HOWTO: Troll Sniffing 101

[skids]

An amusing diary by doinaheckuvanutjob at DailyKos goes into some of the tactics used by "concern trolls" on progressive discussion boards. If you are not already familiar with the term "concern troll" you should be. You'll see more and more of them as the majority chairmanship election approaches. As we now know, even high-level Republican staffers like to troll, so expect concern trolls to get sneakier and more subtle.

There will doubtless also be a rise of incidents of false accusations. Please read the DU rules. While some slack is cut because we like to toy with them a bit, never "call out" a poster for being a troll. Instead, use the alert button.

Welcome to Troll Sniffing 101. Pick up your syllabus in the stack near the door.

I thought it might be useful for some registered DUers to have a little guide on how to trollspot. There are times when you suspect a person is a disrupter, but they are either playing it very close to the line without stepping over, or they are just personally ornary and not in fact actually a troll. How do you tell?

First, check to ensure that is is not just a drunk TYJ. :evilgrin: Seriously, there are a few colorful posters (yes you too DG ;-) ) who are not trolls. These folks you will just have to grow to know and love over time.

Trollsniffing Procedure

Disclaimer: I'm not sure anymore what features are available to donors only. But hey, isn't it about time to donate anyway?

First, use your browser's "Find in page feature" and load the suspects screen name into the search box. Most browsers will allow you to keep that search box term handy as you change pages, and it can really speed things up.

Next, at the top of the DU page, click on this:

search

Paste the suspect's name in the "Keyword(s)" field. In the "search which forum" dropdown, select "Big Forums (Conference)" (unless of course you know that the suspect posts in a topic forum and want to look there instead.)

In the "Search which field(s)" dropdown, select "Author".

You want to leave the "Search how many days in the past?" box as is ("All active topics") for your first search.

Click on "Search Now!" There should be links at the right of the screen.

Open a few of these DU threads and click the "Find Next" button on your browser's "Find in page" dialogue. That should quickly allow you to find replies by the suspect, and by going back to the search results and examining several of these threads, you should be able to decide whether the suspect is showing a pattern of trolliness, or whether they are just a normal DUer that forgot to take their meds today.

While you are doing this, keep a lookout for particularly good examples that really show blatant trollish behavior. When you find one, click on the subject of the suspect's post, so that it is the post displayed at the top of the thread list. Copy that URL someplace, and build up a short list.

After you are done, go back to the best example you found. Again, make sure that the suspect's post is the one displayed at the top of the thread. Then hit the Alert button on the bottom of the box containing the suspect's reply to send a message to the forum administrators, and paste in URLs of some of the other examples you found, so administrators can more easily decide whether the suspect needs a block of granite dropped on their head.

This has been "Troll Sniffing 101" We hope you enjoyed your training course. If you would like to report a problem or omission in the course materials, or you think the TA was making a pass at you, please place your evaluation forms in the thread as you leave.

In closing

Remember, no matter what their primary agenda is, a troll's base goal is to make you waste time in arguments and flame wars while their friends go out use their time more usefully to win the election. That's why a lot of them will kick up old "rich people suck" and "smoking ban" flamewars just to keep us distracted from the real effort. Don't feed the trolls, unless of course you are just horsing off and plan to eventually report them.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. just like that beer ad - BRILLIANT! BRILLIANT!

Not having any meds, I must admit to trolling on occas. Usually with brightly colored lures 10 miles offshore on Lake Michgan. Lake Trout are far and few between at the moment, but very large and tasty.

How many GOP candidate aidesters have been caught trolling in the past month? I counted three, and probably missed several.

[Binka]

2. Excellent Tutorial! K & R!

This joint is gonna start hopping in a few weeks.:toast:

[LostinVA]

3. It's started already, with all of the "Don't vote" threads

[pnwmom]

8. Have there been a lot of those?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

13. I've seen some "why bother voting"

And ones to that effect.

[skids]

19. I've seen a lot of those on non-political forums.

Not so much on political forums.

Especially places like Slashdot. There's a definite campaign to try to keep your apolitical left away from the polls. I'd suggest folks take up reading a non-political forum or two if they would like to mow that astroturf. Oh and as always feel free to use/link this which I post a few times each year to DU.

[lumberjack_jeff]

4. For the record....

I'm just ornery.

:)

[Binka]

5. Jesus Jeff I Read That As "HORNY"

I was like :wtf: does that have to do with trolls. :evilgrin:

[mtnester]

7. You either need more coffee, or have had too much

:)

[lumberjack_jeff]

11. LOL! Dyslexia much?

for the purposes of this thread, "having a difficult and contrary disposition" was intended.

*Those* discussions are reserved for the lounge. :D

[Binka]

23. Actually Jet Lag I Just Returned To Sicily After Attending My Sisters

Memorial in San Diego CA. That was a BRUTAL trip and I had my five year daughter with me as well. We are KNACKERED! Time for some vino!

