Top Ten Ways to Tell If a New Account Belongs to an Existing TopTenner

The Top Ten

  1. The profile has friends and followers despite being brand new

    Most original accounts gain members the old fashion way. They are used to create new lists and other content that other members find interesting. Those other members then choose to follow the new member so they can continue to see their contributions.

    A new account that manages to quickly attract followers above and beyond what you would expect given their contributions and the time they have spent on the site is likely a puppet account.

    I thought of making a 2nd account I case something happens to the b0ss account

  2. The profile user seems to know how the site works

    TheTopTens has a lot of moving pieces. Someone who immediately jumps in and creates posts and remixes, customizes their profile page, and interacts with other members seems like they have some experience with the site as opposed to someone who just created an account.

  3. The profile has made a remix of a TopTenner list like "the top ten users"

    How would you know how to rank such a list if you barely arrived on the site?

  4. The profile is used to send you a message

    It usually takes a while for most new members to start communicating with others. Also, by default, accounts are set to only allow people the user is following to send them messages. So a new account that immediately begins sending messages is more than a little suspect.

  5. The profile page says something like, "I'm a new user"

    If an account was just created, it doesn't seem necessary to state the obvious. Doing so is often times a sign that the person is going too far to try to be convincing.

  6. The profile comments show that the person knows about TopTenner popularity, drama, etc.

    One thing I really love about TheTopTens is that it's so underrated, everyone knows each other. I have never found another site like that.

  7. The profile username is similar to that of another TopTenner's

    Why would you create a copycat profile unless you knew the profile you are copying from belongs to a recognizable user?

  8. The profile is created for the purpose of trolling

    Does the profile only contain comments bashing other users or lists on the site? Then it makes sense the person behind it is trying to be nasty without hurting the reputation of their existing profile.

  9. The profile has lots of followers, remixes, or posts despite having few comments or lists

  10. They say on their profile that this is a second account.

    I already said this on my profile, that I used to be another user of this site, before I deleted that account. Tbh, I didn't like that account and I wanted to start all over again, that's why.

    11. The Contenders

  11. The profile user claims to be friends or relatives of an existing TopTenner

    While not a fool proof way of identifying a puppet account, this is often times a tactic people use to explain how they are so familiar with the site and are immediately connected to other users. When paired with other items on the list, it's a pretty good indicator.

  12. The user persona keeps getting more exaggerated

    Ever notice how Comparisans's grasp of the English language has deteriorated over time? The old comments were intelligible and now they read just like those posted by the RevolNiartRuasonid account. Coincidence? Nope.

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