Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Help and Training => Topic started by: Dichotomy on July 18, 2008, 05:11:03 PM
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For those of you that are new to internet message boards allow me to assist you as you wander into an uncertain future. For those of you who are veterans of message boards sometimes it helps to 'read the checklist' as it were.
I'm not a fan of internet drama. Frankly I think it's stupid and counterproductive. Trolls (and yes even a safe haven like Aces High has it's share) lurk just waiting on the chance to jump out and ruin your fun. So, by following a few simple things you too can avoid getting dragged into a flame war.
The following article is not original but it is good advice that I have heeded for quite some time with great success.
By Raksha, published Jan 04, 2006
Published Content: 22 Total Views: 76,861 Favorited By: 3 CPs
You've seen it before. Perhaps you've jumped on the bandwagon. An innocent, intelligent online conversation is hijacked, waylaid, or just plain interrupted by some evil little interloper's rude, inflammatory remarks, and everybody involved turns on each other like a pack of raving cannibals. Long-forged web friendships are destroyed, bridges are burned, names are called, and sites are abandoned, all for the entertainment of some sniveling little weasel crowing in delight over the destruction he or she has wrought.
Such is the nature of the infamous Internet flame war. Arguments are inevitable within a virtually boundless community of differing people with differing opinions, but flame wars go above and beyond rationality and are typically started intentionally by a single entity who sets out to start the war. While you may not be able to head off a flame war before it gets out of control, you can at least protect your own online reputation and save a few buddies by not stooping to the same level as the troll who has invaded your Internet haven. Here are a few tips for identifying and avoiding trolls and for keeping your cool if you wind up the unlucky target.
1. Identify the Enemy
Trolls behave in sadly similar fashions. They are those who pop up randomly in the midst of normal online conversation simply to drop inflammatory, disruptive, often off-topic messages meant to draw other community members into a violent verbal confrontation. The more attention and anger they draw from others, the nastier they get. Trolls are distinguishable from those who simply have a strong opinion due to their tendency to resort to name-calling, profanity, and childish arguments in order to continue spurring on the negative onslaught from other members.
2. Don't Feed the Trolls
The easiest, most practical, most effective method of dealing with Internet trolls is also the one very few people seem able to apply. Trolls attack online communities for attention and the amusement of watching the community fall apart over pointless flame wars. Trolls who are systematically ignored will post a few comments here and there, but when they receive no response, they will move on and leave your happy little community alone. Simply acknowledging a troll's presence - i.e., "Looks like we've got a troll" - is enough to encourage him or her. Therefore, no matter how badly that comment rubs you the wrong way, no matter how badly your fingertips itch to rattle out a vicious response, the best response is to simply move on to the next message and ignore the troll entirely. Chances are someone else will bait the troll and the flaming will commence nonetheless, but you do not need to get involved.
3. I Repeat ... You Do Not Need to Get Involved
Once the flaming nonsense has begun, sides will be drawn almost instantaneously. Your Internet friends will sling mud back and forth. Tempers will boil over. Very, very nasty things will be said. You'll be sorely tempted to defend this person or denounce that person. You'll feel it's absolutely essential that your viewpoint is expressed in its entirety, preferably along with a lot of swear words to emphasize your points. In all truth, your involvement will not be helpful in ending the ugliness. In fact, the more people who feel it's essential to get their two cents in, the longer and uglier the discourse will become. Your best bet in protecting your online reputation and integrity is to just stay out of the whole mess. This way, even if it all ends in hurt feelings and lost friendships, no one can point at you for stirring up the trouble. And if everybody just sat back and ignored the nonsense, there'd be no nonsense to speak of.
4. Diffuse When Possible
No matter how good your intentions may be, you might eventually become the target of a troll simply because he or she happened upon your post and was bored at the moment. If you recognize potential trollish behavior in respondents to your comments, do your community a favor and do not bait him or her. Anger or retaliatory, sarcastic comments toward a troll will only make things worse. Don't attempt to explain your position or give your troll a reality check. If you can't take the comments in stride and simply ignore them - if you feel a response is absolutely, pertinently necessary, in other words - keep it light and humorous. Something neutral and anti-inflammatory such as "That's an interesting way to look at it" won't be any fun for a troll. But if you let the slightest bit of sarcasm or defensiveness into your message, you're troll bait.
5. Take a Vacation
If things get too ugly, and you've been drawn into the flame war against your better judgment, an infallible method of extracting yourself from the antagonism is to simply refrain from visiting the scene of the crime for a while. Flame wars generally hit their peak and trail away within a matter of days. If you're really bothered by the negativity in your online community, take a few days off. Don't check for new posts. Don't make any new posts. Just stay away for a little while. You can read up later, once it's all said and done, to see who said what. Trolls can't draw you into an ugly confrontation if you're not there.
