How to Deal with Trolls

[kingofkings]

 

If you’re feeling like “OMG WTF” when scrolling your comment thread, you may be dealing with a troll. Trolls aren’t just readers or customers who are complaining about your product or service; these are creatures, spawned of the Internet, with the sole purpose of being a nuisance or creating a destructive presence on your site. Trolls don’t have legitimate grievances and they don’t want to talk rationally about their concerns.

 

They want to cause a commotion and they want attention. But before you take the bait and start responding to comments like “You mad, bro?” consider these tips for dealing with trolls on your blog or social-networking sites:

 

Don’t Feed the Trolls

 

The most common advice given by fellow bloggers and Internet users in dealing with trolls is “Don’t feed the trolls.” In other words, don’t

give them want they want: Attention. Don’t respond to their comments, and don’t recognize their presence in any way.

 

The common wisdom is that no matter how you respond, trolls will find a way to keep flaming you or trying to get a reaction out of you. And even one small outburst or negative comment is enough to keep them going.

 

Take the High Road

 

Occasionally, simply ignoring your trolls is not enough to deal with them. If they are not getting the attention they want, trolls may try to up the ante by making even more inflammatory or offensive comments. This will create a negative presence that will either reflect poorly on you or it will draw in other readers or fans to respond, which could escalate the thread.

 

If you feel that ignoring the troll will not make him go away, respond with neutral or positive comments to try to discourage them. Simple comments like, “Thank you for your feedback,” or “We appreciate you taking the time to share your opinion” should be enough to let your troll know that you won’t be baited, but not enough to give him more material.

 

Have a Sense of Humor

 

If you can’t get rid of a troll, you can try beating him at his own game by responding with humor. Don’t sink to the level of the troll and insult him or use derogatory humor. Instead, use levity to show that the comments do not have their intended affect and to dismiss the childish antics.

 

This is a risky strategy, as you must be sure that you can best the troll. Sometimes, humor can backfire, and you will be the one looking more foolish. Be sure you can win before you try to play the troll’s game.

 

Ban or Delete

 

If all else fails, you can delete your troll’s comments or ban him completely. Most Internet users are against censorship of any kind when it comes to comments and posts, so think carefully before you resort to this tactic. If you do decide to delete comments or ban a troll, try to do so before the troll gains notice. It is easier to quietly dismiss a troll without an audience than it is to publicly censor and remove dissenters from your page.

 

Remember that not all negative commenters are trolls. Some are genuinely disgruntled customers or fans, and you should carefully assess comments before you decide to dismiss them as the work of a troll. If you are dealing with a genuinely aggrieved customer, take the opportunity to publicly resolve the complaint to show your dedication to your customers and win over more fans.

[Mario B]

Don’t Feed the Trolls

 

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That's how i feel about slanders!!

[Cambuulo iyo bun]

^^ looks like we dealing with a troll

[Mario B]

Cambuulo iyo bun;787758 wrote:

^^ looks like we dealing with a troll

Says the troll.

[kingofkings]

An "Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Trolls delight in sowing discord on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war.

 

A classic troll tries to make us believe that he is a skeptic. He is divisive and argumentative with need-to-be-right attitude, "searching for the truth", flaming discussion, and sometimes insulting people or provoking people to insult him. A troll is usually an expert in reusing the same words of its opponents and in turning it against them.

 

While he tries to present himself as a skeptic looking for truth ... his messages usually sound as if it is the responsibility of other forum members to provide evidence that what forum is all about is legitimate.

 

]He (and in at least 90% of cases it is he) tries to start arguments and upset people.

 

Sometimes, he is skeptical, trying to scare people, trying to plant fear in their hearts. Sometimes, Internet troll is trying to spin conflicting information, is questioning in an insincere manner, flaming discussion, insulting people, turning people against each other, harassing forum members, ignoring warnings from forum moderators.

 

Trolling is a form of harassment that can take over a discussion. Well meaning defenders can create chaos by responding to trolls. The best response is to ignore it, or to report a message to a forum moderator. Ubuntuforums moderators usually move troll messages to the jail and may even ban trolls after a few unheeded warnings. Negative emotions stirred up by trolls leak over into other discussions. Normally affable people can become bitter after reading an angry interchange between a troll and his victims, and this can poison previously friendly interactions between long-time users.

