This is a serious thread, although it is labelled BS. I would be grateful if jokes and other silliness is kept out of it (I have nothing against either, but please not in this thread). Thanks in advance.

We have had threads about trolling before, so why start a new one? Well apart from being a general reminder against feeding the trolls, I hope this may be useful as a way of arguing rationally why we should not feed the trolls (since some now think it is OK), and also to help people recognize what a troll is. They are not always obvious, at least to some, and ideas to help people to spot a troll are encouraged.

I hope this thread will not be descended upon by trolls and flamers, but if it is, the clones have my blessing to use their Delete buttons.

So (I hear you say), why should you not feed the trolls?

A) Should you refrain from feeding the trolls because I say so, or because Joe Offer or someone else tells you to? No! You should refrain from feeding the trolls because it is a good idea not to feed the trolls. Because it is the solution to the problem. And it is always best to be part of the solution, rather than being part of the problem.

B) But isn't strong debate a good thing? Yes, I heartily agree! Strong debate is an excellent thing, and that is precisely why you should not feed the trolls (Clue: Strong debate has very very little to do with trolling. If in doubt, see below).

C) But so-and-so is a racist/called me a !%&*#!!/whatever. We shouldn't allow that sort of thing here at the Mudcat Café. I have to make a stand against him!! My answer is: The best way to do that is to not feed the troll. Consider that saying nothing is the strongest possible rebuke, much stronger than telling someone to fuck off, or whatever else you had in mind. Also consider the point I make below about taking your own spontaneous reaction into account. If you must reply to one of those messages then remember the saying: Revenge is a dish best served cold!

D) Max ought to create a filter/ban all guests etc. etc. Well Max can speak for himself, it is really up to him, but my reply would be twofold: Firstly, these suggestions have been made since the year 2000 at least, and probably even before that. It has been debated ad nauseam already. Experience shows that it simply ain't gonna happen. It is part of the philosophy (so to speak) of this place to be as open as possible. Also many of the suggestions made require much more effort from Max/Jeff/Joe Offer and his merry band of clones, than most people realise. They come here to have fun just like the rest of us, and they are not getting paid for what they do. Oh, and I almost forgot: My second point is this: The filters, blocking of guests etc. would not be necessary if we all just exercise a bit of self-control. It seems bleedin' obvious to me, that for us to do something very easy, namely to do nothing in certain cases, is a lot simpler than for the site's owner to put a complicated procedure into place.

E) It doesn't work! I refrained from feeding the trolls for ten hours/ten days/six months/whatever, and they are still here! My reply: Well, it really does work, but you mustn't expect instant gratification. We will always have the occasional troll stopping by, since they are all over the Internet these days. The more people feeding them, the bigger the problem is, since feeding the trolls encourages them, and attracts even more of them. Conversely, the fewer people feeding them, the less encouraged they will be. But it is not like flipping a switch and we will never see trolls again. Rather it is something that we should all be aware of all the time. Many years of experience shows that ignoring the trolls really does work – but if just one of us feeds a troll the effect is much lessened, and it can perhaps be hard to tell the difference.

If I haven't convinced you yet, then consider this: Try thinking about the problem the other way round: People on this forum have been feeding the trolls again and again, and that hasn't helped, has it? The trolls just keep coming. Why don't we at least give it a try: Don't feed the trolls and that goes for all of us.


So, what is a troll anyway (the intelligent reader asks)?

That question is not so easy to answer as one might think. There are no very obvious symptoms to look for. In a nutshell, a troll is someone who posts a message solely to get a reaction out of other people. In fact, one of the best ways to recognize a troll is to consider your own reaction: If you read a message that gets you all fired up and makes you want to react immediately, without pausing to reflect – then it is almost certain to be a troll who posted that message.

I suggest the following points. Please feel free to add to them:

1) If someone posts a controversial point of view, it could be a troll – but it could also be "legitimate". It takes more than this to make someone a troll, but it is a danger sign, which ought to make you stop and think.

2) If this point of view is posted not by a member, but by a named guest, or even an unnamed guest, it becomes increasingly likely that it is a troll. Sorry to all our sensible guests, both named and unnamed, but that's the way it is, in my view. Similarly, if a thread is started by such a guest, one should be even more suspicious.

3) If such a view is posted in a thread that was otherwise about something else, it increases the probability that it is posted by a troll.

4) If it doesn't get an immediate response, it will often keep the discussion going all by itself, perhaps by using different identities. This is another good clue.

5) Most importantly, try to develop a gut feeling as to whether someone might be trolling or not. Consider what you think the poster's motive might be for posting the inflammatory/provocative message. Like I stated above, a troll is really known by its intention - which is why they can sometimes be difficult to recognize for clueless newbies and other wellmeaning people – and try to take your own instinctive reaction into account.