I don't think Sopsych is a troll. He argues points that may be seen as provocative, but he seemingly does so from the point of view that doing so is reasonable. And so I assume that it is possible to influence his opinions by using reasonable arguments.
In other words, I don't think his opinion is one he speaks simply to irritate and cause aggravation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neapolitan
So you think it is ok for Sopych to talk about MB members they should be trained like animals?
|
He never wrote that we should be trained like animals and so you're misinterpreting his post. I think your attitude in general shows a willingness to be offended. I believe you want to interpret his post in the worst way possible, consciously or perhaps unconsciously, because that gives you a right to act defensively, which again excuses rudeness and rash behaviour. And calling Sopsych a troll is a simple way of attacking his credibility.
In this country, both these methods would be considered a "hersketeknikk", literally translated to ruling technique, which are things you say and do manipulatively in a social situation simply in order to get the upper hand. I see the hersketeknikk, but I don't see the compelling, reasonable argument explaining why Sopsych is a troll.
edit :
Quote:
Originally Posted by Janszoon
I was asking you (and also anyone else who wants to respond of course). I'm saying the question wasn't about a specific troll, just about how we should respond to trolling in general.
|
Delete trolly posts and explain why they were deleted in a PM. Possibly a post in the thread announcing that posts have been deleted and why can be a good idea.
I know how hard this is
The "best" trolls learn to troll so subtly that it is hard to say, without a doubt, that they are trolling. (This could apply to Sopsych, but I personally don't think so.) In those cases, moderators often end up doing nothing, I believe, which is understandable because usually, no clear rule has been broken and moderating based on cases which walk just on the right side of a fine line will cause complaints from members of the community.
However, I think it is important that moderators recognize this sort of near-trolling and act on that too, if only by sending a PM to the ones doing it and asking them to change their behaviour.
A culture of trolling or near trolling perpetuates more of the same. By changing such a culture, you'd make the job easier for yourself in the future.
edit 2 :
Members should report more and so some increased focus on that forum function would be good. In the past, members have been asked to not report spam, which in turn may have discouraged reporting altogether, but reporting is an excellent way for moderators to get to know not only where the line is being crossed, but also what community members find offensive.