Interesting Read for the Moderators

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Trolls vs Internet bullies

I actually find that there are two classes of people who cause maximum trouble on forums. One is of course, the traditional "troll" who wreaks havoc by anti-social behaviour and by deliberately riling up forum members to get kicks out of it, causing havoc and bad blood in the process.

I think as admins, we need to realize that there is another group which I would term as "online bullies" or "internet bullies" who can become equally destructive in undermining communities.

These gentlemen/ladies differ from trolls in the sense that they are not anti-social, but they are an accepted and sometimes well-respected members who assume a sort of informal and unofficial leadership role. They use this position to intimidate and assert their views on newer and less established members and often push their weight around to mark territorial rights. They will generally try and behave properly, but subtly try and behave like moderators and preach about forum behaviour. They will also turn and insult people as they wish and surprisingly other forum members will turn a blind eye to them. They will usually "adopt" ownership of a single forum or a subforum of a board and hang out there frequently with their clan. (this feature is usually more common in larger forums)

These people are often the starting point of cliques because they can gather a group of yes-people around them in no time.

Beware of these people and watch out for them because they can be a lot more trouble in the long run than isolated trolls running loose.

Sometimes you just need an excellent troll to combat an established forum bully

Similarities between trolls and bullies:

1. Both trolls and bullies can cause enormous damage to a forum by their behaviour.

2. Both trolls and bullies usually have excellent communication skills using which they attack their opponents unmercifully.

3. Both trolls and bullies can be intimidating to any normal forum user.

4. Both trolls and bullies have the effect of creating bad blood.

5. Both trolls and bullies are hard to control without intervention right from the top - the forum administrator(s) or owner(s) because even moderators might find it hard to control them without support from others.

Differences

1. Trolls are usually isolated. They are generally short-lived in a forum. A person who signs up on a forum specifically to troll doesn't hang around in other parts of the forum and leaves as soon as the damage is done.

Bullies are more or less regular forum members who might have a huge post count and a following.

2. Trolls usually hit and run. A successful troll needs only a couple of posts in a single thread to turn it into a raging tornado.

Bullies stay on and intimidate other members by throwing their weight around and using their group of yes-people to lend force to their powerful attacks.

3. Trolls are usually identified for what they are.

Bullies rarely get identified for what they are, because they are regular members and nobody can suggest that they are ordinary trolls because they have a huge post count.

4. Trolls hardly respond to challenges. Instead they enjoy watching others fight.

Bullies enjoy fighting and run around bashing everybody who dares oppose them.

5. The potential damage done by trolls is limited to a particular topic of discussion or at most a forum.

The potential damage done by bullies is forum-wide and not related to topics, but to the personality of the bully and the kind of respect and influence he wields.

http://www.theadminzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26193

[SteveLaura 0]

Interesting...

We've certainly had a few of them bullies in the past. And now? Well...

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Interesting...

We've certainly had a few of them bullies in the past. And now? Well...

They breed like rabbits.

[Mags 112]

HIMEOBS are especially clever with their trolling. Just look 'em up.

[Fandango 1,439]

Oh this thread is not gonna end well

[Mags 112]

Oh this thread is not gonna end well

D'ya think?

[Fandango 1,439]

Oh this thread is not gonna end well

D'ya think?

I wonder what the intentions were for posting this particular thread? Cos Stevie Wonder can see the potential for a sh!t fling on this one.

[♥JP♥ 5]

Oh this thread is not gonna end well

D'ya think?

Move it to the MENA forum and see what happens

Edited November 6, 2007 by ♥JP♥

[Bassi and Zainab 1]

OH MY GOD!!! I am on the internet a lot and all around on various forums related to whatever might be going on in my life. I've had lots of experience with trolls and really have learned to just ignore them. The bullies!!!! I haven't experienced that until I came to VJ and there are several boards that I simply avoid like the plague because of the atmosphere they create there. I've stated how I feel about it and now I've moved on. I'm watching how I feel in other boards here and we'll see if I stick around after my journey is over or not. It COULD be a cool place to hang out and lend support because it's an incredibly emotional and life changing journey.....but I deal with enough ####### irl, no way I'm coming on VJ for added grief. I'm happy about this post, because now I don't feel like everyone is in the clique and doesn't see what I see.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

OH MY GOD!!! I am on the internet a lot and all around on various forums related to whatever might be going on in my life. I've had lots of experience with trolls and really have learned to just ignore them. The bullies!!!! I haven't experienced that until I came to VJ and there are several boards that I simply avoid like the plague because of the atmosphere they create there. I've stated how I feel about it and now I've moved on. I'm watching how I feel in other boards here and we'll see if I stick around after my journey is over or not. It COULD be a cool place to hang out and lend support because it's an incredibly emotional and life changing journey.....but I deal with enough ####### irl, no way I'm coming on VJ for added grief. I'm happy about this post, because now I don't feel like everyone is in the clique and doesn't see what I see.

It's always good to hear from members who normally don't post because they've been bullied into silence.

[Fandango 1,439]

OH MY GOD!!! I am on the internet a lot and all around on various forums related to whatever might be going on in my life. I've had lots of experience with trolls and really have learned to just ignore them. The bullies!!!! I haven't experienced that until I came to VJ and there are several boards that I simply avoid like the plague because of the atmosphere they create there. I've stated how I feel about it and now I've moved on. I'm watching how I feel in other boards here and we'll see if I stick around after my journey is over or not. It COULD be a cool place to hang out and lend support because it's an incredibly emotional and life changing journey.....but I deal with enough ####### irl, no way I'm coming on VJ for added grief. I'm happy about this post, because now I don't feel like everyone is in the clique and doesn't see what I see.

It's always good to hear from members who normally don't post because they've been bullied into silence.

I don't think that the above poster was 'bullied into silence', Steven...if she makes a choice to post or leave, that's her choice. It's not that she's 'afraid of the bullies' so much that she doesn't post.

There's a difference to a personality conflict where two adults simply don't click in temperment, and bullying.

I think it's all in perspective, really. We can each look at a person and walk away with different opinions. Bully is a bit OTT, no? No one here's gonna get a faceful of dirt shoved in his/her face during recess. People will agree, people will disagree. And some people are 'bullies' and some are 'wussies', and everything in between....at the end of the day...if you don't get on with someone, one should either manually or automatically ignore that person. Problem solved.

This thread, to me, reads like passive aggressive finger pointing at it's worst. We're all adults here. We all make our own choices. To have to place blame for one's choices on a stranger seems silly to me.

If you don't like someone, ignore him/her. If that person is iyo out of line...report that person and let admin deal with it. We're not all going to agree....we're not all going to like each other. And we're all at a stage of a v frustrating process...so naturally the stress level is going to be high sometimes. The answer is not having to wrap everything in cotton wool and walk on eggshells in fear of offending someone.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Which one am I?

[Fandango 1,439]

Which one am I?

Neither. You're the VJ Mascot

[Jasman0717 9]

We don't have any of those here

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Excellent post Steven. Bullying DOES hurt people, whether in real life or online. And we are ALL people.