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Original poster

Temporary ban for troll hunters?

64 replies

QuintessentialShadow · 28/08/2011 11:34

yo there at The Towers...

Trolls and active troll hunters are in my opinion as bad as each other, and cause potentially as much havoc and hurt as each other.

So, how about banning the toll hunters who don't adhere to your policy in the same way as you ban trolls?

I don't like how some posters take it upon themselves to 'police' the boards, trying to do your job and cause upset in the process. When they have gone as far as to give clues as to them thinking there is a troll about, in this way encouraging others to troll hunt, it has gone to far. On a recent thread some suggested changing posting styles to text speak, say lol and Hun and the like to draw others attention to their troll suspicions. I think this is ridiculous.

What say you?

OP posts:
nenevomito · 28/08/2011 15:47

No I don't agree. Where would you stop?

Are you saying that you want anyone who expresses scepticism about a post or poster, regardless of where they post it to be banned? Really?

Should MNHQ ban people posting Hmm or Biscuit on posts as well? After all that's as bad as saying you smell goat.

Not everyone will believe what you post on line. Shocker.

MmeLindor. · 28/08/2011 15:49

Sadlydoingshineypenguins
I was on that thread, and said something alone the lines of "if she is a troll, leave her alone as it is a great thread". It had not occurred to me that you were anything other than genuine. I am sorry if you feel that it takes away from the fun of the thread, and the support you received, but it was actually meant (I think) in an admiring way. There are some really funny "troll" threads in the past.

Banning troll hunters, even temporarily is tricky because it is sometimes hard to prove. If I see a suspicious thread, then I watch it for a while and report if I think that it is going too far. When I say too far, I mean that posters are getting too emotionally involved in "supporting" the OP.

I do think that the lolz hun speak usage was ridiculous and had the potential to cause a lot of upset.

If I am unsure, then I may ask another poster (one I know well) if I am imagining things. And then report.

Thumbwitch · 28/08/2011 15:55

What MmeL said.

And Sadly, most of us were a bit Hmm at the suggestion of you being a troll. Remember - the majority of us were there to help you. Don't let the minority detract from that. :)

UrsulaBuffayHere2Help · 28/08/2011 20:38

I agree that sometimes people are trying to protect others by calling 'bullshit' on a thread. I have been on forums long enough to spot crap but standing by as other people get sucked in by emotional vampires is still difficult.

Sometimes 'trolling' refers to just making stuff up for shits and giggles, it doesn't have to be sinister and isn't always to be taken as an insult.

NicwNacw · 28/08/2011 20:46

I don't know what the answer is, but all that has happened lately has definately stopped me from posting for advice/support. What has happened to my family over the last year leaves even me feeling incredulous and I know if I posted it, that the troll hunters would be on me in seconds....there must be others out there who feel the same, which is sad as we could probably really do with the support.

LeBOF · 28/08/2011 20:50

Where do you draw the line though? At any expression of scepticism? Any closer questioning of the OP? Any enquiry if a poster is new? Any comment on how similar a story appears to a previous thread? It's unworkable. If somebody repeatedly breaks guidelines, they are usually warned, and then banned temporarily or permanently but they usually come back anyway. I can't see that a new zero tolerance policy would do anything but piss people off who'd be having their reasonable right to free speech curtailed.

fargate · 28/08/2011 20:59

Absolutely agree, LeBOF. With all your points. Well said.

BerthaLovelyBertha · 28/08/2011 21:11

I hate the insinuation that if a poster is new that they are more likely to be a troll. The worst cases of trollery I have seen on here have been where people have been hurt by long standing trolls. The ones that have taken the time to really draw people in, people daft enough to get involved off-board as well have been the worst affected.

I name change frequently, I have today in fact but I'm not new, been here years. To be honest, new trolls are the best kind, you can ignore them if you want to. the worst are the ones you think you know, think you are 'friends' with on fb, but all the time they are drawing people in, trying to make them vulnerable and then taking advantage of them.

I do agree though, the troll hunters ought to be accountable if they break the guidance rules.

The problem is that whilst regular mumsnetters feel that MNHQ don't eek out all the trolls when they are reported there will be vigilantes wanting to track them down themselves. An innocent Hmm here or a not too subtle clue there - when does it become a breach of the guidlines?

