Troll Hunting

[IthoughtATMwasacashpoint]

Another thread lost through thoughtless, unresearched, troll hunting.

Is it possible for MNHQ to start handing out bans for this?

It's not difficult to follow the rules, if in doubt report. Search the user name, then report if you still have doubts.

It's neither funny nor clever to drive upset and vulnerable people off their threads and away from the support and advice they sought by posting in the first place.

I have a lot of topics hidden James. I do not have the proper qualifications to help with stuff such as Health or Relationships. Nothing to do with 'banishing from the internet'.

There are loads of threads where an OP contradicts themselves in their posts.
They can be subtle contradictions but it becomes apparent to me that they are not being truthful. I want to question the 'error' to the OP but I am aware that I would be called a troll hunter.
I don't feel that it's appropriate to report the thread to MNHQ as being a potential troll.
Also, I don't see the point in advance searching, as an OP can be on mn for ages and post genuine posts. That doesn't mean that they can't then decide to lie or create a false story.
I'm sometimes amazed at how gullible some people are.
I don't know what the answer is.

That's your prerogative Sparkling, and I understand it and it's sensible.

But you were suggesting I think that folk with more personal and serious problems ought not to rely on MN for support or even just to voice their issues somewhere.

They may not have anywhere else to speak about these things, and also,
there are plenty of people on here who do wish to help, advise, whatever.

Suggesting that they simply use a different internet forum doesn't appear, to me, to be an answer to the problem. It just removes the problem from MN.

There are loads of sites on the internet where people can go for support James, but if they want to rely on MN they can do that. It doesn't affect me either way.

Sometimes the advice of random internet strangers is worse than no advice at all though.

If the Report function had a box to tick that said 'I think this is a troll' could that be dealt with more urgently?

This would be the solution. Together with a scale for how potentially damaging the troll is. I mean, a wanky thread sneering at hairdressers by a bored teenager is less urgent than a nasty personal attack and could easily wait until morning. A troll post claiming child bereavement is very very urgent indeed when the pain it will cause other posters, and the damage it would do any genuine but doubted OPs, is factored in. Those are very different situations and you'd hope the most experienced mod available would be able to drop all else to attend to it at speed - no matter how many other reports were happening elsewhere.

And the video recording trolling was as trolly a troll as ever did troll. Startled some are still arguing the toss on that one, but there you go.

I've not seen anyone deleted, recently at least, for asking clarifying questions? I'm always grateful when they do, actually, as I'm often really slow to pick up on emotional vampire trolls, and therefore people highlighting stuff that doesn't fit makes me read the whole thing again with a more careful eye.

I don't know how many Topics there are on MN but I have 26 not hidden. Even that seems too many, I need another cull.

Maryz do you mean threads, or topics?

I hide threads sometimes. I don't topics, I just don't bother with the overwhelming majority (found out there was an Xmas one today - who knew?!)

Maybe it's time the constantly goady posters (I'd name names if it was allowed) were sorted. Maybe it's also time trolls or stupid trolly posts were sorted? People troll hunt because reports get ignored! For a site as active as this its ridiculous.

I have just been in and shifted Yoga, Cycling and Academics Corner into the 'Excluded' column Maryz. All seems ok.

I have nothing dangly or social media-ery.

I have no idea if it's Classic. It's what i have always had.

maybe if mn hq deleted threads by PBP rather than leaving them to stand that would help.

maybe if mn hq deleted threads by PBP rather than leaving them to stand that would help.

How do you ID a PBP?

I agree with this completely I've posted about it before and the thread itself turned in to a bunfight and got deleted because I was apparently being 'goady'

mn hq do the identifying and the let thread stand.

What other large talk-boards are there?

How do they moderate?

I am certain that there is software available which could make moderation more easy, like sorting reports into categories, triggering alerts, etc.