Trolls and OT

[Holy Bovine]

I believe I'm entitled to my opinion, so here it is:

I REALLY wish Eric hadn't been so enamored of trolls originally, or it never would have gotten this far on a moderated forum.

I wish they would be obliterated from existence, for one MAJOR reason:
They get in the WAY of communication.
These boards are all ABOUT communication.

And just because there aren't a number of trolls right NOW, that does NOT mean that we should not be vigilant about there return, and perhaps nail things down in preparation.
I, for one, applaud this thread, though i hold NO faith that anything will be done about this vermin.

The Powers That Be are too much fans of the concept of trolling to realize its destructive impacts, apparently.

And WRITING in CAPITAL letters ALWAYS gets more attention than JUST typing normally. MAYBE we should crack down on SHOUTING on THE boards.


Sheesh! I highly doubt 2-3 trolls per day are going to kill communication on these boards. And posting on troll threads to get people to stop trolling is always the stupidest thing to do (not that I'm implying that is what's going on here).

If you ignore them they do go away you know....

 

[graydoom]

Frankly, I don't see this as anywhere near a big issue. Just ignore the threads you aren't interested in.

 

[reapersaurus]

And perhaps the detractors of trolling are a bit too quick to vehemence?

Umbran.
Please stop following me around and commenting after every post i make.

I feel like you're stalking me. LOL

 

[Grandpa]

This is a troll, right?

 

[TeaBee]

The above post by Grandpa is a prime example of why I hate trolls.

Incidentally, did something in particular inspire this post? There are very few OT and troll threads in General Discussion at the moment.

For trolls, it was a "This is a Troll" type one. It isn't the first time I've seen one, and it shows how the whole phenomenon has gotten out of hand.

For OT it's always seeing a Buffy thread; so much so that I wonder why the posters haven't looked for a message board that's actually about Buffy.

Now I can see there not being a place for trolls, but I find that "RPG" is too often taken out of the "General RPG Discussion" area.

When I go there I'm looking for general RPG discussion, not some nutty troll or off topic thread.

Call me crazy.

 

[Grandpa]

Seriously, it's tempting to agree with your point. I like meaningful, RPG-related threads too. But I also feel that the one, maybe two trolls that are active at any given time are usually only guilty of being uninventive. I think it would be more worthwhile to keep people from ruining good trolls than trying to restrict something that only makes a peep on these boards.

Also, OT threads are a nice way to get to know the other board members personally. This is a community, not a job, and it's hardly a chore to pass over threads that you don't like (especially when most are marked "[OT]").

P.S. I apologize for my lame, obvious troll joke.

 

[Holy Bovine]

The above post by Grandpa is a prime example of why I hate trolls.



For trolls, it was a "This is a Troll" type one. It isn't the first time I've seen one, and it shows how the whole phenomenon has gotten out of hand.

For OT it's always seeing a Buffy thread; so much so that I wonder why the posters haven't looked for a message board that's actually about Buffy.

Now I can see there not being a place for trolls, but I find that "RPG" is too often taken out of the "General RPG Discussion" area.

When I go there I'm looking for general RPG discussion, not some nutty troll or off topic thread.

Call me crazy.

You're crazy

Seriously if you really want OT and troll threads to go away faster here's some pointers.

1) Don't post to them! I know I said this before but it's still true. It boggles my mind that everytime there is a troll post someone will post to it saying that trolls are stupid and you shouldn't post to them!

2) Start a new thread about a general RPG topic. The more topics that get posted the faster an unwanted troll post will be knocked off the front page and forgotten. Heck even opeing a few old chesnuts like alignment or 'shafting' will generate mucho discussion around here.

I really don't think trolls are a problem around here. One persons troll is another persons serious topic. I remember a post by Sablewyvern on the old boards just before the switch that was (most people thought) a very serious discussion about the tone & merits of the DMG when someone came in claiming that it was just a troll topic. It wasn't but if the Mods took a hard-line stance against 'trolls' he probably could have gotten the thread closed.

Not the biggest disaster but it would have been annoying.

As far as Buffy and Enterprise threads (there always seem to be these two going at any goiven time) - that is only 2 threads of 40 displayed on the main page. They are clearly marked OT and you really can just ignore them. I do.

*Whew* sorry to sound like a prickly pear but I keep seeing these rants against trolls & OT posts and I really do feel that they are a non-issue since they take up so little space and a so easily ignored and forgotten.

Keep the peace

 

[Piratecat]

While I sympathize, I'm afraid that several of you are doing the messageboard equivalent of raging at the tide. I have neither the time, energy, or inclination to try and second-guess each poster's motivation. The moderators would rather treat the message board members as adults, trusting them to be responsible and not abuse the other members. We're hardly ever disappointed.

Besides, we are a community. That means jokes and chatting as well as straight commentary. I don't ever want that to change.

 

[Holy Bovine]

And that's the Bottom Line 'cuz Piratecat sez so!!

 

[Darkness]

And that's the Bottom Line 'cuz Piratecat sez so!!

Right.