Dealing with the trolls

[margiebargie]

Lots of people reported the most recent big troll thread, but it obviously trundled on for a while regardless - I presume while you were looking into it behind the scenes. How about a system whereby if you've received a certain amount of reports, the thread is automatically "paused"/locked/hidden while you investigate?

And if a thread is revealed to have been from a troll, delete it (with the message "Yawn" or similar), and keep it up for a day or two but hide it from everyone apart from those who were posting on it (op excluded, obviously), so that they can discuss it among themselves without their discussions being public. I'm sure the trolls get a kick out of being called a sick fucker as much as from the original deception; as it's an attention-seeking phenomenon, the less attention they get, the better, no?

Queen ones where people have got their shit together to deal with an oppressive situation in a remarkably short space of time, and have emerged as massively feisty all of a sudden having previously put up with said situation without a murmur for long periods.

Should there be some pointers somewhere about common traits of troll threads?? Its always discussed post troll exposure but lost with the thread.
There seems to be a view for example that trolls want money. I think that tends to be secondary to the emotional vampiric trolls who just want the outpouring of comments about how they are an amazing mummy for example. Maybe then, when someone reads a thread filled with "you are so brave and amazing" they would wonder HOW the OP is being so composed and amazing in difficult circumstances. So many trolls post things that we all wish we would be able to do and say in a trauma when the reality is we would probably be panicky, anxious, unclear...

Lasershark, I have PMed you.

I am amazing in a crisis, or logical and pragmatic at least.

You just don't know. MN (and that's no criticism) have got it wrong before, and will again - they aren't gods, they have access to information we don't, but that can still mislead.

You do have to be careful, absolutely you do, but I'm not comfortable with this 'trolls will do XYZ.'

TendonQueen thanks, I know exactly and agree with you

i hate misery wankers.. they're not in it to support the OP, they're in it to ambulance chase, and its disgusting to watch.

Who the fuck seriously sobs their heart out over some child they've never met?

There is empathy, and feeling for someone in a hard situation.. and then there is misery wanking.

It was quite clear which was going down on that thread.

I think it's worth remembering that the screen does not convey emotion. So someone typing coherently doesn't necessarily mean anything in terms of their state of mind.

I'm actually more suspicious of the incoherent ramblings posted late at night. It takes concentration to post with lots of typo's which still manage to convey what you're trying to say, iyswim.

But it's more about the placing of posts. The latest one was obvious in terms of the OP was posting from her car waiting to go into the hospital. Just posting before he went in for an X-ray. I've seen posts from OP's posting from the toilet having allegedly run from an abuser, and having time to join MN or to name change before doing so. I mean come on.

I have a decent troll radar and tend to report fairly often-just a 'this sounds a bit trolly-please check it out'. It's better to alert MN to it than leave it.
I've not been wrong yet.

Interestingly the one thread I was unsure about and didn't end up reporting was the one with the poor woman who was on OBEM.

It is absolutely ok to report with just a couple of words like "this one is bollocks"

HQ respond politely, and if it isn't bollocks (or they can't prove it is bollocks) then no harm done

Have often reported with the words hmm x 1000000

I followed this thread, and was genuinely concerned, in the beginning, but then it all went too fast, younger sib, referral to new hospital, wouldn't name hospital, could/couldn't get accomodation I feared it was a troll and thought badly of myself for it. I didn't join the army, but was inclined to believe because of the photos

What was the final giveaway, because I gave up reading when my suspicionometer got too raised?

FWIW I posted a completely true , but too weird to be believable post, I was reported and investigated, and proven to be genuine.

Notmore and were you put off posting, absolutely heartbroken, etc., etc., for having your post checked? I ask because that is one of the arguments thrown out whenever this raises it's head.

well well well, I did wonder when she said about only one parent at a time in the hospital. Having been in hospital with DS1 at New Year I knew this was rubbish. Didn't suspect a troll though. Although her DS had glasses in the selfie, but not in any other photo. Just call me Miss Marple......

emotions, there's a massive, massive difference in MN emailing you and saying 'look, there's a slight discrepancy in your posts, please clarify' and being banned first and having to explain yourself later.

I questioned it, in my own head but thought no it can't be, how could anyone be so sick to put pictures if it's not true .

It was the panicky post when she realised a mnetter was staying somewhere or other that made me suss.

I only realised the thread has been removed tonight so I missed the pulling of the thread. I wonder who the poor boy is in the pics .

Yes call but I'm not asking for MNHQ to ban posters and then expect them to explain themselves later, I'm suggesting a system whereby threads, particularly very emotional ones, that have been brought to MNHQ's attention can be hidden/removed from Active and Trending whilst MNHQ make the necessary checks. I would hope that MNHQ would be able to quickly and discreetly make the checks and then reinstate or delete the thread as appropriate.

I do understand what you're saying emotions but I do feel it's unworkable with the general feeling on here at the moment.

It isn't always possible for MNHQ to quickly check things out - especially if a poster has built up a history. Once MN posters get so much of a whiff of a thread possibly being linked to a troll they start circling like sharks, and then if it checks out as genuine the stigma remains and if it isn't genuine there are shouts of KNEW IT, WHY WAS THIS NOT IMMEDIATELY REMOVED.

People really need to stop with all the "you are so wonderful" bollocks and the "good morning op" nonsense - threads end up huge which is just what trolls want.

What we really need is for "threads I'm watching" to show deletion messages - there would be no need to place mark if this was implemented.

If you report a thread, you get a deletion message

I wonder why troll hunters are seen as worse than trolls? Over the six years I've been on Mumsnet I've had a few name changes and once I posted on Feminist chat after a name change....I had been pretty regular there. I was accused openly of being a troll but didn't mind at all because I knew I wasn't.

In fact I was glad the posters were watchful....it made me feel part of a safe kind of community. But now it seems that to raise concerns is to invite open season upon yourself.

Can I just say (and hands up, I said on the last thread, I didn't spot it and I reassured the troll that having been here almost a decade, you can usually spot a troll thread and it was clear hers was not - probably made her wee herself with glee), that I don't think it's terribly helpful for people to focus their scorn on posters who have posted support for a poster in good faith, in a manner that they feel is substandard?

Ok, I can see that there is a fair amount of hyperbole in these situations. People who claim to be crying on behalf of posters may or may not have shed physical tears (and in many ways, let's hope they haven't). But isn't that just the same as the posters who can't breathe or have spat their wine on their keyboard? I mean, really?? 99% of the stuff that's posted here is hyperbole. It doesn't stop the person behind the keyboard being a good person with a kind heart, who felt a tug of compassion when they heard of a young family being plunged into crisis.

As for the 'corporate name' - it's a thing! I don't know why, but it is, these days. My niece had a fundraising team (raising funds for the unit that was treating her, to be clear - no personal gain!) called Team