Trolls kill forums

[briantrumpet]

I'd like to get more engaged in this forum, but I'm finding it increasingly hard to understand why several well-meaning posters are trying to persuade an obvious troll by using facts and logic. Trolls poison every thread they target, as genuine posters get sucked in and think if they can just pick apart the troll fact by fact, all will be well, and reason will prevail.

It won't.

The expert troll, once they've sucked you into an argument, will get more and more outrageous, and once you've started engaging, they won't let you go. They feed off your anger and disbelief that they can be so stupid and ignorant. Each time you reply, you reinforce their behaviour, and feed their ego. Mass pile-ons will only feed their egos more, as now they have an army to fight and to amplify their lunacy.

Meanwhile, any genuine posters who might get engaged will take one look at the threads/forum poisoned by a troll, and will walk away. Life's hard enough without wading into such intolerance. And if by engaging with trolls you drive away genuine, interesting contributors, then forum will wither.

So please, Don't Feed The Troll. Not once.

As I've said elsewhere:

• Don't quote-reply to a troll (it feeds their ego)
• Don't mention the troll's name (it feeds their ego)​
• Even better, use the 'ignore member' function, and lower your blood pressure.​

You will annoy the troll much more if you just keep posting stuff - indirectly - that states the opposite of the lies they are telling, without mentioning their name. Make the place hostile through impassionate & impersonal reporting and sincere argument amongst the non-trolls: of course, a good forum will have many & diverse views, but I'd hope that we can all tell when someone is interested *only* in contradiction and lies, rather than genuinely debating deeply-held points of view backed up by verifiable facts.

Unfed & hungry trolls will get bored and go away eventually. You've starved them of the energy that feeds their behaviour and egos. And you'll make the forum a better place.

 

[briantrumpet]

I know it won't trouble any of you, but I'm using the ignore button on repeat troll-engagers, as it's just pollution.

 

[Psamathe]

It does beggar belief how some seem to think that facts or insults will discourage it. It's what it seeks so such replies just encourage it all tbe more.

Ian

 

[briantrumpet]

It does beggar belief how some seem to think that facts or insults will discourage it. It's what it seeks so such replies just encourage it all tbe more.

Ian

Exactly. It's a bit like repeatedly rewarding a dog who's just pooped in your shoes.

 

[First Aspect]

I know it won't trouble any of you, but I'm using the ignore button on repeat troll-engagers, as it's just pollution.

Probably I'm just being IT illiterate, but where's the ignore button?

If you ignore me I'll get the point.

 

[Bromptonaut]

Probably I'm just being IT illiterate, but where's the ignore button?

If you ignore me I'll get the point.

Click on the poster's name alongside their post and it's one of the options.

 

[Beebo]

I have to agree with the OP.
Please stop engaging.
It really isn’t worth it.
If you ignore and don’t engage it will vastly improve this section.

 

[monkers]

I'd like to get more engaged in this forum, but I'm finding it increasingly hard to understand why several well-meaning posters are trying to persuade an obvious troll by using facts and logic. Trolls poison every thread they target, as genuine posters get sucked in and think if they can just pick apart the troll fact by fact, all will be well, and reason will prevail.

It won't.

The expert troll, once they've sucked you into an argument, will get more and more outrageous, and once you've started engaging, they won't let you go. They feed off your anger and disbelief that they can be so stupid and ignorant. Each time you reply, you reinforce their behaviour, and feed their ego. Mass pile-ons will only feed their egos more, as now they have an army to fight and to amplify their lunacy.

Meanwhile, any genuine posters who might get engaged will take one look at the threads/forum poisoned by a troll, and will walk away. Life's hard enough without wading into such intolerance. And if by engaging with trolls you drive away genuine, interesting contributors, then forum will wither.

So please, Don't Feed The Troll. Not once.

