The thing about trolls...

#1 · September 10, 2021, 4:51 pm

Quote from Wendell on September 10, 2021, 4:51 pm
Last night, I cleaned up after a troll who had started a somewhat hostile post, then proceeded to reply to other members about how stupid they are. That's the thing about trolls... if you disagree with them, you are wrong, and they'll "defend" their position with childish name-calling in various forms of wording.

Here's the standard process:

Troll posts a topic in the forum that will most likely upset other members enough to respond. Sometimes these posts are divisive or contradictory to the norm, but the manner in which it is worded tends to be inflammatory. They will often stay there and refresh the screen repeatedly, awaiting responses so they can pounce.

The troll will then reply to members' responses, making sure to insult them and call them names. They will often include laughing emoticons in their responses. Their replies are typically arrogant and they attempt to devolve the discussion even further into a flaming mess. They are trying to bring you down to their level.

A moderator spots the troll's post(s) and bans him. Most times his post(s) are completely removed from the forums.

Troll starts sending messages through our contact form and/or email. Ironically, they will typically ask why they were banned. Isn't it obvious? They are very aggressive in their wording and include insults, name-calling, and other gibberish. They will usually threaten to "tell all their friends" and their mommies. Some will include threats of physical violence (yes, we've had a few of those and you'd likely be surprised which ex-members they came from). At some point, they will request that their entire account and all posts be removed. We happily oblige. Regardless, we do not respond to any of their messages because that's exactly what they want.

At this point, most of them disappear. Some of them will resort to other forms of contact with us, after we have banned or blocked them on various forms of social media, etc. This approaches stalker territory, which is why we have a legal team behind us.

?ÿ

After more than 10 years working on SurveyorConnect, I've learned that trolls thrive on drama. They are typically miserable people that inflict their frustrations upon others. By responding to them, we create more drama. This is exactly what they want. They feed on it and it keeps them going.

We all have our own challenges and we deal with them in different ways. Trolling forums doesn't help and I know that from experience.?ÿSadly, this is one of the reasons why we have rules. This is why we must moderate our forums.?ÿ

To all the trolls out there that I've banned into oblivion from our forums, I forgive you. But that doesn't mean I'm letting you back in. I hope you eventually find peace and happiness in your life.

?ÿ

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Last night, I cleaned up after a troll who had started a somewhat hostile post, then proceeded to reply to other members about how stupid they are. That's the thing about trolls... if you disagree with them, you are wrong, and they'll "defend" their position with childish name-calling in various forms of wording.

Here's the standard process:

Troll posts a topic in the forum that will most likely upset other members enough to respond. Sometimes these posts are divisive or contradictory to the norm, but the manner in which it is worded tends to be inflammatory. They will often stay there and refresh the screen repeatedly, awaiting responses so they can pounce.
The troll will then reply to members' responses, making sure to insult them and call them names. They will often include laughing emoticons in their responses. Their replies are typically arrogant and they attempt to devolve the discussion even further into a flaming mess. They are trying to bring you down to their level.
A moderator spots the troll's post(s) and bans him. Most times his post(s) are completely removed from the forums.
Troll starts sending messages through our contact form and/or email. Ironically, they will typically ask why they were banned. Isn't it obvious? They are very aggressive in their wording and include insults, name-calling, and other gibberish. They will usually threaten to "tell all their friends" and their mommies. Some will include threats of physical violence (yes, we've had a few of those and you'd likely be surprised which ex-members they came from). At some point, they will request that their entire account and all posts be removed. We happily oblige. Regardless, we do not respond to any of their messages because that's exactly what they want.
At this point, most of them disappear. Some of them will resort to other forms of contact with us, after we have banned or blocked them on various forms of social media, etc. This approaches stalker territory, which is why we have a legal team behind us.

After more than 10 years working on SurveyorConnect, I've learned that trolls thrive on drama. They are typically miserable people that inflict their frustrations upon others. By responding to them, we create more drama. This is exactly what they want. They feed on it and it keeps them going.

We all have our own challenges and we deal with them in different ways. Trolling forums doesn't help and I know that from experience. Sadly, this is one of the reasons why we have rules. This is why we must moderate our forums.

To all the trolls out there that I've banned into oblivion from our forums, I forgive you. But that doesn't mean I'm letting you back in. I hope you eventually find peace and happiness in your life.

#2 · September 10, 2021, 5:01 pm

Sometimes we all need a reminder Wendell

#3 · September 10, 2021, 5:05 pm

Thanks Wendell, it is your care that makes this such a great place

#4 · September 10, 2021, 6:08 pm

The saddest part about last night's debacle, is the troll actually had some really good points. Too bad he/she was a moron about the entire situation.

#5 · September 10, 2021, 6:44 pm

The belittling of people simply because their opinion on a very narrow topic does not match precisely with your opinion is foolish. All that does is get both sides locked solid that their opinion is the only one correct. Nothing is gained.

It reminds me of the ancient Saturday Night Live skits called Point/Counterpoint. Jane always made her point first. The counterpoint always started with "Jane, you ignorant slut............."

#6 · September 10, 2021, 7:32 pm

I know the frustrations. I am an admin in my own FB group and a moderator in another group. I have no time for Trolls, abusive name calling, foul language or name calling. There is no second chance, they agreed to the rules. First offense, the post is taken down and the poster banned. No exceptions.

#7 · September 10, 2021, 7:52 pm

@chris-bouffard

Exactly. And thank you for doing that!

The nice thing is that I don't get frustrated anymore. If anything, I get a good laugh out of it but then maybe a little sad because I actually feel sorry for them.

Please feel free to post a link to your group, if it is surveying-related and you'd like to get the word out. 🙂

#8 · September 10, 2021, 8:22 pm

@wendell

#9 · September 10, 2021, 8:44 pm

@wendell nothing professionally related, one group, the one that is mine, has about 2K members and it's a local town group. The other group, which has about 5K people is devoted to abandoned places in NJ.

I don't at all feel bad about removing posts and people when it's warranted. The group rules are what they are, but, like you, I do get the occasional laugh, mostly because of the stupidity.