How do you respond to Trolls?

How do you respond to Trolls?

I do what GN tells me to do.

Trolls and troublemakers
We hope you will find the vast majority of Gransnet discussions genuinely informative, supportive and friendly (even when we all disagree with each other!) Unfortunately, from time to time, all sites are visited by troublemaking "trolls", for whom friendly supportive chat is definitely not on the agenda. (For those who don't know, a troll is someone who poses as someone else in order to cause chaos, fulfil their own perverted agenda, or just for the hell of it.)

If you suspect someone of being a troll, please don't accuse them publicly on the discussion thread (if you're wrong, you could cause untold hurt; if you're right, you'll merely be giving them just the kind of attention they're after).

Instead, please report your suspicions to us (either by reporting a post of theirs or by mailing us at [email protected]) and we'll check them out.

Please bear in mind that we'd rather err on the side of being taken in than of accusing a genuine poster who's in need of support of being a troll.

I dont think what you are describing is a troll. Introducing controversy isnt being a troll in my understanding of the word.

Trolling is when someone picks out and de-contextualises a word or phrase in an attempt to derail a valid discussion and attract attention to themselves. How often have we seen someone on GN come up with a pathetic two penny accusation of "classist" or "ageist" when someone expresses a strong or controversial view that they dont happen to share.

Par for the course among the intellectually challenged who share a brain cell between them.

That's not my understanding of a troll. You wouldnt be banned from GN for the example you have given.

Just don’t feed them. Simples🤗

I’ve never understood what a troll is tbh😳

Galaxy

I dont think what you are describing is a troll. Introducing controversy isnt being a troll in my understanding of the word.

I agree, Galaxy. On its own, the introduction of controversy into a discussion is perfectly natural, positive, and often leads to a healthy, energised exchange of views, What I'm saying is that when it becomes the "go to" standard approach regardless of the topic, and is accompanied by the raft of other behavioural pointers which I describe, then that tells a whole different story. So just a very small part of the overall, anger-fed picture, IMHO..

Still not my understanding. When I think of trolls on GN I think of the majority of the 'problem' threads. Long complex family problem obviously made up, by a poster with no posting history. Sometimes introducing dodgy sexual stuff, sometimes looking for money, sometimes because they get a kick from drama.

Galaxy

Still not my understanding. When I think of trolls on GN I think of the majority of the 'problem' threads. Long complex family problem obviously made up, by a poster with no posting history. Sometimes introducing dodgy sexual stuff, sometimes looking for money, sometimes because they get a kick from drama.

Once again, Galaxy, I find myself agreeing with your examples. However, I still feel that that little "titbit" of controversy, carefully affixed to their "hook", is often the bait which then allows the Troll to reel their victim in. It's carefully designed to provoke a response, without which, the Troll can't continue to play their game.

Don’t feed a troll.

Galaxy

Still not my understanding. When I think of trolls on GN I think of the majority of the 'problem' threads. Long complex family problem obviously made up, by a poster with no posting history. Sometimes introducing dodgy sexual stuff, sometimes looking for money, sometimes because they get a kick from drama.

We've had some funny ones too, or at least the ensuing threads have been funny.

Plimsolls, school uniforms, onesies.

I remember a few a long drip drip of information always thinking if another drama rather like a soap opera does. There was an interesting one on MN yesterday.

What is trolling? Well one example would be if say, I were to follow you around on this site, singling out your posts and making vexatious comments,
criticising your opinion, belittling the subject if you begin a thread, picking you up on spelling or punctuation, or grammar,
with deliberate intent to upset and impede the natural too and fro of commentary.
All this and on a regular basis
This could also have the affect of putting other posters off and so shut down avenues of discussion.

How to respond to trolls? As dogsmother says up thread: Don't.

It's that simple.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

I have watched quite a few people (mostly on MN) banned for troll hunting. It's a waste of time and people arent always right. Just report if you have concerns.

strive to introduce controversy

I learnt from another forum, that these people may be paid.
It had never entered my head before that that could happen.

There used to be a Trump troll on MN who I assume was paid, he was hilarious and infuriating. As soon as the election was over I never saw him on MN again.

I prefer this definition to the GN one.

'Trolling: the act of leaving an insulting message on the internet in order to annoy someone'
- Cambridge Dictionary

You could troll using your own name, rather than when posing as someone else.

The Australian government website says:

//Trolling is when someone deliberately tries to upset others online...

Don’t feed the trolls – responding is likely to make things worse. Report the abuse instead.//

- Australian eSafety Commissioner

www.esafety.gov.au/young-people/trolling

According to the OP a lot of what is written on MN could be seen as trolling. There’s plenty of mild, patronising disparagement and heated discussion and we are all, sensibly, guarding our anonymity. There is plenty of controversy too.
So are many of us sociopathic, psychopathic trolls, relishing a touch of sadism? Or are we just enjoying the chance to get involved, or off load? I’m still new here, but I’ve seen those long posts with lots of detail cited by another poster, as well as the obviously angry, defensive responses from others, but I have no idea whether they are from trolls or from someone with real issues. Maybe I would get angry and defensive if my views met with derision, but I would suggest that holding an ‘other’ view would not necessarily make me a troll.
If the OP is representative, then that is disappointing and will make MN a rather anaemic place that won’t attract new users or keep old ones. That would be a shame because there are so many positive, helpful and supportive people on here that it seems to me to be a force for good.

I guess GN have widened the basic meaning of 'troll' out a bit. They are saying that trolling could mean someone trying to fulfil their own perverted agenda, which could include other things apart from trying to annoy and upset people, such as trying to get attention or trying to get a dodgy sexual thrill.

Fair enough. I think trying to annoy people is the main meaning, but the other ones could apply too. Maybe trolls are trying to feel powerful at other people's expense.

If they get no response, they won't get a feeling of power.

I report them. I don’t actually respond if I suspect a troll.

Caramme. I'm not suggesting that occasionally "off-loading" or even throwing your toys clean out of the cot here on GN or anywhere else means that you're a Troll. We all have bad days.. Ok, one such post may break the house rules and be deleted, but it takes a repeated pattern of such behaviour to indicate that a Troll may well be at work, and to perhaps result in that individual being banned. So yes, you may well experience "plenty of mild, patronising disparagement", but as a one-off, that's not Trolling. However, what it brings to the quality of the debate or adds to the credibility of the argument is another matter..

NanaDana
I absolutely take your point. But I still think we need to be careful. In my short time here I can already recognise people who are more than averagely...errr...negative. Doesn’t upset me and I hope they feel better for it. Nice to note that I haven’t seen anything extreme yet. Best to leave it to the people who do the moderation I guess as I clearly don’t know my trolls from my goblins.