CamillaSalander · 28/08/2011 23:02

Honestly, the odd Hmm is not what we're talking about, surely.

It's the "How many children did you say you'd got? And where do they go to school?" or "You still haven't told us which hospital you work at. Why are you not willing to tell us? Are you really not a nurse at all? Unless you tell us immediately the name of your hospital, I for one shall not believe a single word you say." That kind of thing is really threatening.

YummyHoney · 28/08/2011 23:08

I agree. Some people cry "Troll" when they're losing the argument.

BerthaLovelyBertha · 28/08/2011 23:32

Camilla Don't you think its often a Hmm that sets it all off though. Soon enough people start shouting troll and before you know it people are giving very unsubtle hints about who they really think the poster is, like on CRS's thread recently about the troll grandparent thread.

fargate · 28/08/2011 23:52

Goodness, Camilla I've never seen anything like that on an MN thread!!! Could you be exaggerating a little?

BeerTricksPotter · 29/08/2011 00:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CamillaSalander · 29/08/2011 00:11

Maybe you're not on here much, fargate.

I'm surprised some people don't see what I gave as an example as "threatening". It is extremely malevolent to try to persuade an OP to post very personal info which she should not be giving away on a public forum.

YummyHoney · 29/08/2011 00:12

Beertricks - posts are not deleted just because someone calls Troll - and you surely know that as you are not averse to a bit of troll hunting ...... what's the word.......amusement? yourself.

Thumbwitch · 29/08/2011 00:14

perhaps intimidating, rather than threatening. I know it's a fine distinction, but yes, a suggestion of trollery to someone in a distressed state would be enough in some cases for them to back off and stop posting for support (and has been).

piprabbit · 29/08/2011 00:19

Report the trolls to MNHQ.

Report the troll-hunters to MNHQ.

Tortington · 29/08/2011 00:20

i think noobs should be made to wear collars

IfYouSeeACrocodile · 29/08/2011 00:22

I don't know whether this has prompted your post, Quint, but this thread seems to have kicked off some fairly malevolent troll hunting, in a very subtle and indirect way. I won't link to the thread I am thinking of but posters from the thread I linked to have used the lolz and hunz approach MmeLindor mentions upthread - I reported this and was told that as it was not 'a direct attack' it would be allowed to stand. This IMO is tantamount to HQ condoning ganging up and a nasty clique mentality.

BeerTricksPotter · 29/08/2011 00:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IfYouSeeACrocodile · 29/08/2011 00:23

Actually, not very subtle at all now I re-read my post, but indirect, anyway Grin

fargate · 29/08/2011 00:27

I think that I'm around often enough to say that I've never seen anything remotely like your imaginary example above.

Anyway. It wasn't real and you do yourself no favours by being so dramatic and inaccurate.

I really think that it's the responsibility of MNHQ to respond [more] promptly to trolling and in response to information which is being provided as MNHQ have already requested.

BecauseImWorthIt · 29/08/2011 06:05

I've seen the phenomenon you describe, Camilla, and agree that it can be very threatening. However, it can also flush out a troll - it makes it obvious to them that people aren't falling for their story and it also alerts other posters that the OP may not be what she seems.

fargate - I'm surprised that you haven't seen it - and Camilla isn't being dramatic or inaccurate.

But if a troll is suspected, rather than simply hound a poster, it should always, always be reported to MNHQ.

Thumbwitch · 29/08/2011 07:09

Agree with BIWI - I've seen similar, perhaps less obvious than the example Camille gave but pretty much similar. Mind you, the last time I saw it was on a horrible thread on NM - that really was disgusting troll-hunting. :(

happymole · 29/08/2011 07:27

I think that there is far more trolling here now, don't mind the funny ones but so many more are hurtful. Also there are longer term posters here that have been hurt by the more nasty trolls. It makes for a sceptical environment. A look though the achieves shows the depth of pain caused.

I do think my idea of having joining dates on all profiles regardless of namechanges or coloured dots next to the name to indicate length of membership (green for newbie etc) could work. Not all newbies are trolling but site invasions happen a lot now and this would help flag the 'I'm a reg that's namechanged' if you can clearly see they have only just joined.

Namechanging is valuable to help protect identities however I don't believe the function is needed to change mid thread, so maybe that could be stopped to avoid sock puppeting. Although I have seen a troll outed by a forgotten namechange.