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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Calling troll

61 replies

HeilandMoo · 07/05/2016 11:10

I see from MNHQ that its "never okay to call troll" from another thread this morning What does that mean? If a thread is plainly total bunkem, are we best to ignore rather than call it?

Eeeek- I did not know that.

OP posts:
EddieStobbart · 07/05/2016 12:14

Well, the OP's picture of the dad's comment anyway. They did go to a lot of trouble through, lots of picture "props".

Original poster
HeilandMoo · 07/05/2016 12:20

it was very evidence heavy......oh to have that time. Who could actually be arsed?

OP posts:
daisychain01 · 07/05/2016 12:20

That thread was so convoluted - way too much dull information to wade through.

I had a quick scan and came to the conclusion I wasn't investing any time in keeping up (most of the 'action' was posted at 1 o'clock this morning, Facebook screen grabs of people "f**ing and blinding" at each other. Like I care?

The OP must have a sad life, hope it brightened their day.

daisychain01 · 07/05/2016 12:21

Who could actually be arsed

^^yup!

Janecc · 07/05/2016 12:25

Newish here. Didn't get it. And how do you search people's posting history? I know someone did for this post.

MNHQ
DawnMumsnet · 07/05/2016 12:27

@HeilandMoo

Ya.....the bridesmaid with the ill DD

See, now I'm worried this is a thread about a thread! I'm such a rule follower!!

Yep, it does seem to be going that way!

So. Here's what we say about Trollhunting in our Talk Guidelines -

As we hope you've already found out, the vast majority of Mumsnet discussions are genuinely informative, supportive and friendly (even when we all disagree with each other!) but, from time to time, we are visited by trolls, for whom friendly supportive chat is definitely not on the agenda.

If you suspect someone of being a troll, please don't trollhunt (accuse them publicly on the discussion thread). If you're wrong, you could cause untold hurt; if you're right, you'll merely be giving them the kind of attention they're after. Instead, report your suspicions to us and we'll check them out.

Please bear in mind that we'd rather err on the side of being taken in than of accusing a genuine poster who's in need of support of being a troll. For more on this, do have a read of our separate Policy on Trolls and Troublemakers.

Basically, if you think something sounds dodgy, report it to us so we can check things out behind the scenes. Sometimes it takes us a wee while to get to the bottom of things, but we always get there in the end.

Hope that's all clear. Smile

Sparklingbrook · 07/05/2016 12:27

You click on Advanced Search and put their name in and dates.

On my phone it's a magnifying glass bottom right.

Originalfoogirl · 07/05/2016 12:29

Troll? Or a compelling piece of well written drama? It was great until it jumped the shark with a text from dad. Filled my Friday night nicely 😂

Originalfoogirl · 07/05/2016 12:31

EddieStobart

Cross posts, seems we were thinking alike 😄

Original poster
HeilandMoo · 07/05/2016 12:31

ahem.....thank you Dawn at MNHQ

OP posts:
VioletVaccine · 07/05/2016 12:40

Is there a way on MN of just seeing what the OP has written? I was suckered in reading a very long post last week to get the jist of it, suspected troll on page 5, didn't get confirmation of that until about p18 Angry it'd be easier sometimes to just read the OP if it's looking dodgy...

Original poster
HeilandMoo · 07/05/2016 12:59

For a while I noticed the OP posts were in a different shade....but not sure anymore. It was easier, I agree.

OP posts:
ClashCityRocker · 07/05/2016 13:02

I have mine customised so my posts and op posts show in green and red respectively.

It's useful when there are eighteen pages of posters telling op she is unreasonable.

daisychain01 · 07/05/2016 13:05

VioletVaccine - you could try changing your preferences so that the OP's posts are highlighted in a colour (eg green or purple), then you just have to scroll down and only read the OP's posts.

I read the OPs posts on their "bridezilla/ill DD" thread - and it was clear from their 'real-time' updates, they were making it up as they went along.

IrenetheQuaint · 07/05/2016 13:11

Calling troll on painful emotional threads is an awful thing to do - half of them may be made up but the rest really aren't.

However, delicately drawing attention to inconsistencies in real time soap operas is surely more forgivable, though I can see why MN don't want to say so.

Mrsmorton · 07/05/2016 13:13

There was a thread I was watching which has disappeared. I didn't post on it because I would only have been posting for the deletion message. It was highly highly emotive and just didn't really ring true for me. Now I'll never know if it was a troll or if it was deleted "for poster privacy" or whatever they call it.

Now, that's frustrating because it means I can't refine my trolldar!

MiddleClassProblem · 07/05/2016 13:13

What I'd like to know is what MN do behind the scenes to varify a troll? That sounds really interesting. MN detective agency...

dodobookends · 07/05/2016 13:21

We don't know what MNHQ do behind the scenes and to be honest, if we did know then so would any trolls - and they would know how to go about avoiding detection Grin

MNHQ
DawnMumsnet · 07/05/2016 13:26

@IrenetheQuaint

Calling troll on painful emotional threads is an awful thing to do - half of them may be made up but the rest really aren't.

However, delicately drawing attention to inconsistencies in real time soap operas is surely more forgivable, though I can see why MN don't want to say so.

We do agree there's a huge difference between malicious trolling and, how shall we put it, entertaining trolling. The trouble is, sometimes the line's pretty blurred, so we have to ask everyone to stick to the basic rule of not calling troll on a thread.

AntiHop · 07/05/2016 13:29

Has the thread been deleted?

JuxtapositionRecords · 07/05/2016 13:31

I have seen it the other way, when a poster asked for help about her DD being bullied. Loads of people piled on her as they thought (incorrectly) she was a troll from another board. It was awful actually, like being in the playground. I felt so sorry for the op even though those calling troll got pulled up on it.

VioletVaccine · 07/05/2016 13:32

MiddleClass I think MNHQ checking things 'behind the scenes', means they have access to all the OP's previous posts and or comments, including ones made with a name change, so when they post on these threads they say "we have doubts about the poster".

I presume if a poster has talked about her ' 'DH cheating after 20years' and something didn't ring true in the thread, MNHQ could check OP's previous posts under namechanges, and if there was one for example saying "Just found out in pregnant- no boyfriend- help!" they can see both threads and know that at least one is a pile of crap Grin

bumbleymummy · 07/05/2016 13:44

Even then, it can still be difficult to figure out if someone is a troll or not. It must be hard for mnhq to make the call sometimes - particularly if it's on more sensitive/emotional issues.

Sparklingbrook · 07/05/2016 13:52

I am happy for MNHQ to make the decision whether someone is a troll/GF. It's their website after all.

Fairenuff · 07/05/2016 13:57

I think hunting is the wrong word because you don't have to hunt much

Maybe it should be called 'troll spotting' Sparkling.

Although now I've written it down, that does make it look a bit like a hobby, so maybe not Confused Grin