Dealing with "guest"

[Soccer Fan]

As we all know the MAPLE forums strictly regulated who could post. I think it took me close to a year to get a username approved.
We are now in the polar opposite, you don't even have to log in.
As a veteran of some more wide open bulletin boards I wanted to point out a few things.

When you quote a troll's post's and make a snarky comment you are actually feeding the troll, what they are doing is looking for attention.
You are also making the administrators life harder because if he wants to delete the trolls post he also has to look at all the replies.
You can't beat a troll with logic, intelligence or rationality. They really don't care about any of that. They are either afraid to post under a real name or lookng for attention.
There is another board I know of that allows anonymous posting but instead of saying "guest" the username becomes "Anonymous Coward"

[MASoccer]

Originally Posted by Soccer Fan

There is another board I know of that allows anonymous posting but instead of saying "guest" the username becomes "Anonymous Coward"

Love that idea!!

[MASoccer]

Originally Posted by Soccer Fan

There is another board I know of that allows anonymous posting but instead of saying "guest" the username becomes "Anonymous Coward"

Love that idea!!

Still looking for the "Do Not Feed the Trolls" symbol, but came across this which is pretty good (and funny).

http://www.linuxextremist.com/?p=34

Don’t Feed the Trolls

A phenomenon that seems to be profilerating as rapidly as s pam is that of online “trollsâ€￾, namely, people who go onto bulletin boards and generally make an unpleasant mess of things.

There are a variety of species - some have a particular bugbear about one subject, reminding me of the old saying, “A fanatic is someone who won’t change the subject and won’t change his mindâ€￾. Others fall into the “oblivious to the point of insanityâ€￾ category - this type is unwilling to acknowledge the misery they are creating and simply refuse to let go. Others are those with the “running grievanceâ€￾ - namely, people who carry a personal grudge from board to board about some usually imagined offense.

The internet is a wonderful thing, no doubt, but the anonymity it provides has a disinhibiting effect: those who kept quiet in real life, suddenly found they could speak without fear of consequences. Many times, this has proven to be a good thing. The trolls prove that there are a lot of people who simply should have remained silent.

It’s very easy to fall into the traps that trolls set; usually they say something so outrageous or rude that it goes against the grain not to respond. However, as with s pam, trolls should not be encouraged by providing any form of interaction whatsoever. Here are some things to remember which has helped me in the past:

1. No matter what you do, the troll will remain a troll - if someone posts something feverishly unintelligent, it’s unlikely that anything you say will make them smarter.

2. The troll derives pleasure from argument. Remember, trolls are likely people whose lack of interaction in real life is so desperate that being a troll is the only way they can get noticed. By giving them attention, you feed their hunger to be noticed.

3. The troll’s opinion is unimportant. This is often the most difficult point to remember. If you walk away from an argument with a troll, it’s likely they’ll run around in circles yapping like an incontinent chihuahua on amphetamines that they’ve “wonâ€￾ - it’s a tactic to make you get up and argue with them again. Just remember, the troll is likely some 40 year old who is working at Kinko’s making photocopies and the closest thing to a girlfriend he’s had is the copy of Hustler magazine he has stored under his mattress.

4. If you succumb to anger, the troll wins. It is amazing how emotionally satisfying it is to verbally belt a troll. I once said to a Microsoft-loving troll that he was a “scum puking moronâ€￾ who should be anally violated by a Hell’s Angel called Otto…for starters. I enjoyed that fit of rage, but in the end the troll was oblivious to what I had said. For all the satisfaction I had gained, it hadn’t hurt him a jot.

So what is to be done? The unenviable task of monitoring trolls falls upon the many board administrators out there. Wise ones provide filters so that particular posters can be ignored. Sites that become infested with trolls should simply be abandoned; it’s far better to walk away, start afresh and let the trolls get locked into a civil war over who is the biggest troll of them all.

The worst thing one can do is to engage trolls, either by trying to fire back at them, or by trying to appeal to their better nature (in my experience, they have none). In short, don’t feed the trolls. Hopefully, if people grow ever more savvy about such things, the trolls will end up feeding solely on each other.

And another: http://www.consumersavvytips.org/avoidi ... troll.html


Avoiding an Internet Troll

What Internet Troll is and How to Handle One
You’re in an Internet chat room or on an Internet message board having a great time. You’re minding your own business and behaving like a responsible adult. Suddenly, there’s someone there attacking you, being downright rude and insulting. Did you do something wrong? If you didn’t do anything wrong, chances are you’ve just been the victim of an Internet troll.


What’s an Internet Troll?
Internet trolls are people who become very, very nasty for no other reason than to stir up a mess. Almost every chat room and message board has an Internet troll at one time or another. I used to be involved with an animal welfare organization and even the group message board for that organization had an Internet troll who would throw lies and insults around the board to purposely stir up trouble for the other members of the board.

What To Do When an Internet Troll is Attacking You?
You’ll know the moment an Internet troll attacks you. There’s nothing subtle about the way in which they do it. If an Internet troll starts attacking you, don’t even respond. They feed on the fire that spreads when arguments erupt in a chat or message board environment. If you don’t give them fuel for their fire, they’ll eventually grow bored and disappear. Hence the saying “Don’t feed the trolls.â€￾

When it Gets Ugly
Internet trolls have been known to turn into Internet stalkers in rare cases. When a troll goes from being annoying to being harassing, it’s time to call in reinforcements. There are ways to stop an Internet troll when they cross that line. First and foremost, you will want to file a police report. Hopefully, that alone will scare the Internet troll into behaving. If not, a restraining order may be called for. It is possible to get a restraining order against an Internet troll, even if they live out of state.

Stay Above it All
Just remember, as tempting as it is to give into an Internet troll and lash back when they lash out at you, the safest and wisest course of action is to ignore the troll and wait for them to go on their way.

[MASC]

Did FSM get banned?

Did she post this as a guest just to show what can happen?

Impersonation of a registered memeber by a troll is not acceptable either.

[FSM]

It was me MASC. I had logged out. Sorry for the confusion.

[FSM]

Originally Posted by butkusfan

When people moved from the old site to this I must admit I was excited. The old site had become stale and as it turns out, that seemed to be purposeful on the part of those who ran it. So be it. However, the garbage that gets aired here is pathetic. Even when there was tough discussion on the Touchline about things like MPS or High school, NEVER and I mean NEVER did posters call out specific coaches or players. In the good old days discussion about those things may have become personal between posters but the subject matter was always discussed in generalities - and that is the way it should be. Over the last two weeks this Board has been a never ending rant against the four clubs in this state (MPS, Scorpions, Bolts and Stars) that are most succesful. That is pitiful. I like to think that over the last 4 years I learned something from this type of site, and maybe that others learned some things from me. That is over and I bid you a fond farewell. If others were smart they would join me and move on with their lives and leave this petty griping, inuendo and name calling to those who remain.

So what is to be done?......... Sites that become infested with trolls should simply be abandoned.....

Keeper had started another forum, Soccer in Massachusetts: http://touchline.informe.com/ She had indicated in the old Touchline that we could better control the content of her new site than was the case with Touchline. Would that apply to the problems here too? Maybe this site has become infested and those who prefer to discuss and debate ideas with civility should move on.