Internet trolls and the Dark Tetrad

Delvo said:
Put trolls in your Ignore list. You can also have threads Ignored. They won't be visible. It will be like they don't exist, or at most, like they're present but mute.

You'll still see the non-trolls and non-trolling threads.
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I've never been a fan of ignore lists anywhere but online games to control spam. Better to just ignore people the old fashioned way if they are beyond hope in your opinion.
 
Beerina said:
I've never been a fan of ignore lists anywhere but online games to control spam. Better to just ignore people the old fashioned way if they are beyond hope in your opinion.
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I often look at just the contents of posts rather than who made them, so I wouldn't know a post is one I'd want to ignore til I've already read it, which the Ignore features spare me. The only other way around it would be to start checking people's IDs before reading each post, and that's just doing the same thing as the automatic Ignore anyway, just less efficiently, more annoyingly, and with greater probability of error because the number of people to remember for that at this site would be in the forties. (It's never been more than two or three at other forums I've joined.)
 
If I am tempted to reply to a post that appears to me to be trolling, I write my response offline, in a word processor or text editor. This way, I can be as snarky and insulted and righteously indignant as I want --- and not be tempted to the "submit post" button.

I let the response sit for some time (hours or even days, depending), and then edit it. Much Most of the time, I end up not posting it at all.
 
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Tim, I would like to say, as a lurker, I really hope you don't leave the JREF forums. I read alot of the threads on here, and I think you are a valuable contributor to the forums and I would miss those contributions. That said, I can completely understand where you are coming from; it's easy to get sucked into debates that make you miserable while feeling unable to stop responding to the troll ruining your day. For admittedly selfish reasons, I hope you will find a way to deal with this without leaving JREF because I often find your posts to be quite informative. Good luck!
 
NorfolkAtheist said:
Tim, I would like to say, as a lurker, I really hope you don't leave the JREF forums. I read alot of the threads on here, and I think you are a valuable contributor to the forums and I would miss those contributions. That said, I can completely understand where you are coming from; it's easy to get sucked into debates that make you miserable while feeling unable to stop responding to the troll ruining your day. For admittedly selfish reasons, I hope you will find a way to deal with this without leaving JREF because I often find your posts to be quite informative. Good luck!
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Thank you. I will probably not leave jref. However, in the future, I intend to be far more judicious about which threads I join.
 
The best way to understand and deal with trolls is to become one yourself. Just try it out for a few months. It's not illegal. It's not a lifetime commitment. There's no difficult tests or secret initiation rituals to become a troll. It's not like joining the mafia and other trolls will track you down and kill you when you decide to call it quits.

It's easier than it sounds. I never troll on Jref. In fact it has been years since I've done any real trolling. On other forums I'm often denounced as a "troll", though I see myself more as a satirist or skeptic trying to expose religious and alt-med pseudo-science charlatans. For example, this is how I'm perceived on anti-GMO forums - "Put him on ignore! He is worse than a Monsanto shill, he's a troll!".

In some ways, it is like there is a continuum between a true troll and a satirist. It often depends on context. Ultimately, it is difficult to even define what a troll truly is, but like pornography, you know it when you see it.

As for dealing with trolls when I want to have a serious discussion - I just put them on ignore and suggest everyone else do the same.
 
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