[catmandu57]

16. I suspect trolls are sexually frustrated

either they've ran out of family members to diddle, or the selected family member says no, whatever then they come on to these boards and spew poison.
I must say I've developed pretty good trolldar over the years, and they're not as prolific or as good as they once were.

[ms liberty]

6. Thanks skids...

This info will be real handy in the future! I'm bookmarking it and suggest others do the same.

Oh, and K&R!

[MADem]

9. I am pleased to give this tutorial Rec #5, and urge others to rec it too

I get so damned sick of those types that I just want to grab them, bend them over, and shove their heads up their asses, because that's where they are, virtually speaking.

[oasis]

10. thanks.(eom)

[sui generis]

12. here's the funny part!

Some of us ornery colorful folks are indeed occasionally confused with trolls, until someone does a search, so searching is your friend.

Hey! and I have never posted drunk. Usually just overcaffeinated and underslept.

[skids]

14. overcaffeinated and underslept

Boy do I know that feeling. Seriously... must... cut... down.

[mcscajun]

15. Very helpful, and quite clever, to boot!

my favorite: "Then hit the Alert button on the bottom of the box containing the suspect's reply to send a message to the forum administrators, and paste in URLs of some of the other examples you found, so administrators can more easily decide whether the suspect needs a block of granite dropped on their head."

I've done a little bit of troll-hunting using the Advanced Search and Alerting, but I'd never thought of the author's comprehensive strategy of list-building and the inclusion of URLs of other posts by the suspect troll. Great class! I give the instructor an A+

:) Thanks for sharing this one. :)

[stop the bleeding]

17. yep that is how I do it

I wonder if the MODS will lock this - in the past this has been frown upon -

but hey K&R

[Sugarcoated]

33. Locked?!

I think it should be permanently tacked to the top of the forum!

[mom cat]

41. I doubt it. The piece is clear about hitting the alert button and letting

mods decide. I am bookmarking it too! K&R

[Sugarcoated]

43. Self dleted

[myrna minx]

18. OMG, this thread makes the Dems look bad!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Wrings hands*
:rofl:
Great thread. :toast:

[Binka]

20. Or "WE" Look Bad. That Particular Turn Of Phrase Chaps My Ass.

Happy Hunting DU!

[myrna minx]

25. Heh. Yeah that is quite telling.

"Speaking out against torture makes us look bad." Um, ok. :rofl:

[beltanefauve]

28. "We" don't have a plan!

And "we" can't get our message out about Iraq! And there's no difference between the two parties! And its all going to be Diebolded anyway, so why bother! (Actually, non-trolls post this one often, but trolls, to my experience, are more likely to post this in combination with their other arguements.)

[mopinko]

21. ignore is your friend. this really is serious

i swear that this is what lost christine cegelis her primary here in illinois. there was a full out assault here, at kos, capital fax, a couple of other websites, that completely distracted the campaign, staff and volunteers alike. sucked in time and energy like an 8 pound oreck.
and this was a democratic primary.
not everyone is going to get that granite. ignore is your friend. my list has gotten pretty long. and i do look at arguments like smoking bans to see who is a worthless idiot. and who is kicking up smokescreens.
maybe the admins could find a way to see who is on the most ignore lists, and reward them with the big stone.
even if they did, tho, sock puppets abound. as kent jones likes to say- vigilance!

[Sugarcoated]

31. If it's a long time poster (tho I know this doesn't guarantee

they're not a toll) who's spamming the board with flamebait and taking people down with him/her for fun I usually just alert mods to put those threads in the Lounge. That would go a long way to minimize waste in GD.

[mopinko]

45. there were a couple of old timers,

one a pretty well known "shit stirrer", but the other was an otherwise decent person. the illinois forum nearly melted down. i sent some alerts, but nothing was done. even though i knew this person was a state employee, a direct report to the governor, and posting on work time. oh well.

[intheflow]

22. LMAO!!

This was a beautiful piece of writing, skids! Oh, that I could have had this tutorial when I first started at DU. It sure would have saved me a lot of time, energy, heartache, and extreme annoyance.
:rofl:

[wicket]

24. Excellent!!!!

Thank-you SO MUCH for posting this!!! :yourock:

:kick: :kick:

[lonestarnot]

26. Thanks skids. Looking forward to 102. And the TA ... ewwlala.

:*

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LostinVA]

30. I've noticed that before, haven't seen it yet today

[conscious evolution]

29. Thanks.......and a question.

I just signed on here after lurking for a couple of years and one of the things I've always enjoyed as a lurker is seeing trolls trying to create confusion and discord here being exposed.

The fact that people would actually deliberately go about perpetrating such actions serves as an excellent example of just how morally and ethically bankrupt the ideology of the right truly is.

One thing I remember from a while back was a graveyard for such people,that was only available to registered user.Is this feature still available? I can't seem to find it.If so,could someone please point me to-wards it. I would appreciate it.

