ForumsThe TavernHow to handle: Trolls

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Zophia
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Zophia
9,424 posts
Scribe

Since it seems to be a increasing problem, here is a little set of general guidelines.

When finding a thread made by a suspected or obvious troll, do not reply.
Ignore it.

-Do not try to reply with a witty comment, it gives the thread more replies than it deserves, and often leads to the thread simply being locked instead of deleted as it should.
-Do not reply with "You are a troll", "This is fail.", "You are an idiot", "This is so locked", "/Thread" or similar. Do not reply with images of facepalms or FAILs either.
Again, it is unnecessary replies to a doomed thread, and it gives the troll a reason to reply/continue trolling.

The 'do's:
- Report it to a mod.(*)
- Wait.

(*): This needs to be done only once, and if you see someone else reporting it on a moderator or admin's profile, you do not need to report it again, unless you notice another mod come online.

Generally ignoring the thread is often the best plan, as the troll does not get any responses and the thread dies naturally. This might lead to discouraging the troll as well, so the trolling will not happen once again. It might also cause a spamming troll, which is also a thing to ignore.
If the troll is persistant, it will help the mods if the users simply leave the section quiet for a while, so that the troll/spam threads are easier to locate.
Another reason to leave would be the decreased temptation to make a witty remark on the thread when you can't see it.

-

All this counts whether there is a mod online or not. If there are none online you should report and ignore, if there are any online, report and ignore.

This thread: worded by Cenere, proofread and corrected slightly by Zophia.

  • 157 Replies
ajajaj92
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ajajaj92
195 posts
Nomad

whats a troll?

Karoc
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Karoc
433 posts
Nomad

A troll that we might know for instance on Armor Games is some guy with 420 at the end of his name. He posts spam and uneccessary curse words and porn sites. Internet spammers pretty much.

TotallySane
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TotallySane
643 posts
Nomad

you can trace the IP to the location using satellites. but an IP isnt an address.


General location, not exact location. So unless you want to go door knocking at every house in the region and saying "Excuse me sir/madam, I'm sorry to bother you, but did you perchance call me, FloydTC, an idiot on the internet? Because if you did, I am here to inform you that I am about to kill you" no, it will not work.
TotallySane
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TotallySane
643 posts
Nomad

Huh? I'm not really sure what a troll is. Could someone explain?

SwordAndShield
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SwordAndShield
567 posts
Nomad

We have a lot of 420s on this site, ive tracked 3...

Green12324
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Green12324
4,097 posts
Peasant

You guys should try being nice to 420, he's actually not that bad once you talk to him.

Blu3sBr0s
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Blu3sBr0s
1,287 posts
Nomad

You guys should try being nice to 420, he's actually not that bad once you talk to him.


He often has good points. He just doesn't go about explaining htem in the best of ways
knight_34
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knight_34
13,817 posts
Farmer

He often has good points. He just doesn't go about explaining htem in the best of ways


Ah yes. He's no idiot and people shouldn't treat him like one.

Being a troll doesn't make one an idiot. Being a idiot makes one an idiot.


you can trace the IP to the location using satellites. but an IP isnt an address.

General location, not exact location.


Yes. An IP address will not point you to the exact person you are looking for. You'll have to do an amount of searching.
GuitarHeroFtw
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GuitarHeroFtw
859 posts
Nomad

To handle a troll lock it in the girls bathroom With Hermione.

:?

SwordAndShield
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SwordAndShield
567 posts
Nomad

I have caught the 420 guy, Lou Reed so he may or may not still be trolling, but probably. Watch out for his threads though.

Pixie214
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Pixie214
5,838 posts
Peasant

If (for once) the troll makes a good point or thread is it ok to engage them i.e. "rewarding" good behaviour.

FloydTC
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FloydTC
2,906 posts
Nomad

how do you reward good behavior?

fractalman
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fractalman
635 posts
Nomad

ah...trolls.
Technically, I know the definition: someone trying to spark overly heated debate, and possibly irrelevant conversation.

However, I can't remember every seeing a post by anybody I would consider a troll. Spam, possible outrage, rather misplaced posts, and hyperactivity, yes...but not in a way I would put together as "troll".

Any advanced tips for troll detection, so I don't encourage them with a well-intentioned reply?

Jrmagic
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Jrmagic
301 posts
Nomad

Good thing I know how to get rid of those big ugly green things now, thanks Zophia, but just for good measure, I'm bringing along my big bat!

Green12324
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Green12324
4,097 posts
Peasant

Any advanced tips for troll detection, so I don't encourage them with a well-intentioned reply?


The moderators discourage that. They say that any attention (good or bad) will keep them around for longer. Which is true, in most cases.
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