Loves Spam - Onto IGNORE you go

[lovetoread]

You know, a good solution for newcomers and for old farts like us (who have seen a million threads like this one) might be a sticky explaining to newbies how they can deal with trolls. Lord knows trolls are an integral part of this forum!

Alright, I may have to fight Freya you now. I totally agree.

 

[Lovelynice]

The more threads with their name in the title, and the more people telling them that they've gotten to them enough to have put them on ignore, the happier the little troll is. See, they've accomplished their purpose...to annoy, disturb and affect the posters here in some way.

But they end up losing out because in a fairly short period of time (say a few more days) practically everyone who is annoyed enough to react to them will have put them on ignore and won't be seeing their threads or posts or PMs.

It's a bit like the immune system's response to a cold. Those most susceptible to it react the strongest, then block it entirely. Others who aren't bothered will just brush it off as a passing cold.

Also, it must be very frustrating for the troll that people stop reacting to the trolls posts with anything much more than "LOL - I can't see what you said because I've got you on ignore! Nanananaaah!"

 

[Crystal_Flower]

But they end up losing out because in a fairly short period of time (say a few more days) practically everyone who is annoyed enough to react to them will have put them on ignore and won't be seeing their threads or posts or PMs.

It's a bit like the immune system's response to a cold. Those most susceptible to it react the strongest, then block it entirely. Others who aren't bothered will just brush it off as a passing cold.

Also, it must be very frustrating for the troll that people stop reacting to the trolls posts with anything much more than "LOL - I can't see what you said because I've got you on ignore! Nanananaaah!"

A little while ago I came across a thread by one such person getting all upset because nobody was replying to his posts. I guess he must have annoyed everyone too much.

 

[RoryN]

I'm not trying to pretend self importance or anything like that, but I think it is important sometimes to make sure that an attention-seeking troll knows that their antics are going to become invisible, and that nobody will see them. The more people who say they are putting the troll on ignore, the more it becomes known to that troll that their antics have backfired....

It's as close to a slap in a face to that person that I can do here.

Here's how many trolls operate:

1. They troll.
2. They do a quick check to see how many threads have been created about them.
3. They count, and then report that number to another Forum.

Sorry; all you've done here is made his/her day a little brighter.

 

[Crystal_Flower]

Here's how many trolls operate:

1. They troll.
2. They do a quick check to see how many threads have been created about them.
3. They count, and then report that number to another Forum.

Sorry; all you've done here is made his/her day a little brighter.

Wouldn't that require that the troll's member name be at least mentioned by someone other themselves? I assume you mean by a quick check that the supposed troll is simply using a search, and if the closest mention of them is some "troll/alt" or a bit of their sigline, that wouldn't show up very well would it?

On another point, who verifies the troll's claim about the number of threads? It's easy to lie, easy to use multiple names to post for themselves. It sounds like a nice theory about how trolls operate but it doesn't appear very workable.

 

[RoryN]

Wouldn't that require that the troll's member name be at least mentioned by someone other themselves? I assume you mean by a quick check that the supposed troll is simply using a search, and if the closest mention of them is some "troll/alt" or a bit of their sigline, that wouldn't show up very well would it?

Doesn't matter to the troll.

The problem here is that some people in this thread are overlaying their sensibilities onto people who get off on trolling forums. They're not necessarily all that different from you or me, but it's fair to assume their amusement might come from different sources - in which case, details like these aren't important.

On another point, who verifies the troll's claim about the number of threads?

Honesty doesn't matter. "I caught a fish thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis big". There's your parallel.

It sounds like a nice theory about how trolls operate but it doesn't appear very workable.

You're overthinking the issue without applying some basics of social psychology.

 

[Crystal_Flower]

What your basically saying then, is that the troll doesn't need anyone else to mention their name at all, and they can just go to this other theoretical forum and just lie their arse off and that'd be good enough for all the other trolls.

I think it would at least require the mention of the troll's name, and not just same vague mention of "the troll" or "troll/alt".

I think also that people replying and reacting to their posts matters a great deal to them. By encouraging people to put the trolls on ignore I think that frustrates them more in the long run because mention of their name will disappear eventually.

 

[RoryN]

What your basically saying then, is that the troll doesn't need anyone else to mention their name at all, and they can just go to this other theoretical forum

It's not theoretical. If you'd like, I'll link you to one where trolls who lurk here reside.

I think it would at least require the mention of the troll's name, and not just same vague mention of "the troll" or "troll/alt".

Nope.

I think also that people replying and reacting to their posts matters a great deal to them.

Yes.

By encouraging people to put the trolls on ignore I think that frustrates them more in the long run because mention of their name will disappear eventually.

No, no, a thousand times no. Not only is that wrong, but that is exactly what most trolls want you to do, especially in a large and thus mostly unmoderated Forum. The "encouragment" plan you speak of leads to nothing more than new ALTs being created. The evidence is all around you.

You've seen oldbies in this thread wondering why it was created. That's a clue to both you and the thread starter.

 

[Crystal_Flower]

No, no, a thousand times no. Not only is that wrong, but that is exactly what most trolls want you to do, especially in a large and thus mostly unmoderated Forum. The "encouragment" plan you speak of leads to nothing more than new ALTs being created. The evidence is all around you.

You've seen oldbies in this thread wondering why it was created. That's a clue to both you and the thread starter.

Oh so the trolls want to be put on ignore then?

It's pretty time consuming to create new alts and register them all the time, and I noticed that most of the alts had similar names because it's also hard to come up with a new name again and again and again. Yet, it's real easy to put each one on ignore as soon as it's seen. Since they usually have similar names, it's also easy to find their alternative names that are similar in a search and put them all on ignore, I suppose (though I haven't done that yet, I've read that others have). It also must get real boring to constantly create alt after alt after alt, but it's so easy to just zap each one with the ignore as soon as it's seen.

 

[RoryN]

Oh so the trolls want to be put on ignore then?

It's pretty time consuming to create new alts and register them all the time, and I noticed that most of the alts had similar names because it's also hard to come up with a new name again and again and again.

It's hard for you and I to rob a car. For a thief with the right tools, it takes 10 seconds. Same applies here.

It also must get real boring to constantly create alt after alt after alt, but it's so easy to just zap each one with the ignore as soon as it's seen.

Here's the deal: just don't mention them at all. No threads, no posts, nothing...that is, unless you want to antagonize them, as I sometimes do. But I do that knowing full well it won't make the problem go away.

If you want to pursue encouraging people to place ALTs on Ignore
through posts, PMs, or whatever, fine. Just know that, for most seasoned members, it will be assumed that you're only adding to the spam here, and you'll soon be ignored as well.

 

[WingNut_N_Bolt]

What a hypocrite!

RoryN - here you are telling this other person not mention the trolls, etc...and then elsewhere you keep posting with quotes of what the trolls have posted, which means long after the troll is gone, your quote of their post survives.

I don't get it.

 

[ButterPixie]

What a hypocrite!

RoryN - here you are telling this other person not mention the trolls, etc...and then elsewhere you keep posting with quotes of what the trolls have posted, which means long after the troll is gone, your quote of their post survives.

I don't get it.

It's because he doesn't really think about what he posts. He just says what he thinks sounds good without putting real thought into whether it works or not.

 

[ButterPixie]

It's hard for you and I to rob a car. For a thief with the right tools, it takes 10 seconds. Same applies here.

eight seconds.

At most.
Still, it's FAR quicker for me to put somebody on ignore than it is for them have a new alt ready. I've tested it. Multiple times. They have to prepare a bunch of alts, but in less than a minute I can put a dozen on ignore.