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Simply put, a “Dual” is an extra account or accounts one opens on a Message Board. Intrinsically, Duals are neutral. There doesn’t have to be a reason for them, anymore than one needs a reason why s/he has more than one email account. However, Duals have a nefarious use. They are often created for the purpose of cyberbullying.

On Delphiforums, Duals entered their Golden Age. Users would create dozens of Duals to give the impression the ‘whole world’ was against some hapless soul.

To view Diggadog and Kitty going at it is a mere “flame war”, but when there are twenty “Dogs” after one Kitty, the only choice for the poor cat is to leave the kennel. Innocent doesn’t realise all those “Dogs” are just one person, assuming Kitty has made such a heinous post the “whole” Message Board has turned against her. Innocent might join in the fray to show “solidarity”.

If you find yourself the only “cat” among dogs, check syntax. If they all “sound the same” they probably are.

Duals are usually a main facet of Cyberbullying   as a mob is the standard method of intimidation. Cyberbulling  is a way to drive someone off the Internet. The victim is to feel overwhelmed. However, the lynch mob is usually only one pathetic loser.

Before you  take attacks to heart, consider whether or not you are being targeted by one sicko, instead of a kennel. Sometimes you have done nothing at all. You are just the accidental victim of someone’s psychodrama. Other times, when someone is unable to best you in argument, he or she believes if they say the same thing under ten nick names it will have more credence.

Never assume because there are different nicks there are different people. Creating duals is the centre of Cyberbullying.

Duals, however, do have a positive side. Duals can be used to expose hypocrisy.

For example, a white straight man in his thirties is treated with far more respect than a black woman in her fifties. You can measure how others talk “down” to you once they think you are black or from a third world country.  If you are gay you can expose homophobes who pretend to be ever so liberal by suggesting a particular actor they adore is gay.

Another property of Duals is protective.

When a message board becomes heated, create another persona who lurks. The psychological impact of being “someone else”, especially after you’ve been excoriated by the hordes, allows you to view things in a more objective manner. Did the words you posted have the inference the others are responding to?

 As you know the “history” of the MB and Dual is “new”, he or she can ask questions or open old wounds inadvertantly.

“How was I suppose to know that…” is the response from Dual which you could never get away with.

To operate a Dual successful you must use a “proxy server”. This will enable you to gain a different IP address. Proxy servers are one of the most useful tools of the Internet. You connect to a Proxy, then via the Proxy to your chosen site. An I.P. catcher gains the address of the Proxy, not you. If an enemy decides to send malware to the IP revealed in the trace, it would hit the Proxy and never touch your provider or account.

There are more uses for Proxy Servers than protecting your dual. Many people never connect to the Internet save via a Proxy to protect their computers from malware. The Proxies are quite strong and well protected.

Remember to never use the same IP for yourself and your dual, this is a give away. This screams that Bubbles and Brutus are the same person.

By using a Proxy, Bubbles and Brutus can be on at the same time. As Bubbles connects from 10.19.29.38 and Brutus from 34.111.43.104 they seem to be different users. Further, change your syntax. Have one poster write in your best language, the other, sloppy using ‘cyber slang’.  Write a response in Notepad, go over it to make sure there are errors in one that are not in the syntax of the other before copying and pasting.

Bubbles might express an idea as; “I was very distressed when I heard about Jena…” where Brutus would post, “That &^&* crap in Jenna…”

Creating a Dual takes effort, especially when you do not wish to be discovered. If you intend to create one, make sure you are not uncovered. The embarrassment isn’t worth the momentary pleasure.

Further, don’t over do it.

After all, there is a point in creating a dual, and once the point is made, it is wise for one of you to disappear.