Banning/suspending trollhunters ?

[SerendipityJane]

Not sure if it's getting worse, or me getting grumpier, but quite a few threads of late where - despite clear and unambiguous guidelines - some posters decide to clog it up with in-thread accusations, rather than quietly clicking "report" and going about their day.

Especially in more sensitive threads it can be quite distressing to the OP.

Since it's clearly against site rules, why doesn't MNHQ ban or suspend people who insist on trollhunting ? Especially after MNHQ comment on a thread (but people "miss" it) ?

Awaits a flaming (or being called a troll )

Hi @SerendipityJane,
Yes, we agree and we're looking at the issue in more detail at the moment.

We do warn, suspend, and sometimes ban the worst offenders.

But in general, troll hunting is against the guidelines and if you see it happening then please hit the report button and we'll take a look.

Yeah, but correct me if I'm wrong... if a user is banned they can just create another account using a different email address?

@MichaelMumsnet - tx

Yeah, but correct me if I'm wrong... if a user is banned they can just create another account using a different email address?

I'm sure any and all initiatives can be found wanting if you really wanted to, but that's not a reason for not trying. Otherwise nothing would ever get done.

I wasn't thinking of hit'n'run trollhunters (who I suspect are not the norm. It's a non-trivial exercise to sign up with another email address just to plonk a single trollhunting post on a single thread before being shown the banhammer.

I was thinking more of the namechanging posters - who are clearly long time MNetters and whose real identity is known to MNHQ. If there were to be a spate of people being banned for trollhunting it might calm others down.

MN is a great resource, but it's demographic spread means it takes in a lot of people who - quite bluntly - really don't get how to behave online, which is as much a learned social skill as it is in real life. The key one being to actually read the fucking thread before benefiting the world with your wisdom. Since a lot of trollhunters persist in it long after an MNHQ blue-background post telling all that the OP has been checked out. An attitude which is obviously a reflection of peoples real life behaviour when they don't pay attention either.

I doubt I'm the perfect poster, admittedly. But I know the guidelines and mysteriously manage to follow them.

Maybe MNHQ should sort the troll problem out?

I think the constant popular, school toilet, school uniform etc trolls are worse than the troll hunters.

There's so many pervs posting. I'm surprised that you think calling out trolls is worse than being a troll.

It's a particular issue on nights and weekends when there isn't a full moderator presence, and I suspect any good troll knows this. I'd rather someone warned me on a thread so I didn't overshare about something on a pervy troll's thread, but everyone is different.

'Especially in more sensitive threads it can be quite distressing to the OP.'

Totally agree op. I could not give a rat's ass if the over excitable clipboard wieldng troll hunters jump up and down on threads that are clearly trolls, but unfortunately they do it frequently when it isn't a troll.

Genuine posters can be ridiculed all because troll hunters cba to do a basic advance search that will often highlight extensive posting history

They seem to think it's their job to save mn . Like MN caped crusaders except they often get it wrong.

Couldn’t agree more OP it’s not beyond the wit of algorithms for MN to at least invest in software capable of weeding out the poo, pee, period, penis posts before they even hit the boards.
The people who believe that they have some sort of spidy sense for calling troll get it wrong frequently and can do real harm to vulnerable people in the process.
Maybe the real question is why doesn’t MN want to invest more in protecting the boards from trolls and posters from troll hunters.

Perhaps if MN Perma banned people who create the same threads every day with a new username each time people wouldn’t get frustrated.

It is vastly more important to deal with the trolls.

Troll hunting would then dwindle and vanish.

It is often worth reminding people not to overshare on topics on which MN is frequently trolled, including 'you're all so nasty', pee, poo and school uniform, humiliation etc. Because the more the trolls get their jollies here, the more come. And yes they can be on sensitive topics too, nothing seems to be off-limits for trolls.

This is something that's bothering me, I've no intention of troll hunting but I'm seeing a pattern of certain topics recently that's worrying but not enough to report an individual thread.

Is it possible to openly discuss a pattern in thread topics that look weird without being accused of making a thread about a thread or troll hunting.

@Amortentia, no, I don't think so- it would just alert the trolls to up their game.

Not for troll hunting but I did get told off the other day for breaking guidelines.
The OP said in a thread she might sound like a bitch and I agreed with her.
Omg I saw so much worse on the same thread.
Maybe mnhq needs to tighten their own guidelines 🙄
awaits ban gavel

Some troll hunting is annoying. But more annoying is the late night, obvious wind-up merchants when MNHQ is in bed. Nightwatch do their job but there's a shitstorm on certain boards, FWR for one. Being able to call it is important.

It is vastly more important to deal with the trolls.

Agreed. No point clamping down on ‘troll hunters’ while regular ‘share your school uniform/puberty/pee stories’ threads get to run for hours.

Trolls and wind up merchants, goady fuckers and liars are the problem.

There are far more of the above than those pointing them out.

Could the MN blue background check post be pinned higher in the thread, above or below the OP?

And we can still give biscuits, right?

I noticed the biscuit getting deleted the other day so I’d say no.

I agree with PP, if MNHQ did more to deal with the trolls there would be less troll hunting. This site does have a reputation in certain corners of the internet as a place that is troll friendly.

Wot, NO BISCUITS!?

This site does have a reputation in certain corners of the internet as a place that is troll friendly

That doesn’t surprise me. What corners of the internet?

Yy. Because mymsnetters fall for it. Every time. They have a reputation as hysterical weirdos

NoSauce I won't give specifics for obvious reasons, but the sort of forums that have zero moderation and attract, shall we say, a younger, less tolerant and more bigoted crowd. Also writing groups.

My ironyometer has just blown up reading this thread
Trolls are the problem
Trolls
Lying fantasists who with their hoards of Pom Pom waving cheerleaders have made vast areas of the boards unusable
Sort out proper twenty four seven moderation for a start. A site like this could easily afford to do that.
And having seen the damage trolls lying about childhood cancer, bereavement and begging on here have caused I think it's pretty obvious which are more harmful