can we do anything please to prevent unnecessary troll hunting?

Thats a good idea im the example of which I spoke it was me that had changed names purely bcos I didnt want everyone to know what was going on behind my own front door ...but in the scathing attacks I received even my intelligence and my ability to parent my dc was questioned.

Yet had I used my 'real' name Im sure none of that would have happened nor would the ripping apart of my 'problem' the troll accusations etc etc that followed.....even when someone who knows me in real life recognised 'my story' and tried to say this is genuine-then she too was flamed for her typing .

In the end 'anyfucker' opened the escape door for me and offeed me advice...to that I will always be grateful.

But you know ive been on mumsnet ive given advice received v good advice had a laugh and indeed a cry at some of the stuff-just that incident left a very sour taste for me and I would never open up on here again.

That's a reasonable idea, I think.

God we've been round this one so many times before.

I don't think L plates would solve anything. As others have said, even long term mners can namechange, and the long-term trolls are the ones that cause the most damage.

But I do think that the troll-hunting has got out of hand and I think that unsubstantiated or rude troll-callers ought to be treated as personal attacks - ie deleted and asked to stop name-calling by MNHQ.

There MUST be some way people can raise their suspicions without being unpleasant about it - and yet they seem unable or unwilling to do so.

Because we seem unable to police this for ourselves, I suggest that there should be a "report troll" button for each thread, and pressing it would trigger an icon at the top of the page saying "please be aware that not everyone on the internet is genuine and be careful of what you say".

Regulars would be aware that this was the equivalent of a red flag on the OP, but it would be polite, non-confrontational and removable by MNHQ if they decided the post was genuine.

And no, I didn't see any of the recent threads and this is not directed at anyone in particular, just at what seems to be an escalating problem recently.

Why not just report the thread if the troll accusations and consequent nastiness is getting out of hand and let mumsnet moderators judge? I'm sure they already watch threads - probably watching this one- and if quite a few people register their disquiet about threads turning into bear baiting, then something can be done to calm it down.

Perfect

This should Help

Why is the focus on the trollhunting? Surely moving to cut down on trolling would be a better move for the atmosphere of the board in general.

There's a weird witchhunty vibe to this focus on 'trollhunters'. Must be making the various trolls very happy.

Iv mentioned this hear befor.The L plates idear comes from a realy full on website www.b3ta.com/its populated by foul mouthed teenage boys alot of the time,weirdly enough, iv posted over there and never had any shite from them to the dagree Iv got over hear.Unfortunatly the foulmothed teenage boys dont have good info on being bitten while breastfeeding.
Tickers are foul, agreed.As someone said earler, its maybe a idear to see how others are doing things however.

L plates thin end of wedge to tickers. No thanks.

However well moderated these boards are, and whatever the name change etc policy is, it is only too easy to say something hasty or unkind or ill-judged, and of course once said it's said and can't be unsaid.

I agree with Mrs BB - you can forget there are people behind the nicknames, all staring at a glowing screen. Maybe sitting with their family, maybe sitting on their own. We don't know, and we think we know people but we don't. Some posters will deliberatley create a facade, others just grow that way.

I know that I have said things on here in the past which I bitterly bitterly regret and which have given me many sleepless nights, even though they've probably been ignored or forgotten by the other posters on the thread. The thing is that we don't know.

Speeking as someone who has recived some startling unplesentness recently, Im very lucky to be in a good place right now and dident take it on.
Someone who has in the past came hear for suport and all the shite of the world lands on them, plue abuse from MNers could provide a tipping point.
We have all got used to the harlaquens ball.
Face to face most people wouldent dream of saying the things people do to each other hear in as they do in RL.
For some its a life line of human contact.Imagin if that too turned on you.

I think people are forgetting there are real people behind the nick names.

MrsBlackbeird, the vaste majority of troll posts don't even enter the arena potential suicide though. I think you are being over dramatic! I was actually on a thread a year or so ago, where afterwards a poor chap decided to end his own life. The thread was entirely sympathetic to him. RL was what was too much.

The L plate on another fourm only stays for the week, whatever your name change.Can identafie people who have just logged on to piss around for the night.
This other fourm have a newbi tusday.
Between being reged and being able to post, they advise waiting a week and to watch the bords.
Newbi's are advised to first post on a tusday where the bords are hevely patroled.

I think a statement by the people that run this website should be put on the homepage about the posablity that someone may 'jump' one night if enough abuse is fired at someone.

Im sure that at the moment that if something isent done to adress the bullying etc on MN, its a very small step away from being linked to a sucide.

God knows if such a sensible discussion canm be had.

Rindercella started a thread like this yesterday and I posted on that - can't see it any more so assume that it descended into vitriol and was thus deleted.

Agree with Jeremy.

Bibbity, I know this is meant to be a dialogue with MN being in site stuff, but that's taking my quote a bit out of context. As I said in the first paragraph, the threads on this are all going the same way. It's not working atm. And MNHQ aren't here discussing, they're hovering over the delete button, still bleary-eyed from Tuesday night.

I agree that a discussion might be needed. But it's not happening here. It might be wise for it to be a discussion led by MNHQ, not another descent into bickering.

The veiled comments and faces took fewer than 10 posts on this thread.

I missed what went on last night, saw what happened before that, anyone being ripped to shreds is not on.

Good idea bibbity.

Spicedgherkin, ripped to shreds for whatever reason...being a potential troll, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I know of one person who sat staring at a bottle of pills last night and it wasn't the alleged troll.

Sorry - wrong thread!

"Perhaps you'd like to start a dialogue with MNHQ about this."

Well, thats what this thread is supposed to be, being in Site Stuff and addressed directly to MNHQ and all.

If anyone would like to discuss this privately with me then please CAT me!

I am friends with the owner/moderator of another forum. I will ask him what he does re. this issue.

well yes it would have been best left as it had been abandoned yesterday.

Shame people can't stick to it.

I don't think people mind a degree of skepticism, it's when people are ripped to shreds that there tends to be an objection.