Internet Ghouls

[The Jackeens]

Found this article on malicious internet trolls recently.
As it's time for ghosties and ghoulies might be worth watching out for these too...

(From an article about Internet behaviour)...
"An Internet "troll" is a person who delights in sowing discord on the Internet. He (and it is usually he) tries to start arguments and upset people.
Trolls see Internet communications services as convenient venues for their bizarre game. For some reason, they don't "get" that they are hurting real people. To them, other Internet users are not quite human but are a kind of digital abstraction. As a result, they feel no sorrow whatsoever for the pain they inflict. Indeed, the greater the suffering they cause, the greater their 'achievement' (as they see it). At the moment, the relative anonymity of the net allows trolls to flourish.
Trolls are utterly impervious to criticism (constructive or otherwise). You cannot negotiate with them; you cannot cause them to feel shame or compassion; you cannot reason with them. They cannot be made to feel remorse. For some reason, trolls do not feel they are bound by the rules of courtesy or social responsibility.
Perhaps this sounds inconceivable. You may think, "Surely there is something I can write that will change them." But a true troll can not be changed by mere words.

Why Does it Matter?
Some people — particularly those who have been online for years — are not upset by trolls and consider them an inevitable hazard of using the net. As the saying goes, "You can't have a picnic without ants."
It would be nice if everybody was so easy-going, but the sad fact is that trolls do discourage people. Established posters may leave a message board because of the arguments that trolls ignite, and lurkers (people who read but do not post) may decide that they do not want to expose themselves to abuse and thus never get involved.
Another problem is that the 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.
The Internet is a wonderful resource which is breaking down barriers and stripping away prejudice. Trolls threaten our continued enjoyment of this beautiful forum for ideas.

What Can be Done about Trolls?
When you suspect that somebody is a troll, you might try responding with a polite, mild message to see if it's just somebody in a bad mood. Internet users sometimes let their passions get away from them when seated safely behind their keyboard. If you ignore their bluster and respond in a pleasant manner, they usually calm down.
However, if the person persists in being beastly, and seems to enjoy being unpleasant, the only effective position is summed up as follows:
The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to reminding others not to respond to trolls.
When you try to reason with a troll, he wins. When you insult a troll, he wins. When you scream at a troll, he wins. The only thing that trolls can't handle is being ignored.

What Not to Do
As already stated, it is futile to try to "cure" a troll of his obsession. But perhaps you simply cannot bear the hostile environment that the troll is creating and want to go away for a while.
If you do that, then for the sake of the others on the system, please do not post a dramatic "Goodbye!" message. This convinces the troll that he is winning the battle. There is, perhaps, no message you can write on a message system that is as damaging as an announcement that you are leaving because of the hostility that the troll has kindled.
If you feel you must say something, a discreet message to the system operator (and some of the others users, if you have their email addresses) is the best course of action. Incidentally, if you are writing the letter in an agitated state, it is a good idea to wait an hour and then give it one last review before you actually send it. That might spare you the pain of saying things that you don't really mean to people you like."

missus

[Matt]

One assumes you have the permission of the copyright owner to reproduce their work?

[The Jackeens]

I'll send you the full reference by pm if required for your studies.

And current examples of trolls etc. as well

Think it may interest you in your moderation work.

missus

[Rogue Wave]

Well done missus, Well done JK, Well done ads !!!!!! Careful examination of the featured add below this thread will show various opportunities to buy genuine Norwegion trolls. I really do find it funny that the UK's, nay the worlds premier internet forum has become merely an advertising assistant for Dodgy Norwegion dolls

I must explore the potential of this ad linking

Was the article written by a laydee by any chance? cos I noticed all reference to the troll indicate it's a he..now that's hardly PC is it!

[The Jackeens]

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

Well done missus, Well done JK, Well done ads by Google !!!!!! Careful examination of the featured add below this thread will show various opportunities to buy genuine Norwegion trolls. I really do find it funny that the UK's, nay the worlds premier power boating internet forum has become merely an advertising assistant for Dodgy Norwegion dolls

I must explore the potential of this ad linking

Was the article written by a laydee by any chance? cos I noticed all reference to the troll indicate it's a he..now that's hardly PC is it!

I know...

The ould ad machine pulls out keywords...Lord knows what it will turn out for Rogue and Wave

Yer man what wrote the article insists that trolls are mainly men tho' there are a few laydees too

The big thing for him is the difference between troll posts and their 'real' 'personalities' i.e. saying all sorts behind the screen but wouldn't say boo to a goose (that should bring up the panto ads) in real life

missus

[Louise]

Thanks for the info on trolls. After doing a Google search I found the original article and read through it. I found this paragraph very interesting:

"When a troll attacks a message board, he generally posts a lot of messages. Even if his messages are not particularly inflammatory, they can be so numerous that they drown out the regular conversations (this is known as 'flooding'). Needless to say, no one person's opinions can be allowed to monopolize a channel."

For those interested in reading the whole article, please see: http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm

I wonder who posts most frequently on RIBnet?!

[The Jackeens]

Perhaps the use of an assumed identity helps the troll(s) to feel they can attack others without any comeback.

