To ask how you spot a Mumsnet troll?

[tiredandunoriginal]

two troll posts tonight! i’ve not been on MN that long and have only seen a couple. i was wondering how you can tell if a mumsnetter is a troll, if there are any giveaways? as well as any stories that stick in your head?

bored in the bath and could do with a laugh

The Rottweiler one was hilarious the way they wrote was very witty.

@Lockheart

it involves urine, underwear or teenagers having sex, it’s usually a perv troll.

I had occasion to post a genuine underwear query a few months ago. It's the only time I've ever been accused of trolling.

I think it depends on context. An underwear thread in the style and beauty section, asking what kind of underwear can be worn with a specific dress...not a troll.

Underwear thread in AIBU, talking about what underwear women enjoy wearing the most, perv troll.

I was completely taken in by the Zeebrugge troll.

(showing my MN age here).

If you find yourself thinking "that's unbelievable" then it probably isn't real.

I used to like Art and Co - she was an epic long running troll. She had this very detailed fantasy life that I assume was wishful thinking. Mostly she was quite entertaining.

I got accused of being a troll on here once actually. I said I was considered taking a 50k payout to take a dream job. One poster got really angry and aggressive about how it must be made up.

Pay cut not payout sorry

I posted (under another name) about a urine-related issue, and anticipated being accused of trolling. I wasn't though, probably because I waffle far too much and in too much detail. Most trolls deliberately miss out key bits of information or don't answer questions when it doesn't tie in with the fake narrative.

@carlottavaldez how annoying! I agree that some people are very quick to shout "troll!" if your situation differs in any way from their experience. Some people are so narrow minded.

Yep, second what @CharityDingle said. I had a genuine enquiry recently about something my DD had said to me that had really concerned me, and MN killed my account, presumably because they thought I was a troll/paedo. I'd been on here for at least six years under various usernames. I'm still cross about it.

I think what it is important to remember is that MN is the countries biggest woman centred websites.
This means that it draws certain types here like moths to a flame.
People who want some wank fodder about pregnant teenagers/children wetting themselves ar school/plimsolls.
People who want to live out a fantasy life of being amazingly rich/having a family/being poor/having a personal tragedy.

I think MNHQ are probably able to read some of the Meta Data contained in the mesage, (but hidden unless you have access to special software). If you say that your using a mobile in Watford they may be able to tell that it's a laptop in Wigan.

i won’t lie, i was quite enjoying the fake thread about family attending every date, because i’d found her other threads of all sorts of stories and wanted to see how far it would go, and how much she could make up. but it got deleted :(

On another site, where real names have to be used, I was accused of being a troll because someone else who shares my name has become quite famous in the last decade or so. Obviously my parents didn't know that when they chose my name.
My cousin says to put the phone in a bowl of dry rice for several hours if it goes in the bath or paddling pool.

@blurpityblurp has pretty much covered the types, and while @elfycat is absolutely right about trolls’ stories not ‘working’ as narratives if you’re an avid reader or writer, real life situations often have underdeveloped characters, unclear motivation, plot holes, repetition etc.

But there have been some enjoyable takedowns of stories,
like the Tristan and Molly and the sinister camping pod one, where someone clearly used to teaching Creative Writing 101 had some fun.

Also a very clear one is when an OP posts a thread that says "tell me how to spot trolls""...

Then gleefully responds as people rake over sad & sordid episodes.

One of the best ones in my opinion was the softzilla saga - i had recently joined MN and was enthralled at the unfurling situation. Gutted it was a troll

“Oh this completely unbelievable or surprisingly inane thing happened to me. Can others make me feel better by sharing their stories about poo/tights/smelly shoes...”

My favourite ever trolling was Balonz‘s mum. Does it count as trolling? I still chuckle whenever I think about it or when anyone mentioned Frensham Ponds.

There is a notorious poo troll. Trolls looking to chat about young girls and their first periods. There was an intense thread that involved a young mother in hospital for birth of pre-term baby. She developed all sorts of issues and stated she was being denied medical care. She was then off to the theater to be delivered. She managed to post back an hour later to tell us of her miraculous birth. She then cried that she had nothing ready for the baby..cue monetary and gift offerings. It was all a scam..

There really have been some epic trolls here on MN.

i take it that is in reference to me @EinsteinaGogo. if so, i responded to the heartbreaking one and said how sick it was. other posters had written about ones that had made them laugh so i said i had enjoyed that one. not really sure how that makes me a troll, nor to ask how to spot them, after explaining i was asking having seen two obviously trolling posts for the first time tonight?

Another one has just been taken down where someone said a stranger in a shop had called her dd a bitch.That was so obvious though.

I have been accused of being a troll several times. I've had quite unconventional things occur in my life for various reasons. It's quite hurtful. I had a thread pulled and I was quite desperate for advice at the time. :(
I did an AMA about my job and someone misinterpreted what I'd said and accused me of not being qualified, too and a lot of people saying I shouldn't do the AMA. Few weeks later someone else in the exact same profession posted one and no such thing happened.

it is frustrating because there is no real way to prove without saying ‘here is my name and address’. you can provide previous threads but then again, as others have mentioned, that could be anyone. i’m expecting my account to be deleted tonight if people are suspicious i’m a troll - so i’m wishing i hadn’t made this thread because i only really use mumsnet for parenting and family advice as a ftm and i’ve received some invaluable information.

Ive done the thing of naming previous classic threads but that seems to be met with hostility too sometimes.

yes, i did earlier in this conversation after referencing why i had changed my username. at the end of the day we are all strangers, so it’s fair enough. but i don’t think my posts are anywhere near interesting enough to be considered trolling - unless people like advising me over whether a pregnancy test is positive or not!