them off keyboard cat:

I am still of two minds about whether I want to anything to do with this site any more. We have been harassed and our characters assaulted. Most of you appear to now believe we are who we say we are. Some of you do not. That's fine. You are entitled to your opinion; however, the harassment and personal character assaults need to stop.

Thank you to all of you who looked at the evidence and drew their own conclusions.

Either way.

Wow, having just read this... this was horrendously handled.

As said above, this should have REALLY been handled in private messages to lucky/dag by those who had concerns. Publicly airing suspicions with no facts to back them up has resulted in people feeling really set upon and outcast from the get go.

Very sad

And from reading the comments on DFT and Issy's profiles, man they were harmless to a fault.

Blankfist must have really done a number on you guys to get you so twitchy.

Drama...intrigue...conspiracy...love...betrayal.

Game of Thrones has NOTHING on this place.

@spoco2 - Just so it's clear, what you described was how it was handled initially. dft contacted me about his suspicions, and I did a bit of research into the group of new members and reported back that they are all likely who they claim to be. I don't know how or why it went from there to @marinara instabanning jazzy77 and starting this post.

@PlayhousePals @silverpoint16 @beekinder @pumkinandstorm @jazzy77 -
As has been stated by most everyone (except dystopianfuturetoday, who remains paranoid because he's the one fearful of who he's still convinced you all are), this entire debacle should not have happened. Please don't let it spoil the Sift for you.

Now let's put all this ridiculousness behind us, shall we?

>> ^deathcow:

Good morning Worm your honour
The crown will plainly show
The prisoner who now stands before you
Was caught red handed


Paranoia will destroy ya

[Peering out from under cover] ...

So, is it safe to come out and play now? Thank you to the many defenders of reason here and to mariana in particular for the much appreciated personal apology. I assure one and all that I am who I am [and that's all that I am], One R'd cheRi, denizen of the Emerald City, caterer to the Playhouse Pals at your service =o)

http://videosift.com/video/Can-t-Hug-Every-Cat

>> ^silverpoint16:

I am still of two minds about whether I want to anything to do with this site any more. We have been harassed and our characters assaulted. Most of you appear to now believe we are who we say we are. Some of you do not. That's fine. You are entitled to your opinion; however, the harassment and personal character assaults need to stop.
Thank you to all of you who looked at the evidence and drew their own conclusions.


I've been pretty level headed about this entire thread until I read this. For some reason, the way you worded that just set something off in me.

Let me make something clear to you from the start:

You're going to take some flak.

Videosift is a fantastic place full of MANY different opinions on many different things. We come from all over the world and generally are considered a community rather than an outright forum. Since there's less people than youtube, we can basically actually talk TO one another. You'll see the same names leaving comments and upvoting on many different videos, joking around, etc. And as such, you're eventually going to do or say something someone doesn't like.

We have Winstonfield_pennypacker and Quantummushroom as die-hard republicans that on basically any political video you'll see them say something (at least I consider to be) stupid and that'll spark an argument, and then two videos later you'll see QM say something that'll actually make you laugh out loud.

On religious videos we have many heated debates, the sift as a whole is generally considered Atheist, and will argue til they're blue in the face about certain topics.

On police videos there's a few of us (myself included) that don't instantly hop on the "COP IS IN THE WRONG, FUCK DA PO PO" bandwagon, and will generally be caught in a debate or argument about it.

Essentially what i'm trying to say is.. We're not youtube. You're not going to be a blank face in the crowd, you have a personality, you have ideals, you have your own mindset, and here you'll get to express it amongst others. But be prepared to have others not always agree with them.

So, if you want to just blend in, say what you want, and make sure your feelings don't get hurt, go ahead and leave.

If you want to be a part of something that with the bad, also comes a world of good, then stay. Enjoy our little community. Just be prepared for what that entails if you do.

Next Videosift Version Request:
Ability to *quality a comment.

