South Bend Forum Trolls

[Paula]

It is an unfortunate fact of internet life that there exist individuals who prove themselves incapable of civil behavior when interacting on a discussion forum. Unable to win acceptance through positive interaction within the group, they begin acting out in a disruptive manner, being intentionally controversial, harassing, and otherwise interfering with the normal exchange of information. Such antisocial behavior, commonly known within the internet community as "trolling", will not be condoned on the South Bend forum. It is my feeling that individuals who repeatedly engage in such behavior have forfeited the privilege of interacting with the more respectful members of the forum.

Whatever the cause of this maladaptive behavior, it is clear that trolls "feed" on the outrage and negative reactions of others within the group. Therefore, the simplest and most effective approach, by far, in dealing with these persons is to simply ignore them. When such posts appear on the forum, make no public response, either directly or indirectly. Simply continue the discussion as normal. Feel free to use the Report Post function if you are so inclined. The offending posts will be unceremoniously removed in due time.

Be advised that a very common reaction of a troll to being excluded from a group is to return repeatedly under a different name. Inevitably, it doesn’t take long for them to betray themselves once again. This hiding behind numerous identities needn’t concern us unduly, but a degree of caution needs to be exercised when engaging in off-list transactions. Be reasonably cautious of forum members having user names associated with low post-counts. If you suspect that a particular forum member that you are considering entering into an off-list transaction with might be less than trustworthy, feel free to contact me privately to find out if the individual is one of those known to have caused problems in the past.

I regret that it has become necessary to address this situation. I know that the vast majority of South Bend forum members visit here to exchange information in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, free from controversy and harassment. It is my intention to see that such an environment is maintained, in spite of individuals who can’t seem to "play nice". All I ask is your cooperation in dealing effectively with the offending parties.

Paula

[Anymouse]

Paula,

Regardless of the minority of miscreants, I am deeply impressed by each and every response to my extremely newbie/naive questions/comments. It appears to me most fall all over themselves to help.

Thanks for the heads up and I hope those who think they can find something for nothing will learn. Some times I need a reminder and get one.

For the parasites you mention that are on the troll? They are worth nothing but to educate...

Wally

P.S. Reminds me of the sign I saw in a hardware store in the mountains of Colorado, "We screwed the guy before you and will pass the savings on to you."

[peter]

Can we ban or block login based on user internet IP address. I believe that can be done with the website program you are using. Most so-called trolls are going to have a limited number of IP address. Ie home or work = two. That should end about 99% of the problem.

[Paula]

Hardly. IP address blocking might keep the less internet-saavy trolls at bay, but such protocols are easily sidestepped, and the more neurotic and determined probably don't even find it an exhilarating challenge. In fact, it may have been your posting the above message that spurred our good friend, "thumbz", into his most recent return engagement, just to laugh in its face. I see that he left his trademark single rating-star on this thread. (So original and clever.)

Fortunately, spoofing a respectable post-count seems a more daunting prospect, so I will remind others to be wary of doing business with members having few posts to their credit.

Paula