 

Finally, trolls create a paranoid environment, such that a casual criticism by a new arrival can elicit a ferocious and inappropriate backlash.

 

When trolls are completely ignored they sometimes step up their attacks, desperately seeking the attention they crave. Their messages become more and more foul, and they post ever more of them. Alternatively, they may protest that their right to free speech is being curtailed. Perhaps the most difficult challenge for a moderator is deciding whether to take steps against a troll that a few people find entertaining. Some trolls do have a creative spark and have chosen to squander it on being disruptive. There is a certain perverse pleasure in watching some of them. Ultimately, though, we have to decide if the troll actually cares about putting on a good show for the regular participants, or is simply playing to an audience of one -- himself. For this reason the staff here often intervene, either with a warning in a thread, jailing one or more posts, sending private messages to offenders, and even banning people--temporarily or permanently--from these forums.

 

As an idea, the next time you see a post by somebody whom you think is a troll, and you feel you must reply, maybe you could just write a follow-up message in the thread entitled "Troll Alert" and type something like this:

Quote:

The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction and not to respond to trolling messages. It is well known that most people don't read messages that nobody responds to, while 99% of forum visitors first read the longest and the largest threads with the most answers.

The goal of the Ubuntuforums is to provide a place where people wanting to share experiences using Ubuntu or Linux in general can do so as well as give and receive technical assistance in a friendly, pleasant environment. Trolls disturb and disrupt community and are neither welcomed nor tolerated. There are lots of "free speech" forums available for political, religious, "not safe for work" and family-unfriendly sorts of interactions. If you feel the need to troll, please seek out one of these places.

 

----Troll Spotting----

 

Trolls often have many basic characteristics in common:

 

1. Low post count. Trolls usually do not last long enough on a forum to rack up a large number of posts. Be particularly suspicious of any poster whose count is not yet in double digits and who appears to be causing trouble.

 

2. Suspicious IP addresses. Puppet accounts will have IP addresses identical to that of the TiQ.

 

3. Suspicious E-mail Addresses. Accounts that are similar in nature to those of the TiQ can indicate a puppet account. AOL accounts, for example, are particularly suspect, because AOL allows multiple usernames for a single account.

 

4. Syntax and grammar. Trolls, particularly Deceptives, invariably have trouble hiding their writing styles. Puppet accounts, or serial accounts created after previous accounts have been thoroughly discredited, will display traits similar to that of the TiQ.

[Alpha Blondy]

examples include adam zayla, MMA, juxa, BOB and JB

[kingofkings]

If you've spent any amount of time around an online forum, you are probably already familiar with forum trolls, even if you're not aware of their name. Forum trolls love to come into threads and stir up trouble, start arguments and generally make little sense just for the fun of getting people riled up.

 

Sometimes the forum troll is funny, like that guy at the party who had a few too many and is wearing the lampshade on his head. But just like the frat boy who never grew up, too much of anything is well... too much. A frequent troll can be downright annoying and harder to get rid of than fungus on a pre-teen boy.

 

The close cousin to the forum troll is the baiter. Every forum should come with a sign that reads "Don't feed the trolls" but there would still be some silly person willing to do it anyway. It's like those people who take raw steak to the bears in the state park.

 

Troll feeders love to see the drama unfold on their computer screens but they love hiding behind the mask of "I didn't do it" where they feel secure in their role not as a trouble-maker but simply as someone trying understand the other forum users.

 

Then that brings us to the third kind of annoying forum user- the self-proclaimed moderator. Whenever the trolls come out, it brings the troll feeders. Drama nearly always ensues and someone gets their e-feelings hurt. Then along comes the Self-Proclaimed Moderator asking everyone to "please get along" and reminding us that e-bullying is really just a sign of insecurity in real life.

 

Trolls LOVE to prey on the self-proclaimed moderator. In fact, they often say things with the sole intention of working up the self-righteous "Carebear". You can bet the troll has subscribed to this thread and pulled up a seat with his popcorn and soda. This is clearly just another way of baiting the troll.