@Shepppard

For the record, the appearance of the Trilateral Cat Commission coincided perfectly with some on and offline harassment I'd suffered involving sock puppets. I've come to the conclusion that mounting a troll campaign this complex would be difficult and extremely time consuming - not to mention batshit insane. So, sorry for the misunderstanding or congrats on being batshit insane, whichever the case may be.

Considering the content and comment style of the TriCateral Commission, I think you folks might be better suited for Cute Overload (http://cuteoverload.com/). Most of the videos you have posted are home videos, which are generally discouraged on this site. There is a site rule about not self posting which was designed specifically to keep the home videos to a minimum, but you have found a creative work around by group voting each others submissions. Also, overly cutesy comments in large volume (e.g. "That kitty is a little slice of heaven." "With whip cream" "Don't forget the cherry on top" "mmm...cherries" "Kitty Sundae!" "lolzers") may not go over so well.

Once again, if you haven't checked out CuteOverload yet, it is truly a slice of kitty heaven with whip cream and a cherry on top and some maple syrup and a scoop of chocolate icing for good measure. You will love it. http://cuteoverload.com/

If you decide to stick around, I won't bother you too much, unless you try to defend the Gold Standard or something crazy like that.

Happy trails.

I think the way this was handled was perfectly fine. It's never been any different here, you'll always get some of us who are onside with each other and some not. Everyone gets to say their piece, eventually it all gets resolved one way or another, it always does.

I hate it when people start putting people down for doing what they thought was right at the time, fucking micromanaging people's feelings, as if that's even possible when you chuck a bunch of humans together and give them carte blanche. It will be a tragic day for me if this place becomes anything more than beautifully dysfunctional!

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

Most of the videos you have posted are home videos, which are generally discouraged on this site. There is a site rule about not self posting which was designed specifically to keep the home videos to a minimum, but you have found a creative work around by group voting each others submissions. Also, overly cutesy comments in large volume (e.g. "That kitty is a little slice of heaven." "With whip cream" "Don't forget the cherry on top" "mmm...cherries" "Kitty Sundae!" "lolzers") may not go over so well.
VS is a complex culture, and like any culture you should approach it with humility until you have earned the respect of the community. After that, you are welcome to come up with all the wild probie conspiracy theories you like. If you act aggressive or entitled like silverpoint16 did, you may run into trouble.
Happy trails.

Yeah, new guys! Our local stupid cat video cabal already has it's own voting group AND our own Queen of Cutesy Comments who already generates large volumes of vacuous drivel. So, until you've earned our respect by regularly upvoting said drivel and the accompanying videos, just watch your step! There's only so much * Cute to go around, and we were here FIRST!

>> ^Shepppard:

>> ^silverpoint16:
I am still of two minds about whether I want to anything to do with this site any more. We have been harassed and our characters assaulted. Most of you appear to now believe we are who we say we are. Some of you do not. That's fine. You are entitled to your opinion; however, the harassment and personal character assaults need to stop.
Thank you to all of you who looked at the evidence and drew their own conclusions.

I've been pretty level headed about this entire thread until I read this. For some reason, the way you worded that just set something off in me.
Let me make something clear to you from the start:
You're going to take some flak.
Videosift is a fantastic place full of MANY different opinions on many different things. We come from all over the world and generally are considered a community rather than an outright forum. Since there's less people than youtube, we can basically actually talk TO one another. You'll see the same names leaving comments and upvoting on many different videos, joking around, etc. And as such, you're eventually going to do or say something someone doesn't like.
We have Winstonfield_pennypacker and Quantummushroom as die-hard republicans that on basically any political video you'll see them say something (at least I consider to be) stupid and that'll spark an argument, and then two videos later you'll see QM say something that'll actually make you laugh out loud.
On religious videos we have many heated debates, the sift as a whole is generally considered Atheist, and will argue til they're blue in the face about certain topics.
On police videos there's a few of us (myself included) that don't instantly hop on the "COP IS IN THE WRONG, FUCK DA PO PO" bandwagon, and will generally be caught in a debate or argument about it.
Essentially what i'm trying to say is.. We're not youtube. You're not going to be a blank face in the crowd, you have a personality, you have ideals, you have your own mindset, and here you'll get to express it amongst others. But be prepared to have others not always agree with them.
So, if you want to just blend in, say what you want, and make sure your feelings don't get hurt, go ahead and leave.
If you want to be a part of something that with the bad, also comes a world of good, then stay. Enjoy our little community. Just be prepared for what that entails if you do.


