What about Trolls?

[jcassio]

What about Trolls?

I'm posting this on Kings Rap because this is the most likely place where Trolls do their business (or will do their business) on Kingsfans.com.

I just read the Forum Rules and was surprised to find no mention whatsoever of "Trolls." Just a few years ago, I was naive enough to think that Trolls (anywhere) were mostly a product of overactive imaginations. But either the world has changed, or I've become more cynical, or both.

What oppened my eyes was learning that a former employee had been earning a decent living as a Troll - a person who sows discord in online communities by posting inflammatory messages (or in more subtle ways, serving an agenda that is intended to generate malice or discontent).

Do I think we have real Trolls on Kingsfans.com? I don't know with certainty. But if we don't, I believe we will have soon enough. I also believe it's possible that we have already seen several.

How to identify a Troll on Kingsfans.com? I'll leave this to the moderators. But I suggest that reviewing the suspected Troll's entire body of (available) work is one method. Unfortunately, Trolls often move from one account to another to a) avoid Troll detection or b) use multiple accounts to generate fake conversations.

It probably goes without saying that as the presence of Trolls increases in our online communities, we have to be evermore diligent to not label people as "Trolls" simply because we disagree with them, or because they lack social graces. That would be playing into the hands of the Trolls themselves and their agenda to sow discord.

 

[Telemachus]

There have been plenty of trolls on this forum. They always seem to work themselves out though. Usually, they either break forum rules often enough to get booted or end up "ignored" by so many that they disappear.

 

[kingsfan1984]

What about Trolls?

I'm posting this on Kings Rap because this is the most likely place where Trolls do their business (or will do their business) on Kingsfans.com.

I just read the Forum Rules and was surprised to find no mention whatsoever of "Trolls." Just a few years ago, I was naive enough to think that Trolls (anywhere) were mostly a product of overactive imaginations. But either the world has changed, or I've become more cynical, or both.

What oppened my eyes was learning that a former employee had been earning a decent living as a Troll - a person who sows discord in online communities by posting inflammatory messages (or in more subtle ways, serving an agenda that is intended to generate malice or discontent).

Do I think we have real Trolls on Kingsfans.com? I don't know with certainty. But if we don't, I believe we will have soon enough. I also believe it's possible that we have already seen several.

How to identify a Troll on Kingsfans.com? I'll leave this to the moderators. But I suggest that reviewing the suspected Troll's entire body of (available) work is one method. Unfortunately, Trolls often move from one account to another to a) avoid Troll detection or b) use multiple accounts to generate fake conversations.

It probably goes without saying that as the presence of Trolls increases in our online communities, we have to be evermore diligent to not label people as "Trolls" simply because we disagree with them, or because they lack social graces. That would be playing into the hands of the Trolls themselves and their agenda to sow discord.

Interesting. I had no idea there was a monetary insentive to trolling. How are they making money? Who is paying them?

 

[jcassio]

Interesting. I had no idea there was a monetary insentive to trolling. How are they making money? Who is paying them?

I think those who are making money at it are hired by 3rd or 4th parties who are being paid (indirectly) by a group or entity that wants to advance their product at the expense of someone else’s product (or political agenda). They may be hired to write blog posts, or post on social networks, or post product reviews, etc.

If it’s managed effectively, I suspect that most Trolls don’t even realize they are being used as Trolls because they don’t see the whole picture. Or maybe that’s naive of me to think that!

 

[JCTNKINGFAN]

I think those who are making money at it are hired by 3rd or 4th parties who are being paid (indirectly) by a group or entity that wants to advance their product at the expense of someone else’s product (or political agenda). They may be hired to write blog posts, or post on social networks, or post product reviews, etc.

If it’s managed effectively, I suspect that most Trolls don’t even realize they are being used as Trolls because they don’t see the whole picture. Or maybe that’s naive of me to think that!

I believe you are correct about being hired by a 3rd party with an agenda, particularly in anything to do with politics. The hatred and venom that is spewed in the comments section of any remotely political Internet article is sickening. I keep hoping that the majority of my countrymen have not sunk to the depths that I see expressed there, but I do find it deeply troubling.

 

[kingsfan1984]

I believe you are correct about being hired by a 3rd party with an agenda, particularly in anything to do with politics. The hatred and venom that is spewed in the comments section of any remotely political Internet article is sickening. I keep hoping that the majority of my countrymen have not sunk to the depths that I see expressed there, but I do find it deeply troubling.

All troll money traced back to Russia in their great plan to seed civil unrest?

 

[Kingsfan23]

The team itself is sowing discord IMO. It’s arguably the worst team in the league, and aside from Fox/Bogdan/Frank positives have been hard to come by. In that environment the discourse will naturally be more negative than on a playoff team.

I know I personally might come off as more of a “negative poster”, but the things I complain about like Hill/WCS/Joerger’s minutes for youth on a rebuilding team chiefly, I think would be understood by a lot of objective third parties (if not most). So who is dealing from a point of objectivity can be debated when considering the positivity v negativity conundrum, and that gets into asking people not to express their true thoughts

If mbxsystem is following forum guidelines I personally don’t mind his sentiments though I don’t agree with all. I personally don’t mind Joerger riding Fox/Mason to get the best out of them, but I understand the disdain of watching two prized rookies like Fox/Mason backing up an underachieving vet. I might personally doubt if a separate thread is needed, but if he’s respecting others who is to say what he should post?

 

[VF21]

We mods have the situation under control. None of us are new to this stuff. Just know that not everyone who signs up for a KF account is automatically approved. There are tools available to moderators for use in these situations. As far as the forum rules go, rule #1 is specific enough.

As far as individual posters are concerned, if we scratch someone it is because we have good reason to do so.