Confessions of Internet Troll
I have a horrible confession to make. When I’m in a particularly foul mood, I can transform from a mild-mannered blogger into an internet troll. Even if you have never heard of the term, you have most likely encountered one of my kind before. I wish I could blame it all on my childhood but that would be a lie. I had a delightful childhood, full of Legos and Power Rangers. In the spirit of criminals who have gone straight and now make amends by helping people not get robbed (cheated, scammed, etc.), I’ll share the best way to deal with us.
What is an Internet Troll?
An internet troll is an individual who scours the internet armed with sarcasm and hurtful comments with only one goal in mind: to annoy as many people as possible. The original nature of a troll was a bit nobler. To troll someone initially was to take that person’s logic and turn it on his or her own argument. In a way, a delightful method to enforce the belief that you should always think before you post. However it has taken an ugly turn and most trolls like me are just looking to cause trouble.
How to Deal with Trolls Like Me
If you run a blog or use any social media, then you will eventually have to deal with a troll. It can be intimidating at first, but dealing with trolls the right way can be easy and can even work to your advantage. Here are the steps you should take when dealing with trolls.
- Don’t take it personally: For the most part, we trolls don’t know you personally, so even though it feels personal, it’s not.
- Set your standards and enforce them: Your blog, website, and/or social media channel(s) should have community guidelines of some sort if you’re able to have them (Facebook allows you to create a tab, for example). When inappropriate language or behavior that conflict with these guidelines pops up, the comment should be an automatic delete. Deleting comments can be a controversial action but as page manager, you have to maintain the integrity of your social space. This is not to say you delete any negative comment. Which leads to,
- Ignore them when possible: Often times a comment can simply be ignored. For example if someone comments on your post saying “this is stupid” then it really doesn’t deserve your time. We’ll usually give up pretty quick if we don’t get the desired reaction (outrage, hurt feelings, etc.). If the commenter is a repeat offender, banning them might be an appropriate course of action. Understand that while comments like these might seem like bad publicity to you, allowing good and bad comments gives the sense that you’re not “big brother” just weeding out comments you don’t like. This can even backfire if you attempt to police your comments too much. Another benefit to ignoring trolls is that your loyal advocates may turn on them FOR you – sending the troll scurrying back to his cave!
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Respond: Depending on the nature of the comment and the strictness of your legal department / marketing department, responding to these comments is another option. You could respond in a sincere fashion, asking them to elaborate about their comment, which shows that you watch your channel and are interested in engaging. Feeling feisty? Some choose to rise to the challenge and troll right back. Walmart’s social media is an excellent example of how to do this the right way. Check out their sense of humor with just a hint of snark. Smart. Very smart.
Dealing with people like me is annoying, but you can do it – and with style! Remember, I am just out looking to irritate as many people I can with my blatantly annoying remarks. Like many of my kind, I am single and living with my parents which may explain my trollish features. Egads we may be on to something!
Continue reading here: Ten Simple Ways to Get More People to Your Blog
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