 

When you see a forum troll in action, don't try to argue with him, don't try to prove him wrong, don't try to make everyone get along- just ignore it. The more you ignore the troll, the more he will try to bait you but don't fall for it.

 

The forum troll is a bit like that withering houseplant you forgot to water and put in the sun. Leave it alone long enough and it will wither and die... give it one drop of water and suddenly, it's clinging on for dear life once more.

 

It's tempting to reply, especially when the forum troll is pushing all of your buttons. It's a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse where the troll almost always comes out victorious. As difficult as it may be, don't do it people- don't feed the trolls!

 

 

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3073722

[kingofkings]

How to Discourage Trolls in a Forum Community

JANUARY 24, 2012

When you read about trolls and negative behavior online, it is generally acknowledged that bad behavior is fairly common. While this is true, I strongly disagree with the point of view that this is the nature of online forums and communities. This is not true. The truth is that the admin of a community, the posting policies and the moderators set the tone and are directly responsible for the tone of the forum. Trolling, petty bickering and bad behavior is a sign of poor community management, not a character flaw in humans. I am not only a moderator at WebmasterWorld, but I am also the owner of a successful forum community. I am going to show you from my experience how to discourage negative behavior on a forum while also encouraging more positive interactions.

 

I’m a member of a fishing forum that has a LIKE system that works really well. There is no negative equivalent (DISLIKE). I think that’s a positive. Liking encourages community. Having a post LIKED is encouraging. It encourages members to feel positive about another member who praised their post. It creates a way for a member who might not have something to post to at least show their appreciation for the post. It encourages connection, community.

 

Someone mentioned to me that they like the VOTING functions of a certain forum which allows members to vote down a thread and close it altogether. This is a misguided forum function and if you have this turned on I would urge you to turn it off. I will explain why. First off, moderating a forum is the job of a moderator, not the community. Secondly, anything that causes divisions, and shutting down a discussion is divisive, works against the goal of creating community.

 

Thirdly, last thing I want to do is to give a troll a vote. On a macro level, the most important reason why not to have a negative voting function is that it’s something that creates divisions. I’m very much against negative forms of interaction in a community, like voting down a thread or tagging a member as an enemy to avoid having their posts displayed for you. Voting down and collapsing a thread is a job for moderators, not a way for members to express their negative opinions of each other.

 

Forum software (and community rules) should encourage members to come together. The best forums should encourage members to form bonds, whether it’s PM or a LIKES function, these things help the community members get to know each other, form connections. I’m an advocate of gently nudging members out of lurk mode and into forming connections, community.

 

This is on the same level of NOT allowing members to discuss politics and religion. I saw one forum that actually had an off topic forum just for discussing politics. The idea was to give members a place to get that off their chest without driving other discussions off topic. Guess what? It’s a vile sewer of negativity, racism, Xenophobia and ignorance. I read through that forum and found instances of members vowing never to return to that forum ever again just because of that forum.

 

Politics and religion divides people. Features and policies that are divisive are corrosive to a forum. Divisions work against the core purpose of a forum, which is community. So what is the point of encouraging division? It works against your goals. Being able to cast a negative vote on a thread is clearly a negative form of interaction and has no place in a community that aspires to be troll-free. The best way to handle negative posts, off topic posts, trolling, flames and rule breaking is the Report a Thread.

 

I’m reworking a new forum and disabling the FOE function and leaving behind just the FRIEND function was one of the things I did. That encourages positive community building.

 

On forums, free speech is not a right

A common characteristic of trolls is that they feel entitled to say whatever they want to say. Nobody screams louder about their right to free speech than a troll. Surprisingly, many admins agree with them. Nothing can be more harmful to a community. In the real world it is considered bad behavior to be rude to a stranger. It should not be any different online.

 

My theory about trolls is that they’re common because forum administrators are afraid of losing members. It starts at the beginning with loose moderation when the forum is new, fed by the fear of not growing or else the admin is himself/herself a troll who believes in “free speech.” Once the forum has grown the culture is established and the forum is poisoned.

[kingofkings]

Question: What Is an Internet 'Troll'?