[skids]

39. The graveyard...

...isn't really a graveyard -- basically old troll handles are kept in the big user database and their avatars are replaced with tombstones. You kind of have to know the name of the ex-troll in order to view their profile, unless you want to just browse through the user profiles one at a time. Unless I've missed something.

Anyway, click on "options" then "user profiles," and expect to spend a lot of time waiting for pages to load.

[lonestarnot]

42. I remember a graveyard too. Had pics of tombstones and epitaphs.

I think the bone yard turned to dust, just like the freeper/trolls buried there.

[LostinVA]

32. Just for your perusal

ttp://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2848494

[Horse with no Name]

34. Well for the record

I'm not a troll.:evilgrin:
However, I am anti-DLC, couldn't care less about gun control, vehemently PRO-CHOICE, and sometimes just a bitch. Can't help that one.:shrug:
You just gotta know me to love me.:)

[lonestarnot]

37. I love you Horse with No Name!

:D :7 :hi: :hug:

[flyarm]

40. we love you.. horse with no name!!..i can be a bitch sometimes

to!...

thanks for this post..it's great... i am bookmarking..

i have seen quite a bit of this lately and have stayed away from those threads..as i find it a waste of time..

too many important stuff right now..but it is wonderful to have these tools!!

fly

[bridgit]

35. how many credits is this course worth, will there be co-ed roll play...

or psycho drama, and if there are credits; are they transferable :)

[AngryAmish]

36. I'm concerned about this thread

Shit, I just outed myself...

[A-Schwarzenegger]

54. I'm concerned about your concern.

[PATRICK]

38. Other websites

What I found alarming, which perhaps it isn't, is that so many innocuous and little forums, non-political
in most of there sections and interest contain a stereotypical representatives of what we are talking about. I swear that at the least some group of freeperholics passes around a list of new stomping grounds to permeate, fairly easily the majority of web discourse. Sure you find conservatives buried up to their sky-blue noses in literary sites, fan sites, etc. Maybe it is just natural to have a resident A-H punk and his companion-to-heroes helpmate. Sometimes in a little site it is as simple as being a natural flame arsonist. Anyway, just as with ALL Internet security issues it doesn't matter if your foe is a government or a pimply hacker, certain protocol, constantly evolving have to be enforced by each site.

Security is also a state of mind incompatible with self-destructive troll hunts. At the same time you have to keep going and not let awareness itself become any type of consuming distraction.

Besides banned behavior there is a lot of stuff that is a waste of time, like typing here instead of campaigning in the streets and on the phone lines, discussing the propagandists(their first power of controlling the conversation) and not reality and getting the real news out. Facts, passion, respectful open-mindedness, up-building what is good, action. Maybe not a Decalogue or an Emily Post Posting rules, but a recognition of what we share positively over time, not to be confused with the wise arts of site-defense.

[laylah]

44. Excellent! kickity kick!

[TahitiNut]

46. I'm a Troll! (So is MrsGrumpy, passingfair, SharonRB, etc. etc. etc.)

Troll: Michiganders who live under the (Mackinac) bridge. Antonym: Yooper.

:evilgrin:

[LostinVA]

51. I actually know that! A friend of mine is a troll!

[semillama]

56. Hah!!

Glad you know that, speaking as an expatriate yooper myself.

My fiance accused me of keeping the existence of "Trenary Toast" a secret from her. I had to explain that being from the Western UP, I had never had it before. Basically, its like twice baked toast with cinnamon - sorta like biscotti.

I'm actually from above BOTH bridges, know what I mean?

[onecent]

47. Could you give me a short 101 lesson on bookmarking this?

Thanks. I thought I could figure it out, but it doesn't work.

[skids]

50. "Works for me" (tm)

I don't have any trouble bookmarking threads. Maybe just save a copy for yourself, or if you are feeling ambitious, try a different browser?

[catmandu57]

55. If you want to bookmark a thread

In the original post, at the bottom lefthand side you'll find bookmark this thread, click pn it and you can access it through My DU.

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[skids]

49. You've done your part.

Someone else will notice eventually and do theirs. Walk away satisfied that you made your case, and let your fighting spirit live to hunt another day.

[semillama]

57. Skids-your icon - is that General Zod?

if so, you've got the best icon I've seen all day. Thanks for the troll sniffing advice, too - I usually leave the alerting to the more diligent DUers though. Keep up the good work, eh!

[skids]

59. Yep, post-fitzmas. n/t

[Duppers]

52. you described my snooping techniques on any poster

...on any poster I want to find info about. This is a good way to 'size' up folks you don't know.

thanks for posting, skids.

[opihimoimoi]

53. Find the Troll Handbook and ya got 1/2 the fight won....

Its out there somewhere....How to Troll

[uppityperson]

58. Search and alert. That is what I try to do.

[Moderator]

60. locking....

Per DU rules if you see someone who you feel
is a disrupter/freeper, please use the alert
button so that the problem can be dealt with.

It is also a rule violation to publicly
attack the moderators for the Administrators.