Trolling

[Tangled up in Blue]

http://www.theguardian.com/technolo...3/aug/25/web-trolls-anonymity-huffington-post

1.Is a troll just anyone you disagree with online? Or is a troll someone who is verbally abusive or insulting,threatening etc online?

2.What can and should be done to prevent online trolling?

FWIW,I happen to think that calling someone a troll should be reserved for someone who is abusive etc rather than as a catch all phrase for someone you disapprove of online.

In answer to the second question,personally, I favour the option of pseudonyoms (backed up by genuine email addresses, as adopted by this website and others)rather than the use of "real names" ).

 

[mark387]

A troll is someone that posts/publishes anything thats only purpose is to illicit a negative response. It doesn't have to be abusive to be trolling.

A person that posts abusive comments is simply a bully.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

A troll is someone that posts/publishes anything thats only purpose is to illicit a negative response. It doesn't have to be abusive to be trolling.

A person that posts abusive comments is simply a bully.

That's fine for a definition.How about your ideas regarding the second question?

 

[mark387]

That's fine for a definition.How about your ideas regarding the second question?

Tbh im in favour of using real names online but I'm not sure how it can work, their is no way of authenticating someone's identity online. How can you stop people putting fake names instead of real names, how can you prove that it is their real name?

As for pseudonyms, again there is no way of authenticating their true identity through a "genuine" email address as there is no such thing.

I think if there was a way of authenticating someone's true identity then removing anonymity is the only way to combat online bullying.

 

[mark387]

Just to clarify, when I say I prefer the use of real names online I mean as a means of final identification not as a commenter or forum user. Pseudonyms are a good way of protecting yourself online and to remove that would/could endanger people. What I mean is that there needs to be a way of authenticating your real name when you sign up to a email provider.

I could create a new email address in 30 seconds and be posting on here as any pseudonym I wanted and you could trace it back to the email address but guess what, I didn't give my real details to the email provider either and because I'm using a proxy gateway you can't trace my ip address either.

 

[McNasty]

Just to clarify, when I say I prefer the use of real names online I mean as a means of final identification not as a commenter or forum user. Pseudonyms are a good way of protecting yourself online and to remove that would/could endanger people. What I mean is that there needs to be a way of authenticating your real name when you sign up to a email provider.

I could create a new email address in 30 seconds and be posting on here as any pseudonym I wanted and you could trace it back to the email address but guess what, I didn't give my real details to the email provider either and because I'm using a proxy gateway you can't trace my ip address either.

Which is why we run the Zone with usernames.

Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous can, and there are hundreds of members we have no idea who they are.

Under the Data Protection Act we couldn't reveal true identities even if we know them.

People's dirty secrets are safe with us.

 

[South Bank Hank]

http://www.theguardian.com/technolo...3/aug/25/web-trolls-anonymity-huffington-post

1.Is a troll just anyone you disagree with online? Or is a troll someone who is verbally abusive or insulting,threatening etc online?

2.What can and should be done to prevent online trolling?

FWIW,I happen to think that calling someone a troll should be reserved for someone who is abusive etc rather than as a catch all phrase for someone you disapprove of online.

Interesting question but I think it misses the point. Trolling is not disagreement; that's actually pretty healthy on a forum like this one; and trolling is not necessarily abuse. The key matter is intent (or continued negligent/reckless intent). Wikipedia's definition seems pretty spot on to me and it's certainly the one that ShrimperZone (and most of the internet using public) seem to recognise as a benchmark despite the recent media hijacking of the word.

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

Link

Thankfully it's a definition that fits very, very few of the posters on ShrimperZone. The second question is even more simple: at a basic level, Trolls are best ignored, but if they continue to go out of their way to provoke others such that their behaviour threatens to destroy the essence and values of a community, then they should be asked to leave the community they are pestering/disrupting/spoiling. We've generally been pretty good at shutting down those type of trolls pretty quickly here and long may that continue.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Using the definitions on this thread I have a "troll"!
Is this a "rite of passage" mark and does it make me a poster of note?
I am sure that others have their own trolls & that some may be the very same as mine.
Seriously I do suspect that some members may take an abusive and rude "rep" reporting person as a bully and if you have one then I suggest you re-adjust your understanding of such a person and try and think of them as being sad voyeurs with little self esteem and value.......standard bully *****!

