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Troll hunting

(234 Posts)
kittylester Tue 18-Dec-18 10:26:55

I have been told off for troll hunting to which I hold my hands up- though I wasn't hunting, I'd found one!!

Shouldn't GNHQ be troll hunting for us. Those of us that have been here a while will be instinctively aware of malicious posters generally and can report (as I was told to) but how long does it take hq to look into something and what harm can be done to unsuspecting members in the interim?

MawBroon Tue 18-Dec-18 10:30:10

I had a severe reprimand which frankly brought me this close to leaving the building.
I agree, on the one hand we are told GNHQ can’t be monitoring everything and we should report suspicious posts. But that can take a while and the response is often a heavy handed deletion of an entire thread, whether appropriate or not.
Granny’s gut instinct is invariably the right one!

CariGransnet (GNHQ) Tue 18-Dec-18 10:43:35

We wish we could read every thread but we can't and so yes, we are always grateful when you let us know about anything that doesn't feel quite right.

We don't like deleting entire threads, but if the OP is someone who (we discover) is posting something that they shouldn't - for whatever reason - it generally makes sense to get rid of the thread as all the following comments won't make any sense if we just remove the first post.

We try to get to reported posts as fast as we can so please keep reporting things you think we should look at.

Re the troll-hunting thing - all we ask is that you don't do it on the thread itself, either openly or obliquely (thinking onesies...) but report away if needed.

Now off for another mince pie

kittylester Tue 18-Dec-18 11:23:30

But, cari, in the meantime, people can be taken in!!

oldbatty Tue 18-Dec-18 11:36:50

If someone is unkind and daft enough to post something untrue,there is no harm I'm giving a quick heads up to other people.it avoids them feeling foolish.

cornergran Tue 18-Dec-18 11:41:08

Agree oldbatty, I honestly can't see the harm in being honest if any poster has concerns about a thread as long as the honesty isn't rude or demeaning which is as bad in my view as posting a 'story' to get reactions.

Squiffy Tue 18-Dec-18 12:04:18

But, cari, in the meantime, people can be taken in!! Exactly Kitty!

Those, who are taken in, often divulge their own, very personal experiences, in an attempt to make the OP feel that they are not alone in what they're going through, which must open old wounds. That must be very emotional and upsetting for some of them. Unnecessarily!

M0nica Tue 18-Dec-18 12:21:00

2 days ago, I posted a reply calling his bluff to a gent trawling for a vulnerable older woman, with an ?attractive? photo and then reported it.

I did this because once before I reported a reply like this and because I posted that I had done so, I had a PM from the person owning the post telling he was genuine (politely). GN HQ removed the message so I wasn't convinced. The next one might not be so polite, hence my strategy descibed above.

holdingontometeeth Tue 18-Dec-18 13:16:37

You are all a self congratulation bunch revelling in your success in outing trolls
How many of your suspicions have been groundless?
You don’t brag or even mention them, do you?
The trouble with your actions and comments placed on the threads of genuine posters is that you deter sensible people of a more sensitive nature from posting, which in turn you class as another success.
If you don’t like a thread then move onto the next.

Gonegirl Tue 18-Dec-18 13:26:54

Here here!

We are all (very) grown up. We are not young teenagers who need protecting from the big bad world out there. grin

Gonegirl Tue 18-Dec-18 13:28:38

Shall we smooth our feathers down ladies? tchgrin

Squiffy Tue 18-Dec-18 13:30:41

We are all (very) grown up

Being 'grown-up' is irrelevant.

BlueBelle Tue 18-Dec-18 13:31:59

You are wrong holdingon it’s nothing to do with liking a post or moving on it’s to do with idiots liking to rev up what they see as a bunch of old ladies into a reaction I have reported a number of threads recently and all except one were Trolls or jokers as I prefer to call them The one I was wrong about I apologised and the poster accepted my apology and said they realised what that what they had written sounded too good to be true

HQ can’t have it both ways if they want our help and as a regular reader and poster I m happy to help but don’t then call me a troll hunter

If I come across a thread that I feel is only there for taking the pxxx I will continue to report it

BlueBelle Tue 18-Dec-18 13:33:30

Gonegirl grown up or not there are some very kind posters on here who really get pulled into wanting to help and they shouldn’t be made fools of

Gonegirl Tue 18-Dec-18 13:39:53

I just don't think we should post messages on threads taking it for granted the OP is a troll. Just report it to HQ and let them decide. It's what we pay them for

Gonegirl Tue 18-Dec-18 13:41:12

Showing verbal kindness, even to the wrong people, can never make a fool of anyone.

BlueBelle Tue 18-Dec-18 13:43:41

I agree on the whole but there also needs to be a way of alerting people to very nasty ones as HQ can take hours and I have in the past seen them grow long legs while waiting

There was one this morning I see now deleted which could have become very nasty very quickly

Anja Tue 18-Dec-18 13:49:45

These trolls feed on the responses they get. They are damaged or malicious people.

merlotgran Tue 18-Dec-18 13:51:22

The fact there are so many at the moment means we are bound to be alert.

We're not here to be made fools of.

Fennel Tue 18-Dec-18 13:54:47

holdingon another reason we tend to be cautious is that in the past posts from provocative threads have been published in the tabloids. Being open for all to see. sometimes with the poster's own name.
Some of us changed our poster name after that.

Fennel Tue 18-Dec-18 13:55:52

ps these open forums aren't protected by copyright laws.

holdingontometeeth Tue 18-Dec-18 13:55:53

Indeed there are. The same can be said of some regular posters too!

holdingontometeeth Tue 18-Dec-18 13:58:42

Above reply was meant for Anja
Getting busy on here now, puffing and blustering.

merlotgran Tue 18-Dec-18 14:07:11

I don't think inferring some regular posters are damaged or malicious is quite in the spirit of Gransnet, holding.

As for puffing and blustering. You sound a little unfit to be riding a high horse.

holdingontometeeth Tue 18-Dec-18 14:15:36

merlotgran

The fact there are so many at the moment means we are bound to be alert.

We're not here to be made fools of.

It would appear that you don’t need any help in that department merlotgran
Sticks and stones etc., and of course ONESIES.