Mean Girls (and Boys) in the Online Community

http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm

I suppose that like all communities, online communities will have their fair share of the mentally unbalanced, the misguided, and the intentionally cruel. Lately, a board that I frequent has had its share of hard times courtesy of an individual whose messages are abrasive to most. This person's posts have elicited all kinds of responses from derisive to suspicious to sarcastic to outright hostile. None of these responses have altered this person's style or content. Indeed, the board has, at times, become a virtual battlefield with sniping back and forth going on for hours, all catalyzed by this one person's posts.

It's been hard to watch. Here's what I've learned: When in the presence of an offensive post, ignore it and, if possible, report it to the board administrators/monitors. All the clever, witty, pithy or hostile retorts in the world have not and will not improve the tone of a message board in turmoil. Only by following the *ignore and report* rule can board members reclaim their community.

If one is not bothered by the irritating posts, one can, of course, go about the business of posting friendly, helpful, funny, supportive messages. Board members can create what they want, but not by engaging in hostilities. If board members don't fan the flames, then a large percentage of the agitation just won't even get started. Many folks have been hurt by "responses to responses." And that needn't have happened at all if board members were practicing the *ignore and report* concept.

This applies to trolls or to folks just having a bad day. Whether someone is cranky (but usually a good friend) or disturbed or a chronic irritant, please consider this --

If everyone would rely upon the advice given at the above linked website whenever they think they've encountered someone to whom it pertains, rather than posting frantically on threads, this would help. It's kind of like child abuse reporting (okay, I'm in that field, so forgive the bizarre analogy) -- one doesn't have to know for sure about abuse, one only needs a reasonable suspicion, in order to be justified in reporting. So, if there's a reasonable suspicion that a poster is a troll (or is posting offensive messages), do what is suggested. Ignore, and use the "report this post," button if one is provided on the message board. And, if the poster puts up stuff that is legit, friendly, balanced, not offensive, then go ahead and reinforce that by posting in an appropriate tone. This is the ONLY way to handle trolls and other offensive posters.

Summary: **Ignore and report, people. Ignore and report** (Spoken in the style of the Madagascar penguins).