Trolls in the ‘Hood

There is a word in your post that really hit home, 'intent'. I think 'intent' drives everything. A troll* to one person can simply be a controversial contributor to another, but I think looking at the intent of the action helps draw the line of what is acceptable...and what is not. In our community (Social Media Club), someone who posts a controversial comment or a difference of opinion is ok as long as they are contributing to the conversation and do so in a respectful manner.  If they are constantly negative, cyber stalking, launching personal attacks on you or other community members or constantly posting off-topic comments, then you need to look at the intent of the posts and then judge whether or not they are a 'troll' and if they should be removed from your community (whatever the community is - e.g. forum, blog, blocked from your Twitter feed, etc).  Most trollish behavior is to get attention, to draw a response from someone.    I have always tried to deal with trollish behavior by addressing it openly and honestly, and when that doesn't work, the ignore route (don't feed them) works most of the time. If someone is insistent on causing you or your community harm, there is not much you can do but hope they eventually tire of it. As several have noted in earlier comments, most trolls walk away once they realize you are no longer giving them the spotlight. And while ignoring a 'troll' is one of the hardest things to do, it is sometimes critical that you do so for the betterment of the entire community. Trollish behavior (cyber stalking) caused one of the great bloggers, Kathy Sierra, to eventually stop blogging back in 2007. It is a serious behavior that needs to be addressed early and quickly to ensure more people are not affected by it.  http://www.techmeme.com/070326/p72#a070326p72 * Some hate the word troll and prefer to use the word trolling to actually address the behavior (not the person). I am on the fence. I think the word troll works when you have exhausted every effort to address the matter and the person continues on. They are aware of what they are doing, they refuse to stop, to me - that makes them a troll.  

Peggy, I like your perspective.  Trolls are the digital equivalent of bullies.  Bullies are seen but should not be heard.  Any acknowledgement is simply giving them the attention that they crave.  There are plenty of other more acceptable ways to get attention.  But then there is no accounting for the personality disorders that spawn internet viruses, grafitti, and digital hijacking. Acknowledge them and they are fed.  Ignore them and they are starved. Cheers!

Forgive me in advance but this reminded me of this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwPMKozHPCM coz the TROLLS in the hood are always hard you come talkin that trash, we'll pull ya card knowin' nutin in life but to be legit' dont quote me boy coz i aint said shiznit reminder to trolls: DONT BE A PEACOCK...word!

Are trolls typically people within your community who you know? Or is it someone seeking link love? I maybe have been offended 1-2 times, but not to the extent of what you're sharing. And, hope I don't!!

My mom always said "ignorance is better handled when ignored." So even here in the #SM world I ignore "trolls." I say my piece and I move on. It does not mean that I quit tweeting/following just that I don't engage on that particular topic - agree to disagree if you will. Before we hit kindergarten we encountered bullies. Back then an adult made them say sorry. Today we're adults and we expect that we've all learned to play nice. Culture, up bringing and personalities however, re-define play-nice to each individual. We cannot make everyone dance to our drum beat, no matter how hard we try. So I try to shrug it off and not take it personal. Operative word is try. One other thing I always try to remember is that though I can't control a "troll's" comments I can control my reaction. You have zero control until I hand you my reins.

It's hard to avoid frustrations and negativity, especially in times like these, but there is no other path but through the positive.  I think @dinodogan:twitter is advocating for passion, and I agree 100%...but if you are enrolling someone in your vision, and moving towards collaboration, that is the most passionate approach of all.  It's easy to make someone angry (Step 1: punch them in the face. Step 2: laugh like a troll) but being positive and inspiring consensus is what we all need more of these days.

Peggy, Thanks so much for your awesomeness! I heard this saying somewhere and use it to keep things in perspective, "Some people are just negative, even if you love them, they aren't good for your life. Give them time to grow up." Helps me keep things positive, even when I feel that little twinge to push back. Obviously, you already know this and I think those negative people are the trolls you were talking about, they just need time to mature. One more thing before I go, I am so glad we're friends, we'll be friends till we get old, we'll be friends till we get senile and then .....we'll be NEW friends. Ha!