 

[superblue24]

Trolling, for me, is abusing someone for no reason. Twitter seems to attract the most trolls where random users will just insult someone famous for no real reason...Mostly jealousy in my opinion.

You can't just label someone a troll because they disagree with you online and call you an idiot in the process. Grow a pair and fight your corner. If you don't want to be made to look a fool on an internet forum, think twice before posting.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Trolling, for me, is abusing someone for no reason. Twitter seems to attract the most trolls where random users will just insult someone famous for no real reason...Mostly jealousy in my opinion.

You can't just label someone a troll because they disagree with you online and call you an idiot in the process. Grow a pair and fight your corner. If you don't want to be made to look a fool on an internet forum, think twice before posting.

Agreed, just because someone disagrees with you doesn't make them a troll. An internet troll is someone that consistently posts in a particular way to provoke a response.

 

[Jam_Man]

Trolling, for me, is abusing someone for no reason. Twitter seems to attract the most trolls where random users will just insult someone famous for no real reason...Mostly jealousy in my opinion.

You can't just label someone a troll because they disagree with you online and call you an idiot in the process. Grow a pair and fight your corner. If you don't want to be made to look a fool on an internet forum, think twice before posting.

As already said its not even about being abusive, its just being disruptive.

Just going on to threads and posting nonsense comments that will create an argument is trolling, and no abuse needed there at all.

 

[Rob Noxious]

Flavs or Bart?

 

[Mad Cyril]

I think online communities should be self policing.

If someone upsets me then I will kick their door down at 4am, strike them with a baton, pepper spray them and take them away in the back of a transit.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Tbh im in favour of using real names online but I'm not sure how it can work, their is no way of authenticating someone's identity online. How can you stop people putting fake names instead of real names, how can you prove that it is their real name?

As for pseudonyms, again there is no way of authenticating their true identity through a "genuine" email address as there is no such thing.

I think if there was a way of authenticating someone's true identity then removing anonymity is the only way to combat online bullying.

Bullying isn't an internet phenomenon. Wearing name tags at school wouldn't prevent bullying in the playground.

In fact, I would suggest anonymity would help enable people to speak up against it and not fear reprisals for going against the herd mentality. If people had no on-line identity because everything was actually anonymous, that would presumably cut down on-line bullying?

 

[McNasty]

I think online communities should be self policing.

If someone upsets me then I will kick their door down at 4am, strike them with a baton, pepper spray them and take them away in the back of a transit.

Please stop doing that -- it has cost me a fortune in front doors , all because I won't let you be a Zone moderator.

 

[Jam_Man]

Bullying isn't an internet phenomenon. Wearing name tags at school wouldn't prevent bullying in the playground.

In fact, I would suggest anonymity would help enable people to speak up against it and not fear reprisals for going against the herd mentality. If people had no on-line identity because everything was actually anonymous, that would presumably cut down on-line bullying?

Taking away anonymity (which is in itself impossible) would reduce the amount of abuse. Many wouldnt do it if they couldnt hide behind their keyboard.

That said plenty still would, you just have to look at that bloke who slagged off Muamba who ended up in prison. He wasnt hiding behind an alias, he was just a moron.

 

[Pubey]

Surely anonymity means that while trolling is annoying/frustrating it doesn't get personal and affect the person in real life.

Online bullying seems to be when people know someone else on the internet (school etc) and can cause them a huge amount of grief.

 

[Jam_Man]

Surely anonymity means that while trolling is annoying/frustrating it doesn't get personal and affect the person in real life.

Online bullying seems to be when people know someone else on the internet (school etc) and can cause them a huge amount of grief.

That can still be done anonymously.

 

[Pubey]

That can still be done anonymously.

Really? If I don't know you, and you don't know me, then how can you really affect me IRL?

 

[* ORM *]

Really? If I don't know you, and you don't know me, then how can you really affect me IRL?

Between mature adults no problem. Between immature adults and adolescents it is a nightmare.