To ask for some kind of MNHQ policy update on troll management?

[SuperFox]

Not sure if this is the right place for this request.

I have been very upset on occasion by trolls on threads getting highly personal of an evening and it not being dealt with until the next day. This sometimes means several hours of personal attack and horrid abuse of the forum. I am not sure of the MNHQ monitoring set-up but if the threads or comments are obligingly deleted the next day then surely MNHQ is in agreement with MNer's objections?

I understand that trolls should not be fed, they are inevitable and free speech and debate should be encouraged BUT I come here because there are moderators to stop bullying and posters are very forward about telling someone when they are out of line.

Of course there is the option to step away from the thread and just ignore ignore but when vindictive goading of a personal nature is allowed to go on for a few hours it often becomes damaging to everyone involved. I have read some things that have been so barbaric and insensitive that they are burned into my brain forever. I know that is just life and people but wonder if the time lag in appropriate consequence from MNHQ is in itself feeding the trolls.

There is an argument for healthy debate as a tool for education but I often see entirely intelligent argument deteriorate into despair and anger as it becomes apparent that the bully is not misguided just out to control by causing hurt. The horror of this is that an OP who has come to MN for help and support in a desperate chapter of their lives can fall by the wayside and be sidelined from their own thread as irrelevant war breaks out. The damage caused to an OP in this sad situation must not be underestimated and it sickens me to know that they could have hours of looking over a thread which has been monopolised by some sick troll out to torture.

I love MN, I nc to keep anon but can say that I have had my hand held in dark dark times when I could not go to anyone in rl for help. I want everyone to have that support when they need it and the reason it is there is because MN is powerful and able to speak its mind. We need a little more power to fend off the trolls when need be I think but am not sure of the best way.

A suggestion was made elsewhere that MNHQ could possibly set up an automated system of sorts that would at least hide a thread until it could be properly dealt with if a certain number of complaints were received. This would allow us to temporarily moderate in some way when it comes to overnight threads that are used by trolls to blatantly abuse the forum with the sole purpose of being cruel and causing distress to MNers.

Sorry this is so long and serious, been gnawing at me for a while.

AIBU to request some form of automated protection from MNHQ?

I didn't see the thread you're talking about but there was one about a year ago where someone posted that they thought they might be having a miscarriage and the subsequent trolling was HORRIFIC. It seems to be a magnet for them.

I get the distinct impression that some posters (Quite a few actually) gravitate towards controversial threads created by the under the bridge dwellers.

But that's what you get with a popular site and a site that needs the traffic to continue to pay for it.

It's the cyber version of rubbernecking though isn't it. Or seeing a fight in the playground and standing gawping rather than doing something about it. I think some people wade in without thinking and don't grasp that a serious troll has no conscience and will say ANYTHING to antagonise and cause distress. It's their MO.

sillystring it was something very similar.

caruthers there's always been trolls but it's much worse since the profile of the site has been raised.

I was recently trolled on Amazon by an author for leaving a negative review. I foolishly responded with a "get a life" type remark and this lunatic just went for the jugular. I had dumbly been using my real name and next thing I knew she was saying things like "I know where you live, you better watch your back" and shit like that. I got Amazon to delete all her posts and advised her that I'd informed the police. A bit of trawling round Amazon reviews I realised she'd done this to several other people. There are some VERY nasty people out there.

Old MSN groups had loads on them signing in under different passports etc...until there are genuine internet id's then there is always going to be sites like this one that are open to abuse.

But then again anonymity is the biggest pull for people on this site so that anonymity is open to all.

I get the impression, rightly or wrongly, that they refuse to employ a paid person at MNHQ during the night.
So they would rather have the occasional thread like this.

I often wonder if they gave posters free reign to lay into the trolls it might drive them off the site, on any given threads there will be more genuine posters than trolls and if they found they had their arses handed back to them by the collective wit and wisdom of mumsnet, they'd find somewhere else to go.

I know they wouldn't allow it, but one can only dream. But at the moment, trolls are like the playground bully who gets their digs in and hides behind teacher when people respond in kind.

I've modded elsewhere and the balance is extremely difficult to get.

Nothing makes trolls happier than responses and answering them is just, well, feeding them. they don't engage in genuine discussoin and nothing gets through to their humanity. After some of what I've seen and had directed at me, there's some trolls that should be jailed imo. The results of feeding trolls can be horrendous and Mumsnet would become a horrible, horrible place if people actually engage with them and 'conversations' took place.

If you had an option where you could get a thread hidden if enough people reported it, it would probably only be a matter of time before some twat thought it'd be funny to get friends to 'report' a genuine thread.

You can ban posters you are sure are trolls. If their IP is the same, and MN will be able to see peoples' IPs, it's easy to ban a re-registered account (if they don't ban by IP in the first place that is). But :( it's not that hard to make your IP absolutely untraceable which means you can't be sure if it's a repeat person. A troll can register over and over and over again very quickly and in my experience it happens quite often. There's also various other nasty tricks they can use.

Plus you have to be sure that it's not someone just saying an unpopular opinion ... mind you some things are beyond the pale and clearly need banning straight off.

The only fully effective way to stop trolls is to have 24/7 coverage on all threads or to vet each post before it's posted. That's just not really feasible because of the number of staff it would take, or else for speed of posting, a conversation'd take forever if every post was vetted. It'd change the nature of the site.

That said, if the finances allow I'd reckon that at least 1 mod at all times and 2 at peak times would be a good idea. And that if enough people reported a thread, it go to the top of the to-be-modded pile.

Really?

It's a chat forum. It has 4M (?) users. Some of those people will not be very nice. But it's just an Internet site. If stuff like thus is gnawing at you then maybe take a break .

I agree BogQueen but watch out everyone will be calling you a troll in a minute

I have seen lots of overuse of the word troll here on Mumsnet. If someone says something others don't agree with, the accusations of being called a troll quickly start

Maybe these people who persistently call others trolls for no reason should be banned?

I was on that thread last night and couldn't understand where it went. I offered what I hoped was kind advice very early on and directed a real-life friend who had a similar experience to the thread today in case she could offer advice by PM. But it was gone and I didn't read it late last night so I didn't see what happened.

Could someone PM me with what happened? I really hope the OP is alright and I didn't think to take her username to send her a PM with my support. (Sorry if this request is not what you're supposed to do by the way; am a bit clueless. Just tell me if this is discouraged, I never really understand the "don't do threads about threads" stuff.)

The OP asked for thread to be deleted Ruby

I'd also appreciate a PM with the OP's username, if someone would be so kind. Her story really hit me and I had a theory about the weird behaviour she'd described, and I'd really like to share it with her in the hope that it might possibly bring her a little peace.

Or as an alternative, why not put new posters in pre-mod mode for a their first posts or restrict their ability to start a new thread for a similar period. It would stop the raft of posters who seem to register and with their fist post, start a goady or contentious thread.

It was waltzingmary I think

A nice idea to PM her

This thread is almost the equivalent of a dinner bell.

Thank you for the name - will PM. X

Thanks YouDontDecide

But everyone loves the goady/contentious threads. They get to run around in circles shrieking 'troll'