I understand where everyone is coming from. We’ve tried and tried to find solutions.
One thing that makes it difficult is the nature of this thread. So many different streams of information on so many different topics. Arguments can really disrupt things, but many of those arguments need to be had. I’ve seen people change opinions over the years in this thread.
At one point, anything anti-Trump was considered trolling.
At another point, anything anti-Q
Those are obvious examples, but there are many more
So many times people that get called trolls in here firmly believe what they say. I see
@Stray joined the site within the last few days and I can see through his IP he’s a legitimate dude from Germany, he’s not posting from a VPN.
I remember when curious fiend started posting on here and half the site wanted him banned
There's a pretty clear delineation between trolling and members simply disagreeing and getting caught up in the heat of the moment -- wanting bans and the such.
As mentioned by other members, dedicated trolling accounts are the ones that exist purely to antagonize, and do so frequently. These accounts almost exclusively display that type of behavior. They don't engage constructively. The only ones fitting that have been Lafester and Jake Broe. And they are the recent development.
I'm glad that Stray appears legitimate. Hopefully he acclimates a bit and fits in. Thanks for checking.
There's been good ideas posted regarding how to handle trolling behavior. The key is a
basic level of moderation. Regular members will overreact (and frequently do) to things they don't like or agree with and call for banning and the such. Moderators are the "adults in the room" who have to step back from the ledge and see the bigger picture, not just what they want.
As suggested elsewhere, get a moderator and admin only forum.
Have some basic rules for handling trolls:
1. Does the poster only antagonize? Is there no genuine discussion or give and take?
2. Shoot the person a DM regarding this
3. If behavior doesn't change (or only does for a short timeframe), and remains deliberatively disruptive, discuss it on the private board. It may warrant a timeout from this thread. It may warrant more.
4. Depending on severity it may require agreement from all moderators or your approval to take certain actions.
5. New users get a chance to acclimate. However, if there is strong evidence to support it's a new alt account of a previous troll, things can be escalated more quickly. You have access to certain tools to help with that.
I'd trust you, Hoosier, Jake (the Dog), and Mortgagehorn to have those discussions, or whomever is in that role.
This discussion shouldn't be this controversial. There's a definite difference between heated discussions on controversial topics, tangents (this happens on all forums), and people bitching about banning-- of which you've handled many -- and the type of trolling that is driving this discussion.
Yeah, I'm sure that's what it is.
