Trolls & Trolling

L

Lon

Well-known Member
Location
Central California
I have been banned for two weeks on a Financial Forum that I participate in. I apparently offended some one with one of my posts and was reported. So now I am a TROLL among other descriptive labels leveled on me. I re read my post and don't understand the fuss. Some one is super sensitive I guess. Made me think about Senior Forums and how hard are the moderators on questionable posts. Have you ever been banned? I better be careful and watch my P's & Q's.

In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[SUP][1][/SUP] by posting inflammatory,[SUP][2][/SUP] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[SUP][3][/SUP] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[SUP][4][/SUP]
 

I've never been banned from a forum, and we don't allow any trolls to stay here, luckily there hasn't been any troll activity on Senior Forums. Here's more about real trolls.


They are referred to by many names such as "flamers" or "hijackers", but a troll is a troll. Below are just some of the characteristics and intentions of an average forum troll.

-When trolls initially join a discussion forum, they will typically post an unusually large number of messages, which is known as "flooding".

-Troll postings are often inflammatory (flamers), attacking threads because they "disagree" with the content.

-Trolls quite frequently present themselves as genuine skeptics with no hidden agenda. However, they are "extremely" skeptical of the main subject of the targeted forum.

-Under the guise of "searching for the truth", trolls are very devisive and argumentative, with a "need to be right" attitude. They thrive on the emotional response they get from making other users angry, and often "bait" others to reply to their postings.

-Many times trolls will insult other members, either directly or indirectly, with the firm intention of provoking them to insult back. Then, they will complain to the forum moderators that they were insulted by a certain member, and want some kind of action taken against that user.

-Trolls need attention. In order to attain it, their posts are disruptive, often times they will re-use the words of their "opponents" and attempt to use the same words against them. Trolls will also try to make other members look ignorant by discrediting them.

-Trolls are well known to try to "take over" existing forum threads (hijacker). To do this, they will manipulate the content of the other user's posts, and the posts of those who reply, until they become the focus of the thread.

-Trolls have a strong desire to control. They'll find fault with other member's replies, post inappropriate responses, and will attempt to intimidate new members, by giving them disinformation, or making them afraid to ask questions for fear of the troll's reprisal.

-Trolls are impossible to reason with, impervious to constructive criticism, and will often complain about the "freedom of speech" during their mission. Sometimes they will try to harass other users by sending them private messages (PMs), to continue their "bullying" off the board. They are usually cowards in real life, but find the power that they need behind their keyboards.

-Trolls are notorious for causing arguments among established members, and find great pleasure in doing so.

The best advice to deal with forum trolls is to ignore them. Skip over their post and continue with the thread as if it wasn't there. They are starved for attention, and if they don't get it, they usually get frustrated and move on to flame another forum. If you start to receive an unwanted PMs or emails from a troll, it's best to bring it to the attention of a forum moderator.
 
You've not been banned Lon..only suspended. Most forums have clear rules about what is acceptable and what isn't , and usually you will only get suspended or even banned if you've been warned and not pulled the reigns in...that said, some forums have moderators with trigger fingers who seem to issue suspensions and bannings on a whim.
 

I was banned from a forum for being too "argumentative"/debating. Didn't care much for the forum, or the people in it, anyway. People can, and do, get offended pretty easily......some too easily, but that's just the way it is. Heck, I was in one forum where a lady kept saying the "f" bomb all the time. Some members, like myself would ask her very politely not to do it, but she didn't care and said "until the Mods say something you guys can go *********". With her saying that, the Mods said "enough is enough" and nobody heard from her again.

I stopped in, to check it out, one forum where there was a lot of young adults in it and I was shocked at the language in the posts. Apparently, one of those kinds of forums where the Mods, if there even was any, didn't give a hoot what was being said and the members loved it.
 
Never been banned.................... But..................
I have banned myself on some of the web sites that want money or bomb me with e-mail.One sites pet told me I like killing Arab children because I did not agree with her posts.
 
Boy, isn't that the truth! I've learned that pretty fast in this forum. At times, it's much better to withhold what a person is thinking than post it. Posting can make big trouble for yourself. Yep, got to be ready for the "repercussions", when it happens

AZ Jim said:
This forum is perfect. You can debate all you want just don't say anything over the top. Sometimes that might mean don't say what you are thinking! lol
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In addition to trolls, there are "sock puppets". A sock puppet is a poster who also has accounts under other screen names. The poster will say something and then his "sock puppets" will jump in shortly afterward to tell him what a brilliant post that was. If the poster gets in a tiff with another poster, the "sock puppets" will also attack the other poster. It's like having your own private army of groupies.
 
jujube said:
In addition to trolls, there are "sock puppets". A sock puppet is a poster who also has accounts under other screen names. The poster will say something and then his "sock puppets" will jump in shortly afterward to tell him what a brilliant post that was. If the poster gets in a tiff with another poster, the "sock puppets" will also attack the other poster. It's like having your own private army of groupies.
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I know that goes on jujube I agree with you, I've seen it on other forums, but in all honesty how flippin' sad must a person be to invent a second or 3rd persona to ensure they have support on what is in reality an anonymous forum on the world wide web. ?

I have witnessed some horrendous arguments and attacks on people on forums, and really I always believe that those who take it so seriously as to create several aliases, and who continually look for a fight on forums or who troll them , are just pathetic individuals who have nothing in their lives...who probably sit behind a laptop in some rundown bedsit, in a rundown town, with no friends..and living a really dirty seedy life!!
 
Yep, first financial forum/blogging community I joined, I was my own worst enemy. I didn't understand the protocol, I was dealing with retirement, health issues. One of the bloggers was full of himself and never commented on others only on his own and couldn't say enough about how great he was. In fact you could note the blogs you regularly read and liked, his only favorite was himself. I started to call BS on his posts, my math was different from his and I liked to point out his errors. Took about 2 months me critiquing him before I got myself permanently banned. I still read the site and have noticed he no longer posts but has his own website where he can brag all he wants with no link for comments.
 
sock_puppets_horrified.jpg
 
It is important not to take things personally on a forum. Also important is not to react to someone that you find particularly annoying.
Better to put them in your "ignore" list so that you don't see their posts unless you choose to.

I have failed on both of these areas in the past and have posted disparagingly. One the rare occasions when I have lapsed in this way I have apologised and have banned myself from posting anything for two weeks. It's the equivalent of time out for a naughty child. I think of it as sending myself to Coventry.

So far, I've escaped suspension or banning.
 
Ameriscot said:
I've been issued a few warnings on another forum. Not my fault. I was provoked by a total idiot. :p
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I almost became a victim of one of those on a forum. I am a very calm and peaceful lady and I am not a fighter. This one person almost caused me to say things that would have embarrassed me later. I learned there are some people, that one in particular, I can not even read his posts because it causes my BP to soar.
 
~Lenore said:
I almost became a victim of one of those on a forum. I am a very calm and peaceful lady and I am not a fighter. This one person almost caused me to say things that would have embarrassed me later. I learned there are some people, that one in particular, I can not even read his posts because it causes my BP to soar.
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I'm disappointed Lenore :lol: I always thought it was my charm and good looks that raised your blood pressure.
 

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