Is Hank Azaria posting in this group? If you read the thread by the poster calling himself "timer" who posted in the "Comic Shop Guy real name", you can't help but think this was written by Mr. Azaria himself. There are two threads by him, the second of which is a very detailed description of how he created the Comic Shop Guy character.
To anyones knowledge, have any of the other personalities from the show ever posted in this group?
Hank is the big enchilada in my opinion, he does the voices of my favorite characters.
This is from http://www.snpp.com/guides/lisa-4.html#4.2.5
Have any of them actually posted to the newsgroup?
Bill Oakley (executive producer, Seasons Seven & Eight) openly posted to a.t.s. during the early/mid 1990s when few network executives and most Simpsons fans had little clue to what the internet was. His posts were usually in the form of giving upcoming episode spoilers to everyone. In fact, this helped inspire much of what SNPP would become in that department.
The only cast members to post using their real names are Harry Shearer and Yeardley Smith. Smith made one post in 1994 regarding an interview someone had posted with her to the group, basically thanking them for the task and for the interest in her career. Shearer made a series of posts in March 1998 about the then ongoing contract negotiations between the voice actors and the network. In each of these cases, the nature of the posts made them widely believed to be authentic.
Composer Alf Clausen and music editor Bob Beecher have posted information on the soundtrack albums when they were about to be released.
It was also found that Mike Scully posted to a.t.s. anonymously using the e-mail address "[email]". It is now defunct, so don't think about sending him your suggestions.
Regardless, any post appearing to originate from a member of the Simpsons production staff or cast should be met with considerable skepticism. It is remotely possible, though unlikely, that some members of the cast and staff do post anonymously.
There was one interview I think where David Silverman admitted to occasionally posting (anonymously I assume), apparently in the "you idiots! Its a cartoon" vein, in reaction to some of the discussions he would find. He didn't mention this group but I'm assuming he was referring to it. Possibly chat rooms I guess.
This was pure speculation, but around the time of Maude Flanders' death, an occasional poster was believed to be hated Simpsons writer Ian Maxtone-Graham.
Also, David S./X. Cohen (not a Xino reference) used to post Futurama tidbits when that show was still on. He's a very nice guy. (Cohen, not Kiner.)
I'm sure this is on a FAQ somewhere, but IMG had been hired as a Simpsons writer allegedly without having watched a single episode, leading him to write for characters he didn't know the names of. Furthermore he had insulted the fandom in a publicized interview, calling ATS the 'beetle-browed fans of the Internet' or some such. He's also of note for having written Maude Flanders' death episode, "Alone Again, Natura-diddly," widely considered the series' worst shark jump.