Answer: An Internet 'troll' is an abusive anti-social user who delights in causing disharmony and conflict online. Named after the wicked troll creatures of children's tales, an Internet troll is someone who abuses their online anonymity by purposely sowing hatred, bigotry, racism, mysogyny, or just simple bickering between others. Because trolls like to promote fighting, they frequent blog sites, news sites, discussion forums, and game chat. Trolls thrive in any environment where they are allowed to make public comments.

 

The Sad Truths of Internet Trolls:

 

Trolls enjoy using shock-value statements to get angry responses from others.

Trolls gain energy by you insulting them.

Trolls gain energy when you get angry.

Trolls are immune to criticism and logical arguments. True trolls cannot be reasoned with, regardless of how sound your logical argument is.

Trolls do not feel remorse like you and me. They have sociopathic tendencies, and accordingly, they delight in other people having hurt feelings.

Trolls consider themselves separate from the social order.

Trolls do not abide by etiquette or the rules of common courtesy.

Trolls consider themselves above social responsibility.

The only way to deal with a troll is to ignore him, or take away his ability to post online.

 

 

Where Do You Find Internet Trolls?

 

Ans: Internet trolls are sadly common. They can be found wherever online users interact with each other. Trolls will abuse others in news blogs, political discussion forums, hobbyist communities online, Facebook pages, torrent search engine conversations, and in online game chat. Trolls have become very common in news sites. Many online news sources now avoid using open comment features because so many Internet trolls will use this venue to post abusive comments as responses to news articles.

 

How Exactly Do Internet Trolls Abuse Others?

 

Ans: Internet trolls seek to be disruptive and hurtful by using any of the following techniques:

Trolls will post abusive and hurtful comments directed at a specific person (aka "flaming" another person)

Trolls will incite broad arguments and provoke angry responses by making controversial statements. (e.g. racism, religious intolerance, bigoted or elitist views, mysogyny, extreme political views)

Trolls will narcissistically dominate conversations, trying to make themselves the center of attention. (e.g. nonstop comments about themselves and their accomplishments; repeated self-centered statements and bragging)

Trolls will start many off-topic threads, seeking to derail users from the focus of an online community.

 

 

Why Do People Enjoy Being Internet Trolls?

 

Ans: it is a kind of power rush or ego trip to be a troll. Being online is a place that is largely free of perceived consequences... an insecure person can get a sense of power online, without ever having to face someone directly. With the Internet being a world of imagination and fantasy for some, cowardly users can forge an alter ego for themselves, and act out their feelings of anger and inadequacy. It's sad and unfortunate that our advanced communications also brings out the darker side of many people.

 

What Are Some Examples of Internet Trolling?

 

Ans: here is an example of trolls abusing other people and their online communities:

Example: a troll incites arguments over anti-diversity and anti-multiculturalism

[kingofkings]

[Bluelicious]

Forum trolls love to come into threads and stir up trouble, start arguments and generally make little sense just for the fun of getting people riled up.

An Internet troll is someone who abuses their online anonymity by purposely sowing hatred, bigotry, racism, mysogyny, or just simple bickering between others. Because trolls like to promote fighting.

Yep true seen that around in the past few days during the political war.

 

First of all thanks for this great thread, I see alot of truthful lines very useful information for the mods, admin and the members. I'm glad that my political posts has inspired and encouraged you to take action against trolls. You wrote exactly what I was thinking and trying to say all this time. And that i'm not the only one who wants peace and a civil environment where everyone can get along with each other and can have civil debates. We the members of Sol are the ones who can make a difference to this place by starting with ourselfs and then encouraging others to do good and thus promoting the good atmosphere and civilisation of the place. Positivity and good behaviour are contagious.

 

Sometimes, Internet troll is trying to spin conflicting information, is questioning in an insincere manner, flaming discussion, insulting people, turning people against each other, harassing forum members, ignoring warnings from forum moderators.

This came at the right time for the current political war going on at the politics section all started by Aaliyyah. Aaliyyah has been the common denominator in this whole political war that was based on personal unresolved issues that she has had with the member FreshPrince. She started to blast around on the politics section that IAmRevolution was FreshPrince (after she remembered an incident from long time ago where one person jokingly said that IAmRevolution at the time called Knight of Wisdom was FreshPrince it was all banter and a one time thing but she being gullible took it serious and has hold on to it ever since shame on her for believing everything she reads) without any clear proof and started to harass him about it and insulting him because she is a bigot and he had different views then her which she opposed and disagreed with.