I guess I'm just used to having them in a more traditional way. It wasn't a criticism of you, it was just an observation of how threading doesn't necessarily improve readability.

Great post, Peggy! Thanks for confronting this issue and creating a forum for discussion. Based on the comments I have seen over the past several months, I think there is some confusion about what troll-like behavior is. One thing I know, is that it has nothing to do with stating an opinion, freedom of speech, or spirited debate. It has to do with a close-mindedness that comes from belaboring a point and arguing in a manner that hurts others. Far from healthy social media interaction, this bullying behavior drives people away and leaves them weary about any future engagement. The instigators will cry foul, but this demonstrates nothing more than egocentric personalities wrapped in the guise of substance. Thanks for continuing to be such a bright light, Peggy — your genuine, positive outlook has brightened many a dreary day.

Peggy, aloha.  Great blog topic beautifully expressed--also a terrific image! Happily, I have only encountered a few minor trolls and I withdrew from the engagement.  To me, Peggy, it's simply not worth it to get caught in a negative swirl of a downward spiral.  So appreciated the comments by Parissa and Dabney as well; couldn't resist letting them know my thoughts on what they said. Best wishes for a terrific week.  Aloha.  Janet

I'm glad I found your blog - I'm a fan of your tweets! Trolls want to do damage or get negative attention, and I've adopted Scott Stratten's (@unmarketing) strategy on dealing with them. When some people advised him to try to kill trolls with kindness, his response was short and simple: "No. I'm not a Jackass Whisperer." Funny and wise, I think. See you around #blogchat!

Peggy and you exemplify how to use social media in a positive way. And it is always a pleasure to see you in my stream because you are fun, smart and engaging. I don't want to see a stream of negative tweets. I understand sometimes people get upset and need to vent. And that is cool as long as it is not constant belligerence.  I have seen so much negativity through my work and I have seen some exemplary examples of how people have turned from being incredibly negative to being absolutely awesome examples of how to contribute to society and I try to keep that in mind.  There is so much negativity in the world. I don't want to add to it. i want to inspire, help and be the best person I can be at all times.  Go Fabulous :) And say Hello to Mr F for me I loved his post. :)  

When I have encountered them I ignore them. It is a negative behavior that I choose not to encourage. When I have seen people comment back to them it just seems to fuel the fire.   Thank you for your post Peg! I am so glad I found your blog through #smgirlfriends! Have a great week ahead! Lisa

There are different types of trolls with different strategies and issues that impact them emotionally and psychological.  There are some who are opinionated, supposedly intelligent but really they are buillies in disguise and think they can run over people with no regard for anybody except themselves. Now some of them I feel sorry for them because when the wake up call comes it will ibe devastating. They are ego driven primarily but don't understand how to control themselves and their overbearing negativity.   I make a point depending on context to support them for voicing what may be a misguided opinion or lack of knowledge. And sometimes behavior changes when empathy and understanding is used whilst pointing out how their actions impact others Having dealt with a lot of anti social behavior throughout my career in government I understand the things that drive these people and always err on the side of trying not to judge anybody.   It is really difficult to be balanced and to know where to draw the line. But if there is a persistent theme the only option is to leave them and let them suffer the consequences because there is only so much you can help certain people sometimes they just need to feel the consequences. 

Thanks for a great post Peggy - this has been bothering me a bit and has, admitedly, made me step back a bit and not engage in some conversations or channels.  Life is too short to choose to be negative and we all have enough stress in life with no need to add more.   I miss the days of polite discourse but the 140 char of Twitter sometimes forces  the sharp jabs instead of thoughtful answers.  I've seen heated convos lately with some personal jabs on each side which, frankly, has made me think less of both parties.  It does neither party no credit when they engage in attacks instead of exchange of ideas. Bravo!

