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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by elbee on October 12, 2003, at 22:26:15
I'm not a big poster & have been away for a few weeks...but I read this board & have for a long time.
I just wanted to express my support for those who have been hurt by ?gal/k...I was around during the crazyness that was created by this poster. I want to voice my support to those who have been affected by her because from reading their posts over the years they are good, supportive, caring folks. I'm sorry to see them hurt. Gal's recent posts (in light of past behavior) speak for themselves. :(
I just really feel for those people who were and are affected. I know (as a lurker) I was also affected and alarmed by the suicide threats/seeming suicides and things. It was very disturbing.
Posted by Tabitha on October 12, 2003, at 23:27:56
In reply to Support re: deception, posted by elbee on October 12, 2003, at 22:26:15
Thank you for speaking up. I felt very helpless watching this unfold. Information is power, so as a result of this situation I did a little research on the phenomenon of internet trolling. Here's a summary of what I learned:
Trolling is a practice of creating disruption on internet boards for the purpose of fun or attention-seeking. The person doing the trolling may or may not be conscious of what they're doing. The result of trolling is divisiveness, members leaving in anger, members accusing each other of bullying, lurkers becoming afraid to join the board, conflict erupting in other threads not directly related to the trolling, and the focus of the board getting diverted away from its actual purpose onto the trolling. Sound familiar?
I think this site is uniquely vulnerable to trolling because of the rule against accusations. This works against us in two ways-- for one thing we can't adequately warn each other when we think trolling is happening. For another, it's obvious that anyone who can manage to stir up anger without directly insulting anyone or using curse words is going to set up a predictable chain of events. People will direct angry posts to them, get blocked, then others will get angry about the blocks, then eventually the blocked posters will come back as angrier posters, etc etc etc.
I'd like to say more about specific trolling techniques but I don't want to give anyone ideas. It's easily available information, if anyone wants to educate themselves. Personally I feel a little less vulnerable knowing the techniques, and being able to have a label for the activity.
The most common piece of advice about dealing with trolling is to ignore it, except to warn others that it might be happening. However I think the 'warning others' part would be considered uncivil here.
Posted by Dr. Bob on October 13, 2003, at 9:05:19
In reply to Re: about internet trolling, posted by Tabitha on October 12, 2003, at 23:27:56
> The most common piece of advice about dealing with trolling is to ignore it, except to warn others that it might be happening. However I think the 'warning others' part would be considered uncivil here.
Didn't I post something recently about how warnings could be civil? I just can't seem to find it right now...
Bob
Posted by elbee on October 13, 2003, at 11:14:50
In reply to Re: warning others, posted by Dr. Bob on October 13, 2003, at 9:05:19
Here it is.
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20030808/msgs/259435.html
Posted by KellyD on October 13, 2003, at 11:23:57
In reply to Re: about internet trolling, posted by Tabitha on October 12, 2003, at 23:27:56
I appreciate your posting and the good information. Thanks. Sometimes, I would like to ask: "Okay, for the hundredth time, will you play nice THIS time?". Did you find, in your research, this behavior is changable or a set way to "have fun" at the expense of others?
Posted by Dr. Bob on October 13, 2003, at 15:31:15
In reply to Re: warning others, posted by elbee on October 13, 2003, at 11:14:50
> Here it is...
Actually, I was thinking of item 4 in:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20031008/msgs/266942.html
Bob
Posted by elbee on October 13, 2003, at 16:40:22
In reply to Re: about internet trolling, posted by Tabitha on October 12, 2003, at 23:27:56
Thanks for the info. It's good to know.
This is the end of the thread.
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