Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2013/01/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I fully agree with this definition and desciption of a typical behaviour. Its not new, although it seems to be a new phenomenon on the Internet. On the Internet they have an additional advantage, its nameless. It's like crooks and thieves, they will always come back. If you catch them red handed they can be agressive or become dangerous. Cedric Agie cedric.agie at gmail.com 2013/1/20 Lluis Ripoll <lluisripollquerol at gmail.com>: > +1 > > Excellent! > Lluis > > > > El 17/01/2013, a las 02:29, Bernard Quinn escribi?: > >> >> Ric, >> >> This is superb. Well said. Well written. Thanks for a really useful >> reminder. >> >> Barney >> >> Barney Quinn, WK3Z >> C: (301) 775-1386 >> H: (301) 654-0938 >> >> On Jan 16, 2013, at 8:19 PM, Ric Carter <ricc at embarqmail.com> wrote: >> >>> What is a Troll? >>> >>> An Internet ?troll? is a person who delights in sowing discord on the >>> Internet. He (and it is usually he) tries to start arguments and upset >>> people. >>> >>> Trolls see Internet communications services as convenient venues for >>> their bizarre game. For some reason, they don?t ?get? that they are >>> hurting real people. To them, other Internet users are not quite human >>> but are a kind of digital abstraction. As a result, they feel no sorrow >>> whatsoever for the pain they inflict. Indeed, the greater the suffering >>> they cause, the greater their ?achievement? (as they see it). >>> >>> Trolls are utterly impervious to criticism (constructive or otherwise). >>> You cannot negotiate with them; you cannot cause them to feel shame or >>> compassion; you cannot reason with them. They cannot be made to feel >>> remorse. For some reason, trolls do not feel they are bound by the rules >>> of courtesy or social responsibility. >>> >>> Why Do They Do It? >>> >>> Affirmation. >>> >>> Trolls crave attention, and they care not whether it is positive or >>> negative. They see the Internet as a mirror into which they can gaze in >>> narcissistic rapture. >>> >>> If you want a deeper analysis than that, perhaps a psychologist can shed >>> some additional light on the matter. >>> >>> Why Does it Matter? >>> >>> The sad fact is that trolls discourage people. Established posters may >>> leave a message board because of the arguments that trolls ignite, and >>> lurkers may decide that they do not want to expose themselves to abuse >>> and thus never get involved. >>> >>> Another problem is that the negative emotions stirred up by trolls leak >>> over into other discussions. Normally affable people can become bitter >>> after reading an angry interchange between a troll and his victims, and >>> this can poison previously friendly interactions between long-time users. >>> >>> Finally, trolls create a paranoid environment, such that a casual >>> criticism by a new arrival can elicit a ferocious and inappropriate >>> backlash. >>> >>> What Can be Done about Trolls? >>> >>> ??The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to >>> reminding others not to respond to trolls.?? >>> >>> When you try to reason with a troll, he wins. When you insult a troll, >>> he wins. When you scream at a troll, he wins. The only thing that trolls >>> can?t handle is being ignored. >>> >>> What Not to Do >>> >>> It is futile to try to ?cure? a troll of his obsession. But perhaps you >>> simply cannot bear the hostile environment that the troll is creating >>> and want to go away for a while. >>> >>> If you do that, then for the sake of the others on the system, do not >>> post a dramatic ?Goodbye!? message. This convinces the troll that he is >>> winning the battle. There is, perhaps, no message you can write that is >>> as damaging as an announcement that you are leaving because of the >>> hostility that the troll has kindled. >>> >>> If you feel you must say something, a discreet message to the system >>> operator (and some of the others users, if you have their email >>> addresses) is the best course of action. If you are writing the letter >>> in an agitated state, it is a good idea to wait an hour and then give it >>> one last review before you actually send it. That might spare you the >>> pain of saying things that you don?t really mean to people you like. >>> >>> The Webmaster?s Challenge >>> >>> The moderator of a message board may not be able to delete a troll?s >>> messages right away, but their job is made much harder if they also have >>> to read numerous replies to trolls. They are also forced to decide >>> whether or not to delete posts from well-meaning folks which have the >>> unintended effect of encouraging the troll. >>> >>> Perhaps the most difficult challenge for a webmaster is deciding whether >>> to take steps against a troll that a few people find entertaining. Some >>> trolls do have a creative spark and have chosen to squander it on being >>> disruptive. There is a certain perverse pleasure in watching some of >>> them. Ultimately, though, the webmaster has to decide if the troll >>> actually cares about putting on a good show for the regular >>> participants, or is simply playing to an audience of one ? himself. >>> >>> What about Free Speech? >>> >>> When trolls find that their efforts are being successfully resisted, >>> they often complain that their right to free speech is being infringed. >>> >>> While most people on the Internet are ardent defenders of free speech, >>> it is not an absolute right; there are practical limitations. For >>> example, you may not scream out ?Fire!? in a crowded theatre, and you >>> may not make jokes about bombs while waiting to board an airplane. We >>> accept these limitations because we recognize that they serve a greater >>> good. >>> >>> The ultimate response to the ?free speech? argument is this: while we >>> may have the right to say more or less whatever we want, we do not have >>> the right to say it wherever we want. You may feel strongly about the >>> fact that your neighbour has not mowed his lawn for two months, but you >>> do not have the right to berate him in his own living room. Similarly, >>> if a webmaster tells a troll that he is not welcome, the troll has no >>> ?right? to remain. This is particularly true on the numerous free >>> communications services offered on the net. (On pay systems, the troll >>> might be justified in asking for a refund.) >>> >>> >>> Conclusion >>> >>> Next time you are on a message board and you see a post by somebody whom >>> you think is a troll, and you feel you must reply, simply write a >>> follow-up message entitled ?Troll Alert? and type only this: >>> >>> The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to reminding >>> others not to respond to trolls. >>> >>> By posting such a message, you let the troll know that you know what he >>> is, and that you are not going to get dragged into his twisted little >>> hobby. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information