I've been looking at the contribution records of some interesting editors and come across what I believe may be a new phenomenon (new to me at least). As opposed to sock puppetry (one person, many accounts) it seems that some editors are either astonishing polymaths or, more likely, polyvalent: that is, a group of people with disparate interests quietly using a single account. This isn't the same as role accounts, representing a single group or body corporate with a single agenda, I just mean a group that chooses to use a common login name. I call this teampuppetry.

I can't yet assess the motivation behind such a group. Perhaps they're just good friends. Perhaps it's a performance art thing. Perhaps it's a quick way of getting to admin status.

It seems to me a unifying concept behind a number of little puzzles. Does anyone else think it makes sense?

That idea has been around for quite some time, actually, though obviously you won't find many people admitting it. The idea is to amass a large number of edits, new pages, etc., so as to get the account to the point at which it can pass an RfA in a relatively short time, reducing each individual's workload during the process. The admin account is then used to bolster the individual accounts of the team members in disputes, as well as the usual things admin accounts are famous for.

I'd assume it's sort of an "honor amongst thieves" system - if one of the team should try to take personal control over the account (by changing the password without telling the others), the others will just rat him out somehow. Still, I would think you wouldn't want to do that with people you didn't know personally, and/or work with.

I've never heard of this happening (although I know it's been speculated about in one or two instances). It's certainly possible, but many people have multiple real-life interests that translate into their Wikipedia editing. Most of my new pages created were about judges, but I've also done mainspace editing involving the Ramones and Nero Wolfe, among other things. (I definitely want to see [[Nero Wolfe]] get to FA.) If I hadn't been diverted into administrating and arbitrating (and to an extent bickering here), I'd have lots more such contributions. But the accountholder is still just me......

I have such little faith in human nature, or if you prefer such a great faith in human frailty, as to believe that if such a thing were happening on anything but a very, very limited scale one of the members of such a group would have fallen out with the rest and in a desire to settle the score would have exposed the rest.

Charles Matthews is all over the place on different topics. Surely he isnt several people.

....and there are still whole areas that I am interested in that I have not launched into big time on wiki too. I have done little with RPGs really, and not much with football (soccer, rugby league and aerial ping pong), mythology, occult etc. But all the biology stuff is easier as it is right there on my bookshelf. Aah well...

Gosh, that worked better than I had hoped. Qui s'excuse, s'accuse. Two in the net, neither of them on my list.

The Tag-Team Editing Society! We are legion!

It's a fair cop 'guv. Where do I 'and meself in?

Report directly to your nearest gaols, forming an orderly queue. Tell them I sent you.

"Where do we 'and ourselfs in?" isn't it?

What? Are you a teampuppet member as well? I'm shocked, deeply shocked.

No, just a pedant who can't help but riff on (real or perceived) typos and the like. I was correcting the original poster, not claiming to join his team.

I can make plenty of mistakes all by my lonesome, so not to worry.

I'd defy anyone to mimic my style sufficiently well that it wouldn't be blatantly obvious that my account was being shared, much less three or four others. Not saying that's necessarily a good thing, just saying.

Show us an example of a group doing this, please. Idle speculation is fine, but it isn't idle anymore if
backed up with at least one concrete story.

And you do realize, such would be an obvious violation of WP: GAMING THE SYSTEM?
(Of course, it's only bad if non-cabalistas do it.)

No, I call that Systematizing the Game ...

Ja Ja