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davidhperry
12-30-2007, 12:10 AM
I'm not an expert at spotting trolls but I've definitely seen my fair share of trolls and trollish behavior on this forum - more and more every day.

I've made some notes about how to spot potential trolls. This list is not exhaustive and I encourage you to add to it as well in subsequent posts - I'll update the list. Also, I'm not accusing anyone in particular of being a troll, even if they display this kind of behavior. However, I think that people should be on guard.

Hence, the list:


Someone who attacks with a post count in the single digits. If someone with a post count of 1 or 2 is ranting, that's all they came here to do. This also might be an "established" user who has created an alternate account in order to rant about something or personally attack another user without "outting" their other username.

Posts along the lines of: "I almost had my friend converted to Dr. Paul, then they asked me about [this]" - (insert outrageous/untrue smear of Dr. Paul here). Sometimes this is a legit question and sometimes it's a troll fishing to stir up something.

No matter how many posts they have, they are continuously and habitually negative/tearing others down/etc. These are the demoralizers. Some are trolls who intentionally do it and some do it without realizing it.

Don't assume people with high post counts are "friendlies." This is a large and busy forum and it's fairly easy to inflate your post count by bumping or doing a lot of meaningless "filler" posts. Some trolls are very patient and have been establishing reputations here over the course of weeks/months only to start trouble when it counts (like in the few days before elections). Just because they have several hundred posts or more does not mean they've "proven" themselves.

Someone who advocates violence or other things (illegal or otherwise) that are incongruent with the ideals that Dr. Paul espouses.

They threaten to Not vote/support/donate for (insert petty issue here)!

Mod-alert http://www.ronpaulforums.com/gfx_RedWhiteBlue/buttons/report.gif any threads that are overly provocative. E.g, negative threads being created by the same users. It's better than arguing and creating problems. :) Use good judgement.

Claim someone else is the troll to take the attention off yourself.



That the initial list, let me know what you think. I'll add more if I think of them or if they are suggested. Again, just because people do these things does not automatically make them a troll - just a few things to watch for and be cautious of.

Please adhere to the forum guidelines (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=22) and and don't be shy about reporting something that violates them.

A little word of encouragement: the trolls wouldn't be here if they didn't think we're making serious progress. We're winning!

Oliver
12-30-2007, 12:13 AM
Stop slandering the Ron Paul WOW event. They are called Dwarfs! :p

Highstreet
12-30-2007, 12:14 AM
6. They get stuck on Negative Whining....

7. They threaten to Not Vote for Paul for (insert petty issue here)!

Move on and bump Positive Action threads.

Don't Post on BS, Negative threads. Let them drop to the next page!

chiefsmurph
12-30-2007, 12:15 AM
i think people get called trolls way too often here.

Oliver
12-30-2007, 12:16 AM
i think people get called trolls way too often here.

Dwarf! :D

Highstreet
12-30-2007, 12:17 AM
i think people get called trolls way too often here.

That's fine....

But we need to IGNORE the Negative Sidetracks no matter what they are called.

constitutional
12-30-2007, 12:19 AM
I'm not an expert at spotting trolls but I've definitely seen my fair share of trolls and trollish behavior on this forum - more and more every day.

I've made some notes about how to spot potential trolls. This list is not exhaustive and I encourage you to add to it as well in subsequent posts - I'll update the list. Also, I'm not accusing anyone in particular of being a troll, even if they display this kind of behavior. However, I think that people should be on guard.

Hence, the list:


Someone who attacks with a post count in the single digits. If someone with a post count of 1 or 2 is ranting, that's all they came here to do. This also might be an "established" user who has created an alternate account in order to rant about something or personally attack another user without "outting" their other username.

Posts along the lines of: "I almost had my friend converted to Dr. Paul, then they asked me about [this]" - (insert outrageous/untrue smear of Dr. Paul here). Sometimes this is a legit question and sometimes it's a troll fishing to stir up something.

No matter how many posts they have, they are continuously and habitually negative/tearing others down/etc. These are the demoralizers. Some are trolls who intentionally do it and some do it without realizing it.

Don't assume people with high post counts are "friendlies." This is a large and busy forum and it's fairly easy to inflate your post count by bumping or doing a lot of meaningless "filler" posts. Some trolls are very patient and have been establishing reputations here over the course of weeks/months only to start trouble when it counts (like in the few days before elections). Just because they have several hundred posts or more does not mean they've "proven" themselves.

Someone who advocates violence or other things (illegal or otherwise) that are incongruent with the ideals that Dr. Paul espouses.

They threaten to Not Vote for Paul for (insert petty issue here)!


That the initial list, let me know what you think. I'll add more if I think of them or if they are suggested. Again, just because people do these things does not automatically make them a troll - just a few things to watch for and be cautious of.

http://www.maj.com/gallery/JackNapier/GIF/racist.gif

It's 1:18 and I'm about to go to bed. :cool::) It's sad that we've come to these kind of threads.

davidhperry
12-30-2007, 12:20 AM
6. They get stuck on Negative Whining....

7. They threaten to Not Vote for Paul for (insert petty issue here)!

Move on and bump Positive Action threads.

Don't Post on BS, Negative threads. Let them drop to the next page!

