Trolls, Sockpuppets and other lowlifes

About This Message Board
1

I have noticed the latest wave of undesirables and the efforts of the mods and admins to get rid of them. I find them as annoying as anybody else but try not to post to those threads so as not to encourage them. I figure If we all ignored them they’d get bored and go away.

Anyway, this got me thinking of some ways to prevent these undesirables from popping up all the time.

How about having a clause in the terms of use specifying liquidated damages for infringing the rules? Something like “By using this board you agree to these terms. Users who have been banned from this board represent a serious problem for this board as they are a nuisance to other posters and to the moderators and administrators. Since the damage they inflict is difficult to quantify monetarily this rule specifies the liquidated damages. If you are banned from posting and post or try to post again under another username you agree to indemnify the Chicago Reader in the amount of $750 per post plus reasonable attorneys fees plus court costs plus collection expenses.”

I realize this might not discourage everyone but it should discourage some. I also realize not everyone who infringed would be sued but just one or two publicized cases would surely make a few people think twice.

another thing: (I do not know if this is done now)
When a new user registers, send him the password to the email he has provided in order to verify it. If it is a free email (like hotmail) maybe further investigation would be required. Maybe provide a phone number etc.

I think a few filters would not discourage the honest and may discourage a few of the dishonest.

2

While I think you have the right idea, a measure such as this would have prevented me from registering with the board. Protection is needed both ways.

If the SDMB would like to make some additional Moderators to help control Trolls in GQ (like myself? :slight_smile: ) it might help stem the tide somewhat. But I fear it will be a recurring problem that we have to deal with. And in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that terribly disruptive (unless someone threatens to “sue the board” again.)

3

I don’t know how enforceable that liquidated damages clause would be in the TOS, and personally I doubt I’d agree to join a message board that could sanction me in any way greater than banning me.
As for passwords via e-mail, and possibly a waiting period, that sounds like it might work, though it might discourage some new members. I read posts on the boards for several weeks before I joined, but many people would want to post instantly.
As for more mods, while I wouldn’t presume to say that more are needed, I think Anthracite would make a great moderator.

4

I agree. I also think that sdimbert would make an excellent Moderator.

Or King. Yeah, let’s make him King.

5

In theory, most new people join this board either to Comment on one of Cecil’s Columns (or a Mailbag response) or to add their .02 to the latest Spotted Thread. Ergo, delaying passwords would result in far less new members (after all, the impetus to post regarding a column or a thread is not something that likely waits a week; note the rapid turnover in threads).

As for monetary fine- ha. I repeat, ha. That means you would have to find the person to fine. Good luck tracing through the ISP to find the correct person who goes by a certain screen-name with this gotten-from-a-freemail-account. I could troll this board for a year and the mods could never pin down that it was specifically John M. Corrado Jr. doing it. They could know which ISP I used and shut down my new names within hours of each creation, but they’d never know who in specific to levy the fine upon.

Add to this the general jitters the regular posting populace would get- “You mean each time I screw up, I’m out $750? Aiieee!”- and it’s just a disaster all around.
(Oh, and if we’re proposing ourselves as new moderators, let me kindly suggest myself. I’ve got nearly a year of experience with this board, I’ve been an active participant in nearly every forum, I’ve been a self-appointed Moderator for Pyroto, and I’ve taken my troll suspicions directly to the mods as requested by Alpha. I can suck up with the best of them, promise chocolates to all fellow mods should they send me addresses, and will suffer silently through the standard initial ‘hazing’ process where I must post smilies to ChiefScott, praise the Dallas Cowboys to Falcon, and allow myself to be flamed by Satan.

Resume available upon request.

6

Uh…no. You aren’t talking about liquidated damages here–such damages have to be reasonably related to actual monetary damages. I don’t know how much banning a poster actually costs, but I’d guess a quarter would cover it.

What the OP is talking about is a fine for being a pain in the ass. Nice idea in theory, but it wouldn’t work–neither the SDMB or the Chicago Readercan levy fines. It would be completely unenforceable.

By the way…she can correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Anthracite was humorously calling herself a GQ troll rather than proposing herself for moderator. There are people around here who might seriously do such a thing, but I don’t think she’s one of them.

7

Speaking STRICTLY unofficially…I like the idea of fining idjits, especially if I get a cut. However, there’s a lot of people who just don’t read that registration agreement, they just click the little “I Agree” button and start posting. I don’t know how to make them read it, either. I really don’t think that a fine for being a pain in the anatomy would be enforceable.

Incidentally, if anyone happens to want to review the agreement, log off the message board, and hit the “Register” button. It’ll bring up the agreement.

If you want to be a moderator, send an email to TubaDiva. List any pertinent skills or accomplishments you might have (Nobel prizes, areas of expertise, stint as a daycare worker, etc.). A bottle of single malt Scotch and/or good chocolate won’t hurt your chances, either.

Lynn

8

To answer a couple of points in the OP:

Re: mentioning a fine for bad behaviour in the registration agreement - if I were a troll, I would probably laugh at that sentence and say “make me!” As John Corrado mentioned, that is obviously unenforceable.