I like much of what you posted here. If I read correctly, you and I seem to have many things in common: Not a Republican? [check] Atheist? [check] Maligning Cops? [my Mom was the very first female police radio dispatcher in this major metropolitan area and my Dad was the booking sergeant in the city jail ... let's just say I agree that *they* aren't all bad and leave it at that] Couldn't wait to move out of the house when I turned 18? [check] though your mileage may vary, I just had to toss that in there.

Regarding your generalized description of YouTube I can only relay to you MY experience with it. I joined in July 2006. It was the only social network I belonged to up until this past year. In January 2011 I submitted two videos for a contest and to my delight, one was selected for the project. It was then that I discovered how much I enjoyed the experience of making videos so started from scratch with a little Kodak PlaySport camera. I eventually bought some software and began to teach myself editing. I may not be one of the big players on the tube, but I did find out that there are some truly wonderful, REAL people there. I was steadily attracting viewers and subscribers worldwide and that morphed into an actual online community for me. I've experienced many gratifying interactions through collaborations, comments and banter and have found a good number of folks that I've come to admire and respect. Some have become very good friends. I never once felt like a blank face in the crowd and found great joy in supporting and encouraging those that impressed me. My goal was and is to tailor my comments to relate to the subject matter at hand and, more often than not, attempt to infuse a bit of humor as well. Rarely will you see anything generic from me [unless I'm really, really tired]. That being said, I certainly would never expect ANYONE to BE like me ... I fully appreciate and embrace diversity. However, I don't engage in bullying, deliberate rudeness or intimidation because, like most folks, I have a lot of stress in my life and the time I get to spend away from it on the interwebs is my coveted escape.

All of the above came crashing down for me personally when Google took over YT and changed everything to the dreaded NewTube. Seemingly overnight my progression of new subscribers simply ceased. Views diminished and everything has basically ground to a halt. I still have and treasure most of my core supporters but much of the community aspect has diminished to the point where Ive found myself searching for something more rewarding on the side. VS was recommended to me and in the first couple of days after signing up I was duly impressed. It is by far the best community site I've experienced yet.

Is it a double standard for me to support the friends who have also joined and are currently the only people I know here? I sure hope not. My goal was and is to earn the respect of others already established in this community through my participation and conduct. Not a one of us intended to take over what you have here ... at first blush it appeared to be an exceptional place to be. Time will tell. I have hope.

I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure...

After talking with lucky, I believe my on and off line "harassment" were likely NOT related. I'm not sure how my pn ended up on reddit. Perhaps it was a complete accident. I don't really know, but that incident really angered me and sent me into paranoia land. So, again, sorry to the TriCateral Commission and a certain prominent ex sifter - I'm glad to know that you really didn't post my shit on reddit.

Thank you to those on the site who were looking out for me. That was genuinely touching.

I suck.

Now lets post some fucking cat videos!

@dystopianfuturetoday has issued a mea culpa and self-imposed a two week ban as punishment for all that has befallen the kitty crew as a result of his suspicions. It takes a big man to admit he's wrong.

See you in two weeks!

I agree that it does take a big man to admit he's wrong. Thank you @dystopianfuturetoday. As far as I am concerned this incident is closed. Let's forget it ever happened and if you want cat videos we can certainly oblige. >> ^lucky760:

@dystopianfuturetoday has issued a mea culpa and self-imposed a two week ban as punishment for all that has befallen the kitty crew as a result of his suspicions. It takes a big man to admit he's wrong.
See you in two weeks!

