=====Sockpuppeting=====

Moderators have found you have a link with the deal/company you have posted. And as a result you have been banned.


===  what have i done wrong? ===
For the purposes of ChoiceCheapies, it's posting a deal, comment or voting while not declaring that you are affiliated with the company.

Some examples:

   *A person posts a deal pretending to be a customer when they are actually the business owner.

   *A friend, family member, or employee posts a deal without declaring affiliation.

   *The OP creates multiple ghost accounts which then vote or comment on the deal.


=== How long have i been banned for? ===

 The length of your ban (e.g. permanently or 1 month) depends on:
   *the severity of the incident
   *initiating a dialogue with us through the [[http://www.ChoiceCheapies.com.au/forum/10041|Talk with Mod forum]]
   *an explanation of the sockpuppeting
   *what policies you set to prevent this in the future
   *whether the sockpuppeting was intentional

Whilst many users & stores have been permanently banned for sockpuppeting, some have come back. These companies have imposed a strict social media policy and become valuable members of ChoiceCheapies.

=== Are you guilty of sockpuppeting? ===

Are you....
   *working for the company? (all tiers - including management!)
   *on the companies payroll?
   *designing the companies website?
   *working as a marketer for this company?
   *designing/making/producing the product being sold?
   *related to someone mentioned above?
   *a contractor for this company?

have you....
   *been asked by someone to post on this site?
   *been offered money/prizes/incentives to post this deal?

If yes, its okay! All you need to do is declare your affiliation

If its a direct affiliation - select the store from the 'I am associated with:' drop-down list.

If you are associated with another store that is related to or mentioned in the deal (e.g. third-party blog, price comparison site, brand representative etc), you can select your website. If it doesn't appear as an option, please [[https://www.cheapies.nz/forum/10041|ask the moderators to set up your association on the system]]. 

If you're unsure, just write it in the body of the deal.

Example: "Disclosure: I worked here over the holidays"

*** If you believe this was unpublished for the wrong reason or would like the deal reassessed by a different moderator, please [[ http://www.ChoiceCheapies.com.au/forum/10041 | contact the moderators]]. ***

** However, lying to moderators will result in ban extensions, including permanent bans **



=== References===


[[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sockpuppet|Wikipedia:Sockpuppeting]]



[[http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/8912|OzBargain: Sockpuppeting]]