Comments on: Troll-hunting 101.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:48:03 +0000

Moe, you smell like an elephant’s butt. In fact, all of the commenters here smell like elephant’s butts!

Nah. I’m just kidding. You probably all smell fine and are nice people. Damn, I’d make a terrible troll.

By: Purp (@PurpAv)

Purp (@PurpAv) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:48:40 +0000

“would not only ban them but also would rewrite their pseudonymously posted comments to make them look extra stupid.”

I did unflattering troll edits all the time when I was actively co-blogging at the HQ.

By: Kristopher

Kristopher — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:18:46 +0000

You missed one important step:

Edit the troll’s comments for “clarity”.

Being able to leave their excrement on other folks blogs is their prime motivation. If you aren’t going to remove their comments, then at least edit them for your own amusement.

By: Ritchie The Riveter

Ritchie The Riveter — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 03:52:55 +0000

Rob, even though they might not change their mind, I will respect a reasoned opinion even as I dissect its flaws.

OTOH, when the only thing you’re getting from ‘em is the same ol’ D3 (discussed/debated/debunked) talking points we’ve all heard before, the best response I can suggest is to call ‘em as you see ‘em …

… and ask them if they wanna cracker.

By: Rob Crawford

Rob Crawford — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:48:55 +0000

The problem isn’t simple disagreement, “Look”, but the refusal to engage in a meaningful debate. If someone hasn’t changed their position in ten years of starting fights on blogs, has never even changed their rhetoric, never even considered for a second that the other position has merit, they are a troll and should be given an instant banning.

By: Look

Look — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:50:43 +0000

Unfortunately, many people don’t even know what a “troll” actually is.

They consider any post that doesn’t just rubber stamp whatever they said to be a “troll”. If you think this post is a troll, you are one of those people.

By: Stark Dickflüssig

Stark Dickflüssig — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:48:34 +0000

One of the problems with nailing down trolls is that there are two common definitions of trolling still in current use. The more pejorative sense is the fellow who lives under a bridge, which he doesn’t own, demanding a toll of all who pass: this is the troll who simply won’t shut up and responds to every single post as though they own the place.

The other sense is that of a fisherman slowly passing throuh, dangling a hook out, seeing what will bite. Many times the first kind of troll engages in this, but much of what drives the so-called blogosphere lies in getting people to respond. Ergo, the entire system is a giant trolling operation.

By: chuckR

chuckR — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:31:21 +0000

Many years ago, a blogger posting under Hog On Ice would not only ban them but also would rewrite their pseudonymously posted comments to make them look extra stupid. And then made fun of them when they privately emailed to object. I guess that was a wilder and woolier time.

By: Moe_Lane

Moe_Lane — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:26:17 +0000

Rob C: Trollhunter’s on Netflix. I recommend it myself.

By: werewife

werewife — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:02:53 +0000

Once upon a time, I thought that banning was an act of cowardice (yes, I used to go to Little Green Footballs, but didn’t post enough to be banned; left on my own). Now that three near-psychotic Jew-haters are hijacking almost every Israel-related thread over on Breitbart, the truth of your point of view is self-evident.

BTW, Mr. Lane, thank you for being an evil giraffe.

By: shooter242

shooter242 — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:54:15 +0000

I’d like to encourage more trollery on left wing sites. Specifically pushback on common memes such as identified by Jonah Goldberg as unchallenged cliches. It can actually work, and it can actually change the course of debate.

For instance, I always challenge “the rich take too much of the pie” meme. There is no pie, no one decides who gets what, and the “pie” is a measure of contributions to a total. Ergo the rich don’t take they contribute. It’s been gratifyingly effective.

Try it you’ll like it. Don’t curse and keep the personal insults to a bare minimum, don’t allow moving goal posts or distractions. Ignore trollish responders, and be four times more civil. They hate that.

By: grond

grond — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:35:25 +0000

Pardon a probably dumb question. Are there sites that survive on the number of hits or posts made on them? There’s a particular site, a big one few of you probably frequent, that absolutely refuses to ban even the most egregious assholery, even when it’s been pointed out over the course of YEARS. It’s not that the mods aren’t watching – they are. They’re often involved in discussions. But trolls drive arguments (you’d think people knew better by now) and they just let it run.

So does tolerating persistent trolling = $$$ ?