Trolls

[SilverOldie2]

This is sort of about another thread, but not a specific one. AIBU to say that I simply cannot understand what people get out of coming on here and starting a thread which pulls on people's heartstrings when it is completely false. I've seen posters opening their souls on some threads where they are concerned for the OP and can't imagine how devastated they must feel when they discover that it was all a fake.

I'm not talking about those who post something so outrageous or funny, you sort of know it's not true and can have fun with it

Can there be any acceptable reason why they do it? Have you ever trolled and if so why? What the hell do they get out of it? I just do not understand.

That's pretty much how I felt too Cassie, superfluous detail you wouldn't be concerned with if the harrowing subject were true.

So how do MN deal with 'troll' reports? Is it a case of 'if we get enough we'll look into it'? Or do they check out every troll alert?

Automatic blocking after a certain number of reports sounds a good idea.

I am a bit upset about the dead children horrible mother one, i didnt post but .. Well

Maryz I think that's a good idea, if MNHQ receive 'X' number of reports about a thread it could be blocked and removed from view whilst MNHQ look into it, that would stop more feeding of the Troll and upset to other posters. If all okay thread reinstated, if not it disappears and having disappeared fairly quickly minimal damage will be done.

laffy that is exactly what stood out to me too! The op breezily glazed over a very big point. Usually someone would go into a bit more detail. Also the twin thing was a bit much.

There is another thread at the moment that doesn't ring true either. All you can do is report it. The problem is that some very genuine true stories can sound contrived and I think most of us would want them to get support. I think MN should be a bit quicker to shut down some of the more obvious threads even if its just locking it until they can investigate further.

the alarm bells rang for me when she said she had lost 2 dc but only went on about the younger one

I know you didn't say it was okay Eponas, sorry if it came over like that and I respect your point. I just don't like the implication that those who have shared experiences on a troll thread should/must take the view that they may have helped someone else, we can't tell people how they should feel or react and it's a flimsy premise to base a policy on.

I read it that she only lost her DS elbow

Anyway, I'm glad it's not true.

I too was confused by how many of her dcs had died in the accident and then called bollix on it anyway.

I got an email from mnhq too once which, while it wasn't a telling off had an air of that to it. I was told its not enough to click report and say troll, you have to tell them why its a troll and provide a bit of evidence if you can. Wtf? I only begrugingly reported in the first place because they insist on it, even though I don't agree with it as a good method of dealing with trolls. Like fuck am I wasting my time writing out evidence for the million troll threads which appear here every day.

Eapecially since as maryz says you're just likely to get the "we see no reason blah blah" response back.

maisi she also lost her eldest as well as the 3 year old

I wonder if we're thinking of the same thread chaz

I totally missed that bit elbow

The grieving thread really made me sad. I've been a lurker on mumsnet for many years, but still fail to spot a troll. What was the update that lead to the deletion? ( glad it wasn't true, as it really upset me )

I read oldest and 3 year old to be the same child.

Sorry - yes, I'm definitely not saying all trolling is excusable because it might help others, and I clearly haven't read a lot of the more emotive threads being referred to in here either. I'm just saying that it's just one small comfort I take (however incorrect) in the hope that someone somewhere has benefited from the topic explored -- being more honest it's the way-- I try to make myself feel less stupid for having being so incredibly obviously taken in once or twice!

I got as far as twins then stopped reading. Why is it always twins?

I reckon at any one time, half the tragic threads are a pile of shite. Which is fucking offensive for the genuine posters who come here for help.

There is a doozie of a thread at the moment where the trolly OP is being trolled herself by another headcase. Y'know what? You get to the point where you just don't care anymore and think oh FFs leave them to it. If either of the 2 posters I'm talking about are genuine then I'll run nekkid down our street.

But what do they get out of it? Who knows. I don't think for a second it's teenagers though. To be fair, they tend to have more of a life than these sad fuckers.

I'm Not sure what the answer is but I share the concerns of other posters about people who have shared an emotional experience, with someone who wasn't genuine. I usually have pretty keen trolldar, but the bereavement thread didn't ring any alarm bells with me, and I suspect that's because I am emotionally wobbly myself right now. So the trouble is (iMO) that potentially the people who are the most vulnerable are also the people least likely to spot a troll.
Not giving more than you can afford to give is always Good advice.

There's a noticeable note of fedupness on the forum today after several trolling threads. On two threads I've read this morning the OP is getting a rough ride, understandable if they do turn out to be trolls, but if they're not trolls then someone in a lousy situation has come for support, gets challenged on everything they say, attacked and gives up posting.

There was a thread a few months ago that went on for pages and pages, the OP's husband left her suddenly and acted like a real asshole. She was left with twins. Then she just stopped updating. I wonder what happened....can't believe it wasn't real, though.