...to ask how a troll is identified as such?

[festivelyfocussed]

Sorry if this is a stupid or inappropriate question, but i've just seen a couple of threads deleted apparently because they were troll threads. How to MNHQ or regular MNers know if someone is trolling?

[LRDtheFeministDude]

These threads tend to turn into 'how to troll MN, 101'. Just a helpful hint.

Though, I will say, for the benefit of Fathers for Justice, it does make it a tad obvious if you post about your clever trolling all over freely accessible parts of the internet ...

[CreamOfTomatoSoup]

They have a troll detector. It goes 'clack clack clack' when it senses one.

[festivelyfocussed]

I am confused. Is that the intention?

[ImperialSantaKnickers]

I could tell you. But then I'd have to kill you

Seriously, if we talk about how to go about troll spotting on here, it will only tell the trolls what they need to learn to avoid being spotted.

[festivelyfocussed]

Oh, fair comment.
Just glad i didn't post any comments then coz i would've felt like a bit of a tit. I suppose that's the point.

[LittleTownofBethleHelenMumsnet]

@CreamOfTomatoSoup

They have a troll detector. It goes 'clack clack clack' when it senses one.

Something like that

[bruffin]

There are lots of different types of trolls festive

There are the type who just post to stir up trouble, ie post a contentious subject then sit back and watch the bunfight.

There are attention seekers who tell a tale which drags on for weeks or months. Usually something like having triplets, they are in icu etc, but usually get found out because they are not very careful about facts and there stories dont add up.

Then there are the fetish trolls, who post about school uniforms,kilts ,tights, school uniform shorts on teenage boys,even a tickling fetishist etc

[festivelyfocussed]

I see.

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

What I dont understand is, if a poster is suspected of being a troll but its not very obvious, how does MNHQ determine that they are?

I realise that I will never know the answer to this. But I do ponder it occasionally.

[LadyMaryChristmas]

Trolls smell of vomit and stinky farts. You can spot one a mile away as they emit this faint odour down the internet and it escapes through the vent at the side of your laptop. Only those with a sensitive nose can sniff the feckers out though.

[thekidsrule]

what gets me is if a person asks a question that is not popular with some regulars they straight away get accussed of being one,or a journalist etc

they cant all be trolls

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

I agree thekidsrule.

So many times I have been on a perfectly plausible thread and then MNHQ declare troll.

Surely sometimes a genuine poster creates a weird thread the first time they do one and then dont know why they were banned.

[KellyEllyChristmasBelly]

MNHQ finds they are of no known address and live under a bridge waiting for unsuspecting goats to cross :)

[IamtheZombie]

MNHQ always err on the side of extreme caution before deciding that a poster is a troll. If they delete a thread and give the reason as the OP "wasn't quite what they seemed to be" or was a bit of a "hairy handed trucker" or similar, then you can be damned sure that they are 99.99999999999999% certain that the poster is a troll.

HQ will not explain the methods they use to come to this conclusion. If they did so, the trolls would then be able to circumvent at least some of these methods and we would have an even bigger problem than we do now.

Zombie trusts HQ.

[CinderellaMumsnet]

@IamtheZombie

HQ will not explain the methods they use to come to this conclusion.

This is also because OliviaMumsnet rather fancies herself somewhat as a much friendlier version of Chloe from CTU and brings out all manner of Secret Service references occasionally.

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

:o

[IamtheZombie]

And quite rightly so, Cinders!

[Scrubber]

Oh no! I smell of vomit and stinky farts, am I a troll? (feardy face, looks round for MNHQ police)

Not my fault, norovirus in this house.

[NothingIsAsBadAsItSeems]

there are fetish trolls?... But why...?

[lovelyladuree]

I would save your brain cells for something more important.

[HecatePropolos]

I think there's a secret database shared between all forum owners, with isp/ip (whichever it is) addresses, known user names and stuff like that. And some big siren goes off whenever someone on the Shitlist rocks up.

[bruffin]

Dont know but they are the same ones that have cropped up on all parenting websites i have used in the past. Most definitely the same trolls as they tell almost identical story and even use the same names. They must get some sort of kick out it.
They even create sock puppets to keep threads going.

[SPBInDisguise]

Cindarella who are you? And who are the MNHQ ugly sisters??
Go on tell us then make this go poof before anyone spots it...

[IamtheZombie]

Hovering over Cinders' name is your friend, SPB.