Trolls, or trolling behaviour ...how do we deal with these isues as an online community?

OK, David.

Good luck with it.

I just want to have these issues discussed, David.

I find that Im just as guilty as the troller. I find that, if I dont walk on eggshells at the outset, one (ill informd) poster will use ridicule and attempt to deny a contribution Ive made because it doesnt agree with his from the getgo. I have every right to give my opinion on a thread in which Im interested and dont like taking cheap shots from someone who is, for the most part, fairly ignorant about that which hes speaking. SOO I usually wind up, like some mental case, engaging the guy and dragging an argument out and piling up two pages of just JUNK inwhich any new reader will assume that we both are full of ****.

Ive gotta re-evaluate how I handle folks like that. DO I just respond once to give my input and not giving any further response ,(KNowing full well that Ive awakened a wolverine and got him pissed that I would have the ignorant temerity to question his "knowledge"), OR else, I duke it out and look just like another schmuck whose got some childish need to be always right.
I admire Daves way of handling those who are cruel to his gun obsession posts. He seems to handle each post from an individual as separate events and he doesnt "carry over" enmity from one post to another, even though he was insulted in a previous post by those who dont share his views.
Id venture to say that I dont agree with many of Daves beliefs (other than gravity and that we live in a great country), yet for the most part, when I criticize him, he nadles it with humor and magnanimity . You can honestly tell that DAve is having fun.

Id like to try to adopt that approach, maybe I can learn that "one post at a time" unless Im part of a civilized discussion.

AS far as (--------), I have him on ignore and I just periodically peek in to see what hes said. I know that sorta violates the whole idea of "ignore" but I dont find this guy "TOXIC", hes just full of himself and has fun in this site also. (So, , in that, Im sorta like him so why deny it).

HAving a "Hair trigger" is whats dangerous to being a troll. The one indiividual adds his two cents often with a focusd insult at several members (Im called Gomer, as if I would somehow find that insulting). I dont want to put that individual oin ignore because he can be truly toxic and I wanna see what he says.

The thing is, theres only about 5 or 6 real trolls out of a huge base of really good and smart people. I get as much pleasure reading threads about something I know nothing about and my only contribution would be some small post just so I can get updates. I was blown away at a really good set of well done posts about a "Photo of a Civil War soldier". I had nothing to add and knew nothing about the alternate uniforms. For the most part that was a well done and an uneventful ,non toxic thread. Even the toxic poster was relatively mild mannered (mostly because I think he was surrounded by people much more knowledgeable than he and he didnt want to call attention to that fact).

I dont want this to be a kvetch about my expwerience. I think that using Daves approach is a smart and funny way in dealing with folks.

Absolutely agree with that.

BUT, if you have the bad luck to have say, 4 of them on the one thread, it can really stuff up the best of threads.

I don't know really ... why not put the effort into creating some really good threads themselves, which people would actually WANT to participate in, rather than playing the destructive, chip on the shoulder, negative "outsider" role for all it's worth? I don't get the motivation for trolling, really ... It just makes people intensely dislike the people who actually do it . Which can't exactly be much fun. And it doesn't have to be like that at all. It's a choice.

i can be a real dick sometimes, usually at the easy targets, religion and politics (here's a little suggestion to the followers of those subjects, lighten up)

as for stalking, sometimes but not for any length of time, for some reason i have an intense dislike for high seas and jtt, i will sometimes check out what he/she/it has to say on a topic that i would have nothing to do with and occasionally post some asinine remark, but not all the time

i refuse to ignore, even those i loathe will post something worth while now and again, i also refuse to be ignored, even those who loathe me, could learn something (well not really if they have me on ignore, but, eh, what you gonna do)

But, you've never actually followed someone around with a serious vengeance & thrown nasty, personal crap at them at very opportunity have you, djjd? That has happened.

here's the thing...

you are attempting to shape the community in a certain way, but the community does not necessarily bend that way.

you wish to eradicate trollish behavior, but not everyone shares your view.
some members may prefer to debate, refute, or poke fun at them, because that is how they think the community should be, and that is their right regardless of how foolish it may be to others...

i have informed ican that he can go and preform an act of interpersonal intercourse upon himself a time or two

Y did I just get a flashback of Lorena Bobbitt ?

Sure. But I think, if they were the subject of some serious trollish behaviour themselves, they might develop a different view.

What do you think, Region, a member can actually do if they are the subject of vicious treatment from a trollish member who "has it in for them", for whatever reason?

In the past there might have been some intervention by moderators. Now, what recourse does a person who's on the receiving end of such treatment have? What would you advise them to do? Avoid the offending member as best they can? Put them on ignore?

That's pretty much the only sane option we have these days.

... & what advice to someone whose put a fair amount of effort into a thread discussion, it's going pretty well, only to see a a troll or troll/s deliberately & continuously flood it with irrelevant unpleasant material, which makes if almost inoperable. Should they just wear this as part & parcel of the colourful life on an online forum? Bad luck?

These are the sorts of things I wanted to talk about.

I already have one person on ignore. Something I vowed I'd never do, but there you go. Possibly more soon.

But they can still cause quite a bit of negative mayhem to the progress of a thread, despite that, though. Damned if I know what motivates such behaviour.

yes, start by putting them on Ignore.

but more importantly, don't become a victim.
don't allow them to have that power over you.

trolls crave attention.
if you reply to them, you make them happy...

i'm bad for that, i don't really care what anybody says about me, and i can't resist

is there help , troll feeders anonymous

what is this side of you that brings out these folks, i can't imagine anyone being horrible to you, send them my way, i'll go a round or two with them

Should I ask them directly perhaps?

Probably supporting the "wrong view" (ie not theirs) , or something.



Well thank you. But they have been, so there ya go.



So violent retribution is the answer?

no violence, but i do like a good verbal sparring match

Pretty much.

Realistically Msolga what CAN you, or anyone, do?

I have those I consider trolls on ignore (I don't quite get why that is a major issue for you)

I get more pissed off these days with those who won't ignore them, and who continue to debate them, whether reasonably or unreasonably. I just have to ignore them by scrolling, or voting them down so they disappear.

It's herding cats here Msolga! Ain't nothing gonna make a cat easy to herd!