To ask how to spot a troll thread

[Teacakeandalatte]

I'm sick of wasting my time on threads that get zapped, how do I spot them? I know about the poo troll and the toilets in schools one, but give me some tips on advanced troll spotting.

Look on Reddit.

I think I am good at spotting trolls now.

If it's about wee or poo or periods it's maybe a troll as they want to you to overshare.

Usually if a post seems to good to be true it usually is. They will reel you in with constant updates working posters up in a frenzy.

It's experience, really. I wouldn't set out a comprehensive list though, as they will just use it to hone their skills.

Where it is, too.

Thread about DD starting her periods in preteens, maybe OK. AIBU - troll.

This thread will probably get deleted as no one wants to give the trolls any tips.

That would be so ironic.
I'm like mrsspencer I have been here ages but always get sucked in, I am careful what I post in case it turns up in the daily fail though.

Really can't imagine a troll would learn much from this. The truth is going to come out either way and there's still plenty of gullible MNers who'll reply "because even if it is a troll, it may help someone else in the same situation.'

It is often the speed of developments and the frequency of updates. In the time it takes normal people to answer a text about getting bread and milk on the way home, troll threads make major life changes.

People go from slightly angry to nc, husbands are thrown out, employees sacked and family members flown in from abroad; all in a few hours. Then all those massive coincidences, aunts of the troll just happen to be the boss of the perpetrator, best friends own the house the perpetrator rents.

There are complicated reasons why normal actions (say no, call them) would not work in this case. Updates come from the back of an ambulance, the meeting of the board of directors or from inside a locked cupboard. It is not possible to call mum, the police or a neighbour, but always possible to update a breathless thread on AIBU.

there should be stickies re some of the paedophiles

And the Adult babies who fish for stories of older kids in nappies.

The Reddit site is a great place to start if you’re not sure .

Usually I just roll my eyes and press report, but there are a couple who are so sinister and persistent and obvious that I think it’s worth shouting “PISS PERVERT TROLL” in a bid to prevent someone from sharing information about their innocent child before HQ can delete.

Engage your brain. It's not rocket science.

The Reddit site is almost always correct with their troll hunting.

Updates at intervals that are regular enough to keep interest and that just give enough information to keep it going. Anything where you are incredulous that people could really behave like that. Posts where longer conversations are given as quotations. No-one really remembers conversations in heated situations like that.

I agree that the paedophile trolls - tell me about your toddler masturbating/what underpants your 5yo wears/should my 6yo DD wear a cropped top - need to be highlighted because people ALWAYS engage with them.

They do, favourite, it’s quite bizarre

My trolldar pings with:

"Let's call her....."

"I'm going to call her in an hour/meet her for lunch/ I've sent her this text"

Anything asking for information about your child you'd never share with a stranger eg poo habits, puberty, what they wear under their clothes.

90% of the CF stories.

@BeneathTheMist, yes and I was enthralled! Until I caught myself on....

Its never twins!

Also if you've been seeing your "boyfriend" one evening a week for the last year or so, he won't be alone with you, he won't have sex with you and you've only met his parents for an hour once because he's gay and you've name changed for every single new thread you've started complaining about the situation- you're a troll.

I wasn't on mn a few months ago but sil got really pissed off with an AIBU thread about fussy eaters and how it's all the parents fault etc.

Theres also the “my daughter was made to do PE in her underwear” troll. I came across the same troll in another forum, exactly the same posting style and mode of fishing for information. I reported to the mods and said they are fairly well-known on Mumsnet, but the mods (who are definitely not as on the ball as the Mumsnet mods) said they ‘liked to give everyone the benefit of the doubt” I don’t post on there anymore.

Sorry about the double post. Not sure how that happened.

I have been here for 10 years. I've learned to spot things in a few ways. If we're discussing the pervy threads...rather than threads designed simply to wind people up...there are a few red flags.

One way is if the "question" being asked isn't clear...or isn't a question...mix that with certain subjects such as toilets, poos and wees, nappies, hair or abuse....and you have a good troll contendor.

Check if the poster has posted before...if there are no other posts, then you're probably looking at a troll.

For the other kind..the ones designed to wind people up, they often cover contentious subjects like...hitting children or feckless partners....there's often too much detail or the poster will over-explain "I have three children, Meg who is 10, DAvid who is 7 and Tara who is 4" type of stuff.

It’s the way it’s written, tone and pace. Not always the same thing giving it away.

Favourite I agree and I always post to warn others even though it's against the rules...we can't "Troll hunt" which to be honest, I think is bollocks. If someone's posting genuinely and people comment that they think it's a troll, all the poster has to do is let MN figure it out. MN can see past posts etc and work it out.

Sometimes they're so ludicrous that it's funny to run with purely to see what will happen next. The drip feeds often get more and more ridiculous, with lots of flounces and returns.

Poo trolls are quite obvious as are the school toilets ones.

Generally, it's safe to assume most threads about girls starting their periods and having to sort themselves out in public facilities is a troll.

There's a troll lurking on the education boards and sometimes in AIBU fixated on teachers and favouritism, popular girls etc.