Wow my beautiful friend, your timing could not be better!   When someone refers to "trolls" what they are often speaking about are toxic people.  In all areas of my work, I encourage my clients to not engage in such relationships as they will at all cost attempt to steal our mo jo...that very core of who you are. I am a very big believer that not one person has the right to deflate you, define you or steal your mo jo, without your consent.  Online relationships are quite simply real life relationships occurring online.  Many make the mistake of segregating online and offline relationships and that is the biggest mistake one can make when engaging on social networks.  We must remember to engage via social media as we do in all healthy relationships.  It is important to integrate the core values of respect, kindness, support etc that make relationships healthy and successful into our online relationships as well.  When we do,  we will attract similar individuals into our social networking circles, just as we do offline. So, if we are doing that why does toxic come swooping into our timelines?  Often it is the bully who is seeking attention, or the insecure person seeking affirmation, or the bitter individual who simply lacks in social skills. When I see toxic swoop into my "nest", I will typically respond nicely and often that will turn the engagement into a positive conversation.  However, when it does not, I will not engage further and when I have...it does not go well. You see, the toxic person is prepared for battle and this is typically ingrained from past relationships and learned behavior.  When we engage with the bully we are conditioning them to continue in toxic behavior. They are seeking attention, we are giving it.  Hence, they will return.  If they do not receive the attention they are seeking, they will go away.   Just like the bully on the playground of our youth...the bully, troll, toxic person is on our social media playground as well.  Remember what we were all told as children?  Play nice, ignore the bully and if you do not have anything nice to say...simply do not say anything at all. Great thought provoking post.  I will leave you with words I say often about my nest of fabulous.... The Bully does not play here.  Ever. xoxo Dabney

Here's the thing:  trolls don't know that they're trolls.   Trolls honestly think they're having the courage to say-it-like-it-is. Also, they often see themselves as highly intelligent and edgy.  (note:  sometimes they're nice when they're sober, but then behave strangely when they drink or use, which adds to the confusion!) They don't realize that at some point they crossed the line from opinionated into selfish. They really don't see this. Trolls don't know that they're trolls.  If they could see themselves that clearly, then they wouldn't be behaving like trolls in the first place.The exception to this would be:  people who troll on purpose in order to drive traffic to their site. I've heard of that happening (though I think it's rare). On the bright side, I've been on the internet professionally for almost 3 years now, full time, pretty much 7 days a week. Yes, I've been at the effect of trolls; but really, in ratio to how many truly decent, kind, generous people I meet online every day... it's --comparatively -- a very rare occurrence.

As sweetly crafted as my humor blog is, I have attracted a few trolls (maybe that's why..?). I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt, for some of them are very skilled at taking pot shots at your soft spots. I try to deal with it with humor, by drawing a Troll and having him smothered by love and hugs and kisses. Normally I ignore inflammatory comments and simply remove the worst of them. However one time I did respond with a simple link to my Troll post, and the instigator acknowledged it with respect and backed off. If it's on my own blog, I'm in control. But if it's smearing on another site, it's depressing. There's nothing I can do without drawing more attention to it. Cyberbullying is very real and dangerous. It's like being hit by a drunk driver while you are innocently crossing the road. Well done for posting about it peg.

Peggy, i am your troll ? :) I think we meet them every day sometimes we just don't see or simply just ignore  them! I use to get them when i am in a #chat.  They are not coming out from chat room, but tweeps who don't understand that twitter is micro blogging, and as we have rights to give or say our opinion on the blog, so do we on Twitter. But there is the line that many of them cross with that. Is not about not taking the opinion but I dont agree or accept when comments or arguments gets personal. I normally ignore them as silence is sometimes the best answer and the troll moves on to the next! I think someone should develop the application like emotions so we could attach to the troll for a day and let him travel around the twitter world, shouting out of every tweet I am the Biggest Troll of the day :) You know like new promotional tweets that twitter offers now ! :) Great post!