 

Soon her Khaatumo clique (Abdul, Liibaan, A_Khadar) saw the message and just copied it and believed it gullibly like headless chickens without even being sure of their cases and then even they started further blasting wrongful accusations and insults towards IAmRevolution shame on them. Not only that but she was also acting tough infront of her clique and making insults and hide behind her crew and at other times acting tough to gang up on IAmRevolution and insult together as a clique to troll and harass together was their motto you can spot the difference between their solo comments and gang comments. The worst one was Liibaan he even went to great extents purposely to sabotage and set up IAmRevolution to make people against him and started to post falsly edited quotes originally belonging to FreshPrince making it seem as if it belonged to IAmRevolution and that he wrote it. He is the biggest troll and fits all of the descriptions of the article and only wants to spread hatred, promote bigotry, fight and and make members against each other, stir trouble and arguments. Anyways I hope she aint proud of her bad behaviour and actions of bringing 4 members against each other promoting and spreading hatred, fights, arguments, trouble and promoting bigotry. They brought bigotry to whole another level this is hardcore harassment!

 

Repeatedly accusing the members IAmRevolution, Carafaat and Xaaji_Xunjuf but mostly IAmRevolution for being the member FreshPrince without any proof and just because you feel like it to stir trouble, hatred and promote and start a fight because you have unresolved issues with that member is a form of harassment so I suggest the Khaatumo clique (Abdul, Liibaan, A_Khadar and Aaliyyah) especially Aaliyyah the starter to stop with the false baseless accusations and harassment. I don't think you guys would like to be wrongly accused of being another member that you aren't and be harassed about it so it doesn't make any sense to be doing it to another person.

 

FreshPrince has taken full responsibility for his bad behaviour and actions and had even made a thread where he was apologising and asking for forgiveness to everyone and stopped ever since with his bad actions he is a changed man now. But some people feel the need to re-open a closed case and make his name black and cause unnecessary trouble and fights on purpose because of holding grudges and resentments. Political war is good for nothing especially when you make it personally, you gain nothing out of it. Respect everyones personal opinons even if they differ from yours because everyone is entitled to have their own opinion and you don't need to shove your bigotry views down to people's throats and start to harass them. I suggest the Khaatumo clique leaves FreshPrince, IAmRevolution, Carafaat and Xaaji_Xunjuf alone and move on!

 

That is the hardcore truth and nothing but the truth, my work is done here

[Cambuulo iyo bun]

lool blue ninka waku khafiiftay ma is tiri

[Somalia]

KOK, Successful troll is successful.

[ToughGong.]

Mario B;787749 wrote:

Don’t Feed the Trolls

 

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That's how i feel about slanders!!

Exhibit A

[kingofkings]

The traditional definition of a troll refers to a member of a community or usenet group who makes posts deliberately designed to attract responses of outrage or indignation. It is the troll's intent to "hook" unsuspecting members into responding, (hence the term "trolling"), thus providing him/her self with the satisfaction of knowing they have impact on others.

 

A distinction must be made between true trolls, newbies who are undergoing growing pains as they attempt to adjust to community standards, and regular community members who simply have strong but otherwise harmless, dissenting opinions. Trolls should be removed, newcomers assisted, and contributing community members given at least a modicum of respectful distance.

 

 

 

 

Types of Trolls

 

Before we begin, it's worth noting that the term "troll" is one of the most frequently cited insults in the online environment. It is often used to brand, silence or scapegoat a member with a dissenting or unpopular opinion. The purpose of this article is to assist those in online communities in determining what a true troll is and what actions can be taken to prevent their creation, welcome, and ability to inflict any harm.

 

In our experience with online communities, there are four types of trolls...

1) Mischievous: Such trolls have a humorous intent. Often, they are a "regular" who has temporarily adopted a new identity in order to play a good-natured prank. They are not abusive to members and rarely create trouble within a community. Generally there is no harm in responding to them. Some members may find mischievous trolls to be annoying, particularly if their presence leads to lengthy threads that distract the community from its true intent; other members inevitably find that the troll's humor and light-hearted antics provide the community with an opportunity to laugh together, thereby enhancing and strengthening community bonds.

