Dealing with the trolls

PBP not pfb duh !

KatherineMN there are posters all over the site who receive no support whatsoever so I think the argument that 'someone might not receive support they need' is a bit lame.

Emotional Vampire Trolls ensure that even more genuine threads go unread and posters unsupported.

I do not believe that anyone who genuinely needed help and support from MN would worry too much about having their credentials checked, provided it was done quickly and as discreetly as possible.

That particular thread was horrendous . I think that what another member mentioned re lack of known posters adding to the thread made me a bit twitchy . Then MrsDeVeres gentle,kind but restrained wording sealed it for me. To read and revisit such personal pain must have been very very hard .
It is spending time on MN that hones the troll radar sadly . Meanwhile I still stand by the idea that no one can post until two or three days have past when new . Pain for MNHQ and extra work but checks can be made re PFB.
Post date of joining with username .

Yes it is not ideal or kind to those who join in distress of course not . But Mumsnet is not the only place for immediate help . But it is becoming the place where it isn't safe to do so . Huge website and fodder for the media.
I do understand this is a business .
But checking new posters before giving poster rights seems sensible to me
Oh and MrsDeVere .

On another forum I'm on, mods will pre-emptively post on what might be trollery (so goady fuckerism, child health, relationships etc) with a link to their posting guidelines and something similar to the 'don't give more of yourself etc' line. Might show trolls that they are under scrutiny whilst not scaring off (hopefully) genuine posters?

no frigging way was that a troll,there was pictures of the child

katherine I wonder whether it would be possible to launch some kind of awareness though? Of how people need to be really careful when trusting online, with perhaps some stats as to how many threads you delete on a weekly basis to give posters an idea of just how big the problem is?

As MN is a large site it stands to reason that not all posts are going to be genuine, of course it does, and it also stands to reason that many posts which are not deleted might not be genuine either. But perhaps the sheer volume of threads which are deleted on a weekly basis might give posters a wake up call as to just how real trolls are.

margie you would of course still get the outraged "Who has been reporting this thread, how very dare they, etc., etc." as proven by the self righteous indignation when MNHQ put their warning up mid thread.

A number of posters on that thread really didn't cover themselves in glory, it was nauseating.

All placemarking should be banned outright, it's so damn irritating.

Admin should have a new rule;

If you are found to be a troll and are banned then your email address will be posted on the forum.

I realise the majority of trolls will use a throw-away email address but at least posters on the thread could vent their anger (using their own disposable email of course).

IMO a message at the top stating how many reports they've had will just fuel the defenders though.

I agree that "checking in," posts need deleting, people would be less inclined to do it then if a thread has 500 deleted posts rather than "good morning, checking in" ones.

Navy yes I too was shouting at the screen wanting to post something. Although by that point the OP had marked her card by bringing a troll discussion to the thread which hadn't been started there. the supportive messages dropped off massively after that and I do think perhaps that some posters became more suspect then.

I think it would be great if just asking for updates /checking in/placeholder posts were deleted. They add nothing to the conversation and feed trollery.

A while back (different username) I reported a thread which I knew (based on my former job) to be absolute bollocks and I explained why. The response I got from MN was "we don't know why you're reporting this". Few days later it was gone, but I've never bothered reporting a post since.

The defenders on the last thread were particularly cringeworthy. Posts along the lines of "MN HQ shouldn't even be putting that warning up there, anyone can see that you're genuine, how dare anyone question it," and even lambasting posters who had reported away from the thread for daring to doubt.

And yes, the whole collective noun bollocks is just nauseating. Even if the thread had been true it would have been cringeworthy, as if it were some kind of exclusive club... And actually, it could have been about someone's real life issue.

WannaBe indeed there are and I think those posters are just as much emotional vampires as the trolls who start the threads.

I always find a bit strange when the 'supporting crew' lambast those who are a little more circumspect - "We know it's true, how dare you suggest otherwise", the simple fact is none of us know 100% that anything on here is true unless we are the one it is happening to or are intimately involved in the situation. Just because I wouldn't lie about something so awful doesn't mean someone else wouldn't, even face to face some people will tell the most appalling lies or make up the most terrible stories.

I know it's a difficult call for MNHQ as your examples show but I do think a better system could be implemented. We've been over it many, many times and a number of what I thought were sensible, practical suggestions have been made but MNHQ have decided to keep the status quo and whilst that is the case we will be forever witnessing the fall out of these type of threads.

Didn't believe that one from start either. Sick bastard.

It would also help if threads that are "under investigation" were barred from appearing on Trending. There's one running at the moment (multiple reports about it, according to HQ) that keeps nudging its way onto the list and sucking more people in.

Oh yes there are absolutely posters who enjoy the unfolding dramas on these threads and are desperate to be a part of it.

The thing with threads is that HQ can only really say that they haven't found reason to suspect that the poster isn't genuine. Because with no recent history for example it's possible that someone could join MN to post about their situation, whatever that might be. And it's therefore possible that someone could join MN for the first time purely to troll here.

There are threads which I know have been left to stand which many posters have doubted and reported on mass. But as there's no proof MN can't delete just because a number of posters seem suspicious. I reported a couple last year, one of which ran into thousands and thousands of posts over a number of threads, and I know others did too and many other posters thought it was suspicious. But it was never removed because there was no way of knowing for sure that the OP wasn't genuine. I'm certain she wasn't genuine, but because it can't be proved people will always ask about her situation, for instance.

margie I think enjoy is exactly the right description, I think a number of posters need to take a look at themselves and their own reactions to these 'emotional' threads because if the truth were told they are getting as much out of being part of it as the Troll is.

Someone on the now deleted thread made some excellent points about threads which generate a collective noun name for the supporters and how those 'in the gang' then feed off this which leads to the dismissive, self righteous and frankly nasty attacks on anyone who dares to raise even the mildest of questions.

This is why Trolls, particularly the emotional vampire ones, love MN they get exactly what they are looking for time and time again.