Re: sending the password to the e-mail adress used for registration; I think that’s done now, but an administrator can tell us for sure.

9

Oh, wow, I screwed that up - I didn’t intend the double meaning. No, I was suggesting that I could be an assistant moderator of GQ, since I seem to spend so much time over there (mostly reading).

10

My opinion (again) on trolls. I believe that anyone who posts to an obvious troll thread:
(ie, "My dik is so huuuuuge!)
This person is a total troll. You are a waste of electrons. You are…blah, blah, blah

…Should have their posting privledges revoked for a period of time. The less people encourage trolls, the less of a problem they are. However, some “troll hunters” are absolutely compelled to answer their idiotic threads, thus egging them on and encouraging them to create sock-puppets. That is EXACTLY what the trolls want, and they get it whenever they want. (For example, the recent rash of Uncle Beer bashing threads in the pit) Why did anyone even bother encouraging those idiots?

I personally don’t think that it is the board policy of DNFTT is expressed enough from the people it matters from, the mods. Maybe if there was an incentive to stop posting to their threads the cycle would stop. Obviously you can’t count on most posters to have enough common sense to just not encourage them.

Zette

11

Zette said:

Oh good…temporarily ban people for failing to shun the right threads. Maybe when they come back they could have a scarlet “TF” (“troll feeder”) tattooed on their posts.

(The above statement was 100% sarcastic, in case anyone didn’t notice.)

So, under your plan, would Uncle Beer be suspended for responding to them? And what do you suppose the significance was that neither Uncle nor anyone else locked the threads?

Yes, by jove! If they aren’t bright enough to do what we know is best, then we should make examples of them!

(The above statement was 100% sarcastic, in case anyone didn’t notice.)

12

The Internet is the most anonymous method of communication since the dropbox, as John Corrado pointed out. Anonymity brings freedom. Anonymity is the only freedom, really. You can only be perfectly free if you are perfectly anonymous. I, and most people here, revel in this freedom. I can be myself here, instead of what my society expects me to be. Some can’t handle it. Some abuse it. Those people must be banned. But for our collective good, banning is the worst we can do. I wouldn’t want to post on a board where the administration knew enough about me to do worse.

13

Um… possibly because it turned out that they weren’t trolls, they were just people who didn’t understand the board and it’s set-up very well? Re-read some of those threads and you’ll notice that none of the posters other than the original CD Milk ended up banned; the other arrivals who showed up to defend CD Milk eventually realized that the whole thing had gotten way out of proportion and all was settled with a cyber-handshake.

14

Not having seen the threads in question, I can’t be sure, but I also imagine that the fact that it was Uncle Beer (a moderator) made it different than if a regular member were being flamed. The Pit is the designated place on this board for complaints about the administration, and we can’t stop people from using it as such. I know that this is not a democracy, but it’s still a very good thing that we’re free to criticise those in power.

15

John, do you not see the point here? If people had ignored CDMilk to BEGIN WITH, none of it would have happened at all. Instead we had a bunch of versions of the same troll, other people coming over to defend him, etc. That is exactly my point. Someone with 1 post count comes along and posts something rude about a mod? Come on! Give 'em a chance? Why?

Obviously we’re talking about two different things here. I’m not talking about someone “getting off on the wrong foot” or posting to the wrong part of the board. I’m talking about posts like:
“Fat chix suk bad dik” and the like.

It’s then followed by a flurry of nonsense posts about “get out of here!” “I’m not fat!”, etc.

I’m just saying people don’t have enough freaking common sense to leave these threads alone. I don’t get it AT ALL.

A long time ago I remember some troll passing through MPSIMS and people posting blank posts to his threads. Euty asked that it be stopped and it immediately was. He asked for people to ignore the threads and people did.

I truely believe that the SDMB administration could do a few VERY simple steps to cut down on the number of nonsense threads posted by trolls. I’ve suggested all of this before, but to no avail.

When your password e-mail is sent (if those are still sent- they were when I signed up) make it VERY clear that the SDMB does not encourage trolls. Explain the term (many people don’t know what it means) and state that it is board policy to NOT post to these threads.

AGAIN, read the beginning of this post to see who I’m talking about. I don’t mean people who make mistakes. If you can’t tell the difference, there’s something very wrong.

When these threads come up- a mod (when they see it) should post a standard reminder of the policy of not feeding the trolls. If someone posts to the thread after that, they should get a reminder (possibly via e-mail)

Occasionally (maybe once a week) the mod of a forum having trouble could just post a reminder thread not to post to troll threads.

This stuff would not have to go on forever- eventually people will get the point. Newbies will be advised by others that the board policy is to ignore these threads rather then feeding them.

This is just my opinion. I already ignore these threads, but I can’t get over the people who complain about trolls ruining the board, then post to their threads. Wake up!

Zette
(By the way, I would HAPPILY) volunteer to post reminders on troll threads and post a weekly reminder to the forums. I’m not suggesting more work for the mods. They do a great job now)