The bottom line: Trolls are unhappy people. They strive to make other people into unhappy people. If your online community is a generally happy one, don't take part in bringing trash into the house.
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Nice read... Should go on netaces... Maybe the arena message of the day :D
I have to admit though, the big ol' flame threads sure make passing time on climbout easier :)
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#2 is of limited praticality here. People do not just "go away" if they are a fellow addict to the game. They do "go away" if you shove them hard enough to stick their foot in their mouth and get themselves "Skuzzified".
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A fair point as always Murdr :aok
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but yet dichtomy we all see you on the cheaters thread in general discussion baiting ROX with banshee. so maybe take your own advice???
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Nevermind... Forgot what section of the forums I'm in...
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Let's be fair now, all the rest of us are baiting Rox. Dichotomy and Banshee are merely playing this role:
(http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00392/SNN22GX3AA_384_392813a.jpg)
true true
Vudak but
a person shouldn't come in here making threads about trolling and flamebaiting and be throwing gasoline on a fire in another thread at the same time when we all know he is no Mother Tereasa....... :rock
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Wow. :)
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but yet dichtomy we all see you on the cheaters thread in general discussion baiting ROX with banshee. so maybe take your own advice???
Well Sweet it was never my intention to 'throw gas on the fire' but, reading the thread again, I can see how it could be taken that way. I have privately communicated with certain of the parties in question regarding my intent and apologizing if my posts were taken out of context and I thank you for bringing it to my attention. I shall endeavor in the future to be substantially more clear in my communication. Again, thank you sir, your input has been very helpful and illustrates my point. Online verbiage can be misinterpreted when it is meant to be humorous with the intent to diffuse the situation and not harmful, threatening, or off putting, to any individual.
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Where's AKAK when we need him.
Isn't he on sweet2th patrol?
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Where's AKAK when we need him.
Isn't he on sweet2th patrol?
no his weak comments match his weak tactics, and he has refrained from trying to use them anymore, you should take this under example and follow him.
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Well Sweet it was never my intention to 'throw gas on the fire' but, reading the thread again, I can see how it could be taken that way. I have privately communicated with certain of the parties in question regarding my intent and apologizing if my posts were taken out of context and I thank you for bringing it to my attention. I shall endeavor in the future to be substantially more clear in my communication. Again, thank you sir, your input has been very helpful and illustrates my point. Online verbiage can be misinterpreted when it is meant to be humorous with the intent to diffuse the situation and not harmful, threatening, or off putting, to any individual.
wow
you can cut and paste
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no his weak comments match his weak tactics, and he has refrained from trying to use them anymore, you should take this under example and follow him.
WOW !! It's nice to see such a class act back on the boards. :huh
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WOW !! It's nice to see such a class act back on the boards. :huh
It won't be long.
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Where's AKAK when we need him.
Isn't he on sweet2th patrol?
and this everyone is a classic case of flamebaiting. I responded the way i did because everytime what of these posts up above is a classic flame bait, and i knew with just one or two sentences these are the responses i would get from such CLASS ACTS around here.
You see dichtomy, you Kaint have a thread on flamebaiting without a proper example to demonstrate for everyone.
That is all Goodbye
:D
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1. Identify the Enemy
Trolls behave in sadly similar fashions. They are those who pop up randomly in the midst of normal online conversation simply to drop inflammatory, disruptive, often off-topic messages meant to draw other community members into a violent verbal confrontation. The more attention and anger they draw from others, the nastier they get. Trolls are distinguishable from those who simply have a strong opinion due to their tendency to resort to name-calling, profanity, and childish arguments in order to continue spurring on the negative onslaught from other members.
wish we would've known that before Cmustard came to the BBS
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#2 is of limited praticality here. People do not just "go away" if they are a fellow addict to the game. They do "go away" if you shove them hard enough to stick their foot in their mouth and get themselves "Skuzzified".
Not that they wont just return in da shade. Shining example can be found somewhere in this thread.
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Not that they wont just return in da shade. Shining example can be found somewhere in this thread.
:huh That's just too cryptic. I can't figure out who you're talking about ;)
:noid :rofl
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sssNIFF, SNIFFF, Was there a troll just through here?
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Don't sniff too hard, the fire will go up your nose!
(http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff107/tymekeepyr/flamebait.jpg)
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how long did it take you to type that :cool:
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:confused:
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but yet dichtomy we all see you on the cheaters thread in general discussion baiting ROX with banshee. so maybe take your own advice???
Look! An example wanted to show how it works! Crap, I broke a rule.