to be annoyed that some MNers shout TROLL to anyone who posts a subject that requires a lot of debate and discussion

[pigletmania]

Well am I . I am really fed up with people shouting 'troll' just because a fellow Mumsnetter dares post a subject that sparks a lot of debate, annoying imo. Get the troll detectors out

Oh god yes - some trolling I've seen has been positively inspired!

I used to frequent a general news forum where I was known as the resident hairy feminist. Never a day went by without some or other wag trying to 'wind me up' by posting something outrageous in the hope I'd amuse them by squawking and crying or whatever the hell they thought I might do.

I managed to resist the bait - most of the time

We used to give the trolls marks out of ten. Some of them deserved credit at least for the ludicrousness of their 'views' and the random, made up incidents they would come up with as 'evidence'.

Exactly! A lot of people have nobody that they can speak to in confidence and threfore post their situation for moral support and guidance and hugs of course, so somebody shouting troll because they dont believe their story can make the poster feel rejected and not believed, not a good thing at all.

"I've never once seen a sincere sounding poster being called a troll just for having a name change or being new. Never once."

Sorry but I have - multiple times. And sometimes on very sensitive threads too.

I've been here long enough to remember some pretty inspired and sustained trollery and can absolutely understand the hurt sustained when people get very emotionally involved.

But in the main, the real hurt is caused by "regular" trolls who really suck people in over a number of weeks, and the people calling troll are not doing it on those type of threads.

My feeling is, if the person is not actually causing grave emotional harm to anyone, what's the point in calling troll when the risk is that they're perfectly genuine but just a bit odd?

I agree with gagamama - I'd rather be taken in than potentially harm a vulnerable poster. I'm a big girl, I can take it. They might not.

Also regards "There was also another one, who is a regular troll, who posts pervy things about and DP and DSD scenario who I just reported straight to MN, who deleted the thread." Well I never saw the original 'pervy' posts, I've only been here a few months, but I have read a few threads recently where the OP has been accused of being this troll. Sometimes all I can see that connects the OP to the troll is that there are three children, eldest a DSD (once a DD) and on some threads there has been mention of a boxroom/bedroom (but not all). I can't honestly say that I regard a boxroom as a unique identifier. Every house built in the thirties must have one. Is it so very unusual to have three children? No. And I'd expect that in half of such families the eldest would be a girl.

Troll is called before any further details which might link the OP to the troll are revealed. IMO, it is unlikely that the troll-callers have been right every time. I just wonder how those OPs have been made to feel.

i found MN quite scary when i first started posting.

izzybiz my son had the same as your SILs LO, and i did exactly the same as your SIL, i tried to raise awareness. back then forums didnt exist so i used newspapers and fundraising etc.
if forums had existed then id have probably done the same, and it would have crushed me if anyone had been spiteful or hurtful. (he survived but only just, was in hospital 2 months, took 2 years to recover and sustained mild brain damage,has aspergers, dyslexia and dyspraxia)

the way i see it - if someone IS trolling it may still help the lurkers who just may be in a similar situation and who dont post. surely the advice is the same whether its true or not?

Hi Vic - don't forget the troll on the Goatbreeder's site. That took everyone in for a while.

hey witty! i mean wetty!

there have been a few! did you notice the goatbreeders has gone! as in gone!! poof! vanished...
theyve started another one up though. i think you should log back on so we can use the PMs!

Do they troll about their kids?

The boxroom troll has been confirmed by mnhq on many an occasion though- hard to believe, I know, but they are very persistent.

I'm fairly new to this and would probably not OP on anything sensitive because of the fear of being accused of being a troll.

I agree gagmama

I have been a member on here since 2003 (?) and I used to use this site for support. I have 2 disabled kids and need advice at times. But other the last 2 years the troll hunters have got worse and its put me off here. I don't use the site as I once did, which is a shame as it can be a great source of support.

BoF the boxroom troll got silly.......

Where you left it, the DP/DSD one is easy to spot once you've seen a few. And they are disturbing, usually something creepy about DSD hygiene, amongst other things...As I said, I have reported them to MN and they have ALL been deleted, because hey, they were the same one!

There is a difference, if anyone would stop and think about it, where there are sensitive issues, shouting troll might well be a sticky thing to do and would be best to report to MN.

The others who are just plain mischief makers, pervs and wind up merchants deserve all the shouting down they can get. And by the way, if its in AIBU then what's the problem? Don't post there if you need support, go to relationships or mental health or whatever is appropriate.

My first post was asking for advice as DS1 had has a fit and the hospital wanted him to be put on to some drugs I was very unsure about, I got loads of advice and thankfully it was decided DS1 did not have to have the drugs in the end.

No one shouted troll although I was introduced to mumsnet via my Cousin Anorak who is a very respected poster.
I am surprised I have never been called a troll though as my life is a bit odd.

I do think some people her just love to shout troll to try and make them seem a bit interesting and clever, a few times when I have thought someone might be a troll I have just stop posting on the thread, twice I have been right and they have been outted by MNHQ.

Would be sad if someone who really needed help was called a troll and left though

Oh Kimi! I didn't think you were a troll, but didn't know you were Anorak's cousin...how is she?

Still in Bermuda, and cancer free now.

Huzzah Send her my/our love won't you. She prob won't remember me! I'm so pleased she is better.

madame I think the mischief-makers and wind-up merchants get encouraged by being shouted down though.

Should we not just ignore the bad behaviour ?

Jamie, I know it would be much more grown up of me to simply ignore them, but ooh, somtimes a pithy retort to their nonsense just springs unbidden from my fingers....

I have seen threads just dwindle out after a few posts when the troll callers are very vocal and sure...the OP just goes immediately.

That's really good I think. But once a thread has got going and it isn't clear whether it's genuine, I agree it can just be what the OP wants to have lots of attention and so on.