lbone (asker) Aug 2, 2007:

yes, but Yes Shirley, it does not necessarily mean "mental disorders". And I haven't said it only means that. Any way, I think alter ego is somewhat different from 马甲. I think alter ego emphasizes the differences of something in nature – profile/nature/character, rather than only the difference in identity. Someone has an alter ego on the net if he is a male lawyer in reality and a schoolgirl in the virtual world. But if someone on the net is both schoolgirl A and schoolgirl B, I think this is not a difference in alter ego, but a difference in 马甲 (sock puppet).

Shirley Lao Aug 2, 2007:

The term "alter ego" does not necesssarily mean "mental disorders" in an Internet environment. Just have a look at the book titled "Alter Ego: Avatars and Their Creators"
http://www.amazon.com/Alter-Ego-Avatars-Their-Creators/dp/19...

Malcolm Mayfield Aug 2, 2007:

Good job on the research. Very thorough.

lbone (asker) Aug 1, 2007:

Explanation on the term Wikipedia has an entry for 马甲:

马甲:
http://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=马甲&variant=zh-cn
马甲 (网络名词):
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/馬甲_(網路名詞)

The corresponding English on Wikipedia for this Chinese term is sockpuppet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sockpuppet_(Internet)

I read through most relevant links starting from this name (both English and Chinese), and also checked all the 5 options suggested for this KudoZ question. Below are the explanations for the final decision.

I designed a combination of words to check/verify the options (described below) on Google:
1) Combination syntax: "target" + forum + IP
2) Target language: English
3) Approach: Searching and reading into/analyzing the results before making a decision.

http://www.google.com/search?num=100&complete=1&hl=zh-CN&new...

Options and comments:

Sockpuppet (suggested by Wikipedia): Verified. It's an account in a forum intentionally created and pretended to be an account of some people other than the people with the original/main account, in order to gain something.
Sock Puppet/Sock-Puppet (alternative forms): Verified.
Puppet: More frequently used for a true puppet.
Dummy: Not a word dedicated for this purpose.
Dummy Account: This is something same technically, but a dummy account is often generated for technical purpose. For example, the site administrator may create a dummy account for the convenience/safety of operation. It may not be generated for the purpose of hiding identity.
Pseudonym: A good word, but mostly on other fields. It may be a pan name/net name/nick. It is not as dedicated as sockpuppet on the meaning we expect. Pseudonyms are usually created to hide the real name, rather than to hide the identity of the main account in a forum. The people holding a pseudonym may have only one pseudonym, which does not reveal his/her real name. S/he may have no other pseudonyms.
Clan Name: A name in a clan, mostly used in games.
Avatar: This is an image for an account on the net.
Screenname/Screen Name: Display name on IM.
Handle: Seldom found.
Alter Ego: Used more for people with multiple characters/natures, not only on the net. 主要用于一个人以多重性格、面貌、特征出现，主要显示人面的多样性；并非只用于网络上。同一种alter ego可以有多个马甲，较多用于文学、心理领域。这个词与精神分裂、多重性格有关。
Alias/Nick/Nickname/Chosen Name:
In the context of information technology, a nickname (or technically a nick) is a common synonym for a screenname or handle. It means an editable/custom display name, as compared with the uneditable/fixed account name/ID.
Mask/Shield: I haven't found enough proof that these two words are for this purpose.

Shirley Lao Jul 24, 2007:

Suddenly, I remember the term "dummy account" (人頭帳戶). You may also try it.
http://203.64.185.208/glossary/comerce/show.php?char=d