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[Talimar1]

How do puppetmasters keep their Facebook up?

[Nighthawk]

The simple answer:

1) Make them as real as possible.

If you do a sufficiently good job of creating the character, it would theoretically be indistinguishable from a real person. I know of at least one PM here that used Facebook quite often with great success because of the diligence he took in making the characters believable.

2) Do not initiate contact with anyone that isn't playing your game.

It's perfectly acceptable to have zero friends on your Facebook profile; it will not be looked at as an oversight. You start friending random people, or sending messages to complete strangers, and pretty soon they're gonna want to talk and ask questions.

3) Do not respond to any messages from people that aren't playing the game.

Not responding at all is better than saying "this person isn't real; leave me alone."

4) Do not join any networks, if you can avoid it.

Joining a network makes it easier for strangers to reach out to you, which is precisely what you don't want.

This includes listing real companies as employers, real schools for education, etc... It's a very high risk.

[ndemeter]

I think the key here is that you have had initiated contact with people that do not know you or want to participate in the game. Even though you are willing to accomodate them, when FB gets a complaint they will look at your account and if found bogus it will be deleted.

Follow Nighthawk's rule no. 2 and everything should be just fine.

[FLmutant]

The line between deception and storytelling is defined by the participant's expectation ... this is a constant theme with this genre.

[Talimar1]

Thanks for your help. I guess my idea of using Facebook as a trailhead wasn't such a good idea. I guess you live and learn. Thanks for the help from everyone. My main problem was I made it too real and the police where about to be called in, and so I had to explain. From now on, I will follow these rules by Nighthawk.