As I've said elsewhere:

• Don't quote-reply to a troll (it feeds their ego)
• Don't mention the troll's name (it feeds their ego)​
• Even better, use the 'ignore member' function, and lower your blood pressure.​

You will annoy the troll much more if you just keep posting stuff - indirectly - that states the opposite of the lies they are telling, without mentioning their name. Make the place hostile through impassionate & impersonal reporting and sincere argument amongst the non-trolls: of course, a good forum will have many & diverse views, but I'd hope that we can all tell when someone is interested *only* in contradiction and lies, rather than genuinely debating deeply-held points of view backed up by verifiable facts.

Unfed & hungry trolls will get bored and go away eventually. You've starved them of the energy that feeds their behaviour and egos. And you'll make the forum a better place.

You are right of course, though can I at least just keep typing the word ''shithead'' after each of his posts? It'll be a something of a shame if you block me, but I'll live with it.

 

[yello]

Noted.

 

[Psamathe]

You are right of course, though can I at least just keep typing the word ''shithead'' after each of his posts? It'll be a something of a shame if you block me, but I'll live with it.

What purpose would that serve? It knows it's what you say and just gets thrills from antagonising you. Repeatedly posting same just reassures it the antagonism is working.

I'd also rather not have to block your posts as they can be interesting and challenging but as OP says, the forum has got out-of-hand and interesting discussion swamped and destroyed.

Ian

 

[PurplePenguin]

What's the situation? There is a poster who is a Trump fan, but he is only a Trump fan to wind people up? Or is he a Trump fan and that just winds people him up?

 

[First Aspect]

Perhaps I'm just self selecting, but the threads I've been on don't seem unusually troll infested.

 

[yello]

What's the situation? There is a poster who is a Trump fan, but he is only a Trump fan to wind people up? Or is he a Trump fan and that just winds people him up?

I think most of us could tolerate a Trump fan. After all, it is allowed. I think the issue is posting anything and everything that seems to support Trump without actually reading it first. It's either lacking in intelligence (which I don't believe) or being done purely for reaction and to provoke. I'll leave you to form your own impression after either hanging around a bit or reading back through previous posts, but I know what I think.

I'll not be putting such folk on ignore, since I genuinely find it informative to see what kind of dangerous takes there are out there, but I shall heed to the request to not respond.

 

[Psamathe]

What's the situation? There is a poster who is a Trump fan, but he is only a Trump fan to wind people up? Or is he a Trump fan and that just winds people him up?

It's endless pposts with nothing more than Twitter posts from some unknown pushing completely untrue conspiracy theories that more reliable sources highlight as twaddle.

Then you get the number of subsequent posts pointing out the true facts of the situation from reliable sources, then you get posts with personal insults ...

All of which swamps interesting discussions challenging one's own understanding, highlighting different views and perspectives 'cos they are swamped by twaddle.

That poster initiating all this is a Trumpton is less relevant than their perpetual posting fiction as fact, failing to engage. and once people point out the actual reality and insults, the individual just posts another 3 Twitter posts fromsome far right "influencer" who is just repeating some ludicrous untrue conspiracy theory.

Ian

 

[monkers]

What purpose would that serve? It knows it's what you say and just gets thrills from antagonising you. Repeatedly posting same just reassures it the antagonism is working.

I'd also rather not have to block your posts as they can be interesting and challenging but as OP says, the forum has got out-of-hand and interesting discussion swamped and destroyed.

Ian

Maybe my brand of humour is sometimes a little too subtle of all readers. I do know my humour can be a little hard to detect sometimes.

On the one hand I think the OP is right; but on the other hand I don't think that trying to raise a sort of posse is the best approach.

You know that method about keeping cold callers and scam artists hanging on the phone for ages? I like that approach. It's also effective because it keeps them too busy to be intruding on others, and frustrates them.

We have a bunch of contributors on this forum who are thoroughly decent people, so although shithead is an obvious troll, too thick to be an actual bot, any harm he thinks he is causing is well-contained. He may pollute the threads, but he is failing to pollute minds - for me that is the more important factor.