It is indeed an interesting topic.

missus

[jwalker]

Do you folk have anyone in mind on this forum? Just wondering, not trolling.

[Rogue Wave]

my money is on this pair ... remind you of anyone? The clue is in the hair colour!

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...942&uid=700824.

[The Jackeens]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Do you folk have anyone in mind on this forum? Just wondering, not trolling.

JW you've been on the forums longer than I; perhaps you can spot them better

He is definitely talking about malicious trolls (IMHO) who seek to do damage to others and not internet jesters

My understanding of what he says is : the main function of these malicious trolls seems to be to start arguments deliberately to upset and

• to have no understanding that the peeps they are hurting are real
• to be happy !!!!!!!!when they have upset others
• operate outside social norms including reasoning (hiding behind computer screens)...(this might suggest they have poor social skills in real life????)
• discourage even long established members of the community from posting because of their abusive approach
• make others frightened to contribute for fear of getting the same reaction themselves?
• create a prejudiced environment ; the direct opposite to an inclusive welcoming one like RIBnet I guess?

Just thought it might be worth looking out for these creatures as Hallowe'en approaches

Who knows? If there are trolls reading this or contributing to this discussion then it may give their consciences a little prick...

Shure 'twould be no more than they deserve

missus

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by The Jackeens

a little prick...

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

Well done missus, Well done JK, Well done ads !!!!!! Careful examination of the featured add below this thread will show various opportunities to buy genuine Norwegion trolls. I really do find it funny that the UK's, nay the worlds premier internet forum has become merely an advertising assistant for Dodgy Norwegion dolls

Cool! The rather limited selection of RIBs ads were beginning to get a bit repetitive!

John

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by The Jackeens

He is definitely talking about malicious trolls (IMHO) who seek to do damage to others and not internet jesters

Genuinely malicious trolls are relatively easy to deal with on a moderated forum. The real trouble comes on usenet (news groups such as rec.boats) which is a complete free-for-all where flame wars can grow to epic proportions!

Who knows? If there are trolls reading this or contributing to this discussion then it may give their consciences a little prick...

Nope. It's just more troll food!

Don't feed the trolls!

John

[John Kennett]

There are lots of articles around which discuss all sorts of aspects of on line communities. Some better than others, but most apparently talking with complete authority!

The original article certainly has some useful content, but I don't completely agree with it (I do like the author's Internet Writing Guide though, and have posted a link in a separate thread).

The author of the aticle clearly has experience of running forums and on-line communities, but it sounds like he may have had a hard time. I particularly disagree that all trolling is malicious with the intention of causing real hurt or harm

For some reason, they don't "get" that they are hurting real people. To them, other Internet users are not quite human but are a kind of digital abstraction. As a result, they feel no sorrow whatsoever for the pain they inflict. Indeed, the greater the suffering they cause, the greater their 'achievement' (as they see it).

This sounds like he's just a tad bitter. From what I have seen on usenet, mailing lists and forums over the years there are plenty of trolls who are simply inconsiderate or clueless rather than malicious.

He also says that Troll feeding can be acceptable:

Next time you are on a message board and you see a post by somebody whom you think is a troll, and you feel you must reply, simply write a follow-up message entitled "Troll Alert" and type only this:

The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to reminding others not to respond to trolls.

By posting such a message, you let the troll know that you know what he is, and that you are not going to get dragged into his twisted little hobby.

This may deny the troll a total victory, but it's still a response which is better than nothing -- a small victory in it's own right.

My advice would be "Next time you are on a message board and you see a post by somebody whom you think is a troll, and you feel you must reply, just don't. Go and make a cup of tea, turn your PC off, do something else foir a while"!

For anyone who is interested, and has nothing better to do, there is another interesting article you might like to read called Communities Online: Trolling and Harassment

John

[The Jackeens]

Originally Posted by John Kennett

The author of the aticle clearly has experience of running forums and on-line communities, but it sounds like he may have had a hard time. I particularly disagree that all trolling is malicious with the intention of causing real hurt or

I agree. I also think he was referring to malicious trolls which don't seem to survive (as their troll identity anyways) on RIBnet where trolls are well managed.

This particular author likens malicious trolling to road rage where people feel somehow detached from the object of their anger or otherwise troublesome urges. He does make a strong point about trolls' personae often being vastly different in the 'real' world.

Have had an interesting response from peeps to whom this area of awareness is perhaps still new

missus

[Rogue Wave]

Originally Posted by The Jackeens

This particular author likens malicious trolling to road rage where people feel somehow detached from the object of their anger or otherwise troublesome urges. He does make a strong point about trolls' personae often being vastly different in the 'real' world.



missus

On the few occasions when I have sufferred rage I found myself with a strong desire to attach myself to the object of my anger.

[The Jackeens]

Put the cider down

Can't imagine you being malicious

Missus

[MeMe]

.......having just returned from a Troll Convention in the U.S (I was a key protagonist don't you know) I find myself most pleased to see and read that the Forum remains, as always a very interesting place where subtrefuge, envy and rivalry are rife.

Boy it's good to be back, now does anyone actually have any comments on, eeerrr, what was it ? Ah yes, boating.

Oh and by the way, well said Louise.