A "mea culpa" was enough, IMMHO.

did I mention I hate cat videos? nah, just kidding. but it has to be a damn cute looking kitten to get my upvote:) welcome to the sift. as you've seen by now, VS is full of cat lovers. except me and some dude who posted only videos of llamas, off all creatures ...
>> ^silverpoint16:

I agree that it does take a big man to admit he's wrong. Thank you @dystopianfuturetoday. As far as I am concerned this incident is closed. Let's forget it ever happened and if you want cat videos we can certainly oblige. >> ^lucky760:
@dystopianfuturetoday has issued a mea culpa and self-imposed a two week ban as punishment for all that has befallen the kitty crew as a result of his suspicions. It takes a big man to admit he's wrong.
See you in two weeks!

I miss blankfist. In his honor, I will speak for him and say:

I like turtles.

You all ready to have make up sex yet? All this vagina monologuing is getting boring.

Oh, and dag is an evil oppressive banmaster, whose judgment I trust implicitly (unless he bans someone I like, or me).

Problem?

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

Now lets post some fucking cat videos!


YUH Like that will pass the dagwood test.

This is so fucking retarded, I'm outta here. All the best fellow sifters, it's been fun.

I think maybe those diamonds are actually crack rocks because they seem to be making a lot of sifters do downright crazy shit lately.

>> ^Fletch:

A "mea culpa" was enough, IMMHO.


No shit!

>> ^Hybrid:

This is so fucking retarded, I'm outta here. All the best fellow sifters, it's been fun.


You can't leave when you are only 200 star points from 1337!

Seriously, hope you are kidding. It sounds almost as rash as the shit that started all this sock puppet insanity. Go watch this and chill out. You'll feel better. Easter eggs have a very calming effect on people.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

He's not leaving.


I love this place and I love you all. Stuff like this reminds me of why VideoSift is a real community and will be around for a long time to come.

>> ^dag:

He's not leaving.


I read that as:

< door locking noise >
He's not leaving.
Nobody is.

Now... I'm going to show you some cat videos... AND YOU'RE ALL GOING TO LOL!!!>> ^deathcow:

>> ^dag:
He's not leaving.

I read that as:
< door locking noise >
He's not leaving.
Nobody is.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

You read it correctly. Don't make me stalk you all.>> ^deathcow:

>> ^dag:
He's not leaving.

I read that as:
< door locking noise >
He's not leaving.
Nobody is.

Hmmm. Is there a TL:DR version of this?

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

TLDR: Meow! Hiss! Meow! Purr.>> ^Deano:

Hmmm. Is there a TL:DR version of this?

You know it's a cold day in hell when I'm the bastion of reason.
>> ^xxovercastxx:

I think maybe those diamonds are actually crack rocks because they seem to be making a lot of sifters do downright crazy shit lately.

What the fuck is going on here!?

I'm disgusted with this sort of nonsense, which rears its nasty little head far too often. I'm fucking pissed at all of you, except kulpims.

I would just like to say I am not a sock puppet. The only hand you will find up my ass is my own.


uhh ...that came out wrong.


...so did that.


Imma shut up now.

I would just like to admit publicly that I'm a blankfist sockpuppet. Sorry guys.

I like turtles

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

You're all figments of my imagination.

>> ^MrFisk:

What the fuck is going on here!?
I'm disgusted with this sort of nonsense, which rears its nasty little head far too often. I'm fucking pissed at all of you, except kulpims.

I didn't say nuttin' but ok, it's on.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I'm honoured to make the 100th comment on this fine, fine post.

0b1100101

Alrighty then, riddle me this...

Who above is actually a serial sock puppet?

Only @votedem I think.
>> ^chicchorea:

Alrighty then, riddle me this...
Who above is actually a serial sock puppet?

This was really handled poorly.