why do some people troll and how does mnhq weed them out ?

[mrsfuzzy]

a huge thread has been deleted today due to consensus at mnhq the poster had been previously banned, how does mn work out these things when a lot of us lovely peeps get pulled in ? why on earth do trolls do what they do and what do they get out of it, sorry being a bit naive i guess.

IMO some of the contributors to threads are equally responsible for the fact that trolling is so rife. I mean people who become so over-invested in a thread that they post about how they "haven't been able to sleep for worrying about the OP/have been thinking about the OP all day/haven't been able to stop crying about this thread," etc etc.

The Oliver's army is a case in point. Posters far too over-invested in a thread which was so clearly bollocks that I fail to see how anyone couldn't see it. Lots of "checking in for the morning/afternoon/night shift/reporting for duty," type posts. I'm not talking about posters who post general advice, but posters who clearly want to be heroes of the hour. It's not healthy.

I have heard that argument before wanna and can't agree. Yes, there are some daft posters but the fact that people troll is the fault of the trolls. And where OA was concerned it's normal and natural for people to be upset and supportive about a child with a terminal illness.

I accept there are a handful of reasons why namechanging could be wise. Personally if I felt I needed to namechange to post something I would take that as a good sign not to post.

I also don't understand the over investment on the dramatic threads. If you can't sleep through worry over something posted by a stranger on the internet that's not good.

That was a troll? Bloody hell, that is really messed up. I haven't lost a child myself but I have experienced the sudden loss of a child close to me. It is the worst experience imaginable. I actually feel sorry for anyone who makes up a story like that, and anger on behalf of anyone who has lost a child.

Some people are just weird and attention seeking. I once met this young lady on Facebook who said she only had 2 months to live and the doctors never bothered telling her and she found out she was dying from the ward clerk. I check her Facebook from time to time. Five years on and she looks perfectly healthy and is still out clubbing with her friends.

The sad thing is that this forum is an amazing source of support for many people. I don't comment much but I am constantly heartened by the help and support that people offer on here. It is incredibly sad to think that people might be exploiting the trauma of other people and that it deters people from posting

Oh, there are always going to be people who tell hugely elaborate and fanciful lies. Always. Which is why it simply isn't on to hold the people who believe them responsible.

callherwillow no, it's not normal to be that upset over a child with a terminal illness who you know only by the username of someone claiming to be its mother on the Internet. but the more people invest in these threads, the more the trolls post on them. That poster jumped straight into the Oliver's army routine, pointing out her DS' gratitude and how he'd written a letter to all these lovely people on the Internet. Etc etc etc.

There are parents on MN whose children do have terminal illnesses and who have received amazing support. None of those threads are full of grief-seeking posters wanting to be a part of the limelight.

Well, you say it's not. We can of course agree to disagree :) I think being affected by the death of a child is normal and some people are too trusting conceded, but that isn't a crime.

I namechange all the time now, been here since 2003, just because lately the press seem to print so much from here and I give so much away on threads, usually about which schools my DC go to. I don't care about having an online presence at all.

Taking steps to protect your privacy is sensible and pragmatic.

There may be people who don't mind one way or the other. I don't live their life so I can't comment on whether they are wise or not, but they are not in a position to make that decision for me.

I think if you feel the need to disclose where your children go to school namechanging is probably for the best.

Whether you namechange hourly or never it's wise not to overshare on here IMO though.

I don't feel the 'need' at all. It happens as threads develop and can be accidental

I keep basic details on my profile public for the benefit of troll hunters.

Oliver's army thread was a troll ?? :(

I remember reading it, I didn't post but completely believed didn't the OP post a photo of her ds? Shocking

Yes it was Embarrassment. In other words: bears DO shit in the woods

Photo ones are often trolls.

Their motivation? I have no real idea. It's an easier site to 'play on' than many, though. You wouldn't get much emotional change from discussing how your big end went on a forum of petrolheads.

I remember reading it, I didn't post but completely believed didn't the OP post a photo of her ds? Shocking

Photos of sick children are often clues the op is a troll.

I am always slightly suspicious by the requests to name quads or similar threads. I often wonder if the photos on those are pulled from google.

Oh, there was a thread a few days back with photos. Blatant troll.

They're still knocking around with over the top stories and everyone piling in.

There's a 'what to call my triplets' along with pics in baby names now (baby names is v popular for trolls, dunno why). Set all my klaxons going but it's been up a few weeks so must be legit?

I hate it. I very reluctantly reported a thread yesterday and it made me feel quite weird. I have just been here long enough now to think "really?!"

You'll soon get over that pass, I have days where all I do is report