 

2) Mindless: Mindless trolls have a tendency to post lengthy stories of questionable belief thus promoting good facial tone in members due to excessive eye-rolling. They are generally harmless. On rare occasion, the ficticious posts of a mindless troll may lead to insightful debate and discussion. Aside from encouraging them, there is generally no harm in responding.

 

3) Malicious: A malicious troll arrives with the intent of being blatantly abusive to the group and/or specific individuals within the group. One of their characteristics is that within a very short time of gaining access they begin targeting and harassing members using both low-end and high-end tactics. In some cases, the troll has a prior history with the group or someone within the group. In other scenarios, the troll is simply looking for a fresh meat market.

 

4.) Destructive: Around 1999 a new form of troll began to appear on the net in mail groups and online communities. The primary purpose of this type of troll is to completely destroy the group it has infiltrated. Destructive trolls may work on their own, or possibly in teams or gangs.

Trolls have two ways of gaining access to a community: from the outside or from the inside. Outside trolls are newbies or visitors who are new to the community, or only sporadic visitors and guests. They are less likely to target specific members and will be content with "hooking" anyone. Inside trolls are comprised of mischevious, bored, disgruntled, angry, scapegoated or wounded regulars who may have turned to trolling as a result of actions that occurred within the community. They frequently have a bone to pick with a specific member or a select group of members.

 

Unmoderated or poorly moderated environments are not only more susceptible to malicious or damaging trolls, they are also more likely to create the conditions that invite them. This is because the members themselves have very little in the way of actual power. With few other options at their disposal they will often resort to intimidation tactics and personal attack with the hope of verbally overpowering the offender. If the offender is a true troll, this will only reinforce the troll's sense of purpose, inflames his/her ire, and let him or her know who the willing targets are. Informal community leaders, those who are empathic to others or those sensitive to the slights of injustice are more likely to step forward in cases of troll attack and thus, become their target.

 

 

 

Roles of Community Members:

 

It is the bonds of familiarity that establish relationships. It is the complex network of relationships that build community. Wherever a group of people are gathered on the net with a shared history of established interaction, therein, you'll find community. Regardless of the platform or purpose, you'll find most of the same basic social roles being played out by members of online communities all around the net...

 

Newbies are newcomers who may require assistance in learning the ropes. They regularly rejuventate community life by offering fresh perspectives and renewing the interest of the regulars.

 

Visitors/Guests are newbie or long-term members who do not have a persistent identity in the community. Both newbies and visitors are outside the range of the community's inner heart life. They have few or no established relationships with others. They may be "trying on" the community to see if it fits them, time constraints may limit the extent of their online involvement, or they may not share the common values and purpose of your specific community to the same degree as the following...

 

Regulars are members who comfortably and actively participate in community life. They have established relationships with numerous others and as a result, are your true community builders. Regulars are the mainstay of online communities; via their active involvement they help shape core community standards, practices, and values. They comprise the largest portion of membership and include leaders, elders and often, officials.

 

Leaders are regulars who have the time, energy, and skill to take on more formal and active roles in the community. They know many of the regulars and are respected for their skills by others. They assist newbies with settling in, provide advice related to the inner workings of the community life to the regulars, and may serve the larger community in volunteer positions such as techie, moderator, or administrator.

 

Elders are long-term regulars or leaders who have grown weary of the day-to-day demands of their position and stepped away from the center to the periphery of the community. Still active in community life, they are respected for their cultural knowledge and insider lore. Along with the other long-time residents, they're the teachers and storytellers of the community, the people who give the place a sense of history, depth and soul. They may serve the community by assisting newbies, regulars and leaders, and acting as informal archivists and historians.

 

Officials are the founders, hosts, techies, moderators and administrators. Typically they hold true power in the community by establishing the community's purpose, determining the form of presiding government, developing protocols of policy, and having the power to remove users who do not comply with the established standards.

 

[The excerpt above was adapted from Chapter 4 - Roles: From Newcomer to Oldtimer from the book and online website of Community Building on the Net by Amy Jo Kim.]