Yeah, the petty one is a good one - I meant to add something about that as well (it's there now). I've seen some funny ones on here like that. :)

The whining one you suggested is somewhat covered in #4. I certainly don't think all criticism/whining is unjustified but if you're here and that's all you do, it a pretty strong argument that you're a troll.

coboman
12-30-2007, 12:24 AM
http://www.dullesnow.org/Iraq_war_poster_spotting.jpg

This ad might help with your enemy profiling.

Paulbot_9876
12-30-2007, 12:27 AM
i am not voting for ron paul because of his sneakers....mwaahaahaahaaa

DrJimiJon
12-30-2007, 12:29 AM
Didn't you guys get that memo?

davidhperry
12-30-2007, 12:50 AM
Stop slandering the Ron Paul WOW event. They are called Dwarfs! :p

People are knocking the WOW event? That's low man, low. :)

Paul.Bearer.of.Injustice
12-30-2007, 01:09 AM
There are a lot of sleeper trolls waiting to be activated.

hawks4ronpaul
12-30-2007, 01:13 AM
See the Wikipedia article.

http://hawks4ronpaul.blogspot.com/

me3
12-30-2007, 01:14 AM
Good example of #6 here

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showpost.php?p=750487&postcount=12

.

constitutional
12-30-2007, 01:14 AM
Hi all,

Mod-alert http://www.ronpaulforums.com/gfx_RedWhiteBlue/buttons/report.gif any threads that is provocative. E.g, negative threads being created by the same users. It's better than arguing and creating problems. :)

JohnnyWrath
12-30-2007, 01:14 AM
Trolls are here....at the yahoo finance board today, a troll was telling people to read these forums. Troll knew people were going there, because he read about it here....they are here....they walk among us. ;)

Bryan
12-30-2007, 01:15 AM
Yes, post counts don't matter- troll behavior is all that matter.

The forum guidelines are designed to limit troll behavior, they are your ally. Understand them and flag posts that violate them (this includes things like "pointless negativity" - obvious troll behavior).

See my sig for a link to the guidelines.

Sandra
12-30-2007, 01:17 AM
Oh, And they're short and live under bridges!

paulitics
12-30-2007, 01:17 AM
I'm most skeptical of
1. Those that have alot of posts that are mainly 1 or 2 sentences of rhetoric. Often times they
a) Rely on absolutist ideology devoid of critical thining or thoughtfulness.
b) imply radical, extremist, or even violent behavior often comparing those who disagree to neocons, nazis, collectivists, who don't support freedom.
c) Unabashadly use the founding father's or even Ron Paul to say their's is the only view, and those who disagree are collectiists, nazis, neocons, etc. Again, there are overtones of extermist behavior. This reeks of cultish behavior. This is the negative image we have developed, and sure enough, I see this every day on this messageboard. I believe that 90% of Ron Paul supporters are well mannered, good intentioned, etc, but a small minority has poisoned the well as far as public opinion of Ron Paul supporters goes. This is a very time tested, and effective way to create rifts in a movement.

yongrel
12-30-2007, 01:18 AM
http://www.dullesnow.org/Iraq_war_poster_spotting.jpg

This ad might help with your enemy profiling.

stop it, ffs

yongrel
12-30-2007, 01:20 AM
And as someone who's post count is inflated by a high quantity of meaningless posts, I can assure you that post count has no bearing on someone's merit to this forum.

RonPaulCult
12-30-2007, 01:22 AM
I'm so sick of being called a troll if I don't like something (like the last line of the new ad or when the blimp stuff went down).

I'm not a troll and I'm not a sheep. Deal with it

billybigrigger
12-30-2007, 01:28 AM
Best way to stop trolls:


stop feeding



eos

/thread

Bryan
12-30-2007, 01:37 AM
Best way to stop trolls:

stop feeding
/thread
That and report- dueling trolls will get around the "just ignore them" technique.

coboman
12-30-2007, 01:38 AM
Good example of #6 here

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showpost.php?p=750487&postcount=12
.

Hey, that's my post! Guess I am a troll now.

I am a passionate supporter of Ron Paul, because his ideas struck me as logic, well thought through, devoid of dogmatism or herd mentality of us vs. them.

I will not, however, support anyone or anything without periodically questioning them. I think that following blindly something that was originally good, is bad.
Republicans in general are a great example of this. Ron Paul has now the same foreign policy that Bush had in his campaign (he says so frequently). But Bush, and the republican party, deviated from the original course, and many people followed them blindly. I didn't.

Ron Paul is deviating from the inclusive message of freedom and the constitution, to give importance to a divisive issues like abortion.
His campaign was originally frugal, making most of very little money. Now it needs tens of millions of dollars to air sub par ads, that alienate much of his support base (independents, democrats, liberals in general).

My support is not unconditional. Neither should yours.

Some people now say that the only thing important is to get Ron Paul elected. I beg to differ. We are here to make USA a better country, and the world a better place.

This movement is about the idea of freedom and small constitutional government, not about a person (and Ron Paul will be the first to say that).
I will support the constitutional message, even when the official campaign decides to focus on other things.

But if the campaign deviates even more from the original path, they will move away from me. And I will say good bye.

yongrel
12-30-2007, 01:39 AM
Hey, that's my post! Guess I am a troll now.

I am a passionate supporter of Ron Paul, because his ideas struck me as logic, well thought through, devoid of dogmatism or herd mentality of us vs. them.

I will not, however, support anyone or anything without periodically questioning them. I think that following blindly something that was originally good, is bad.
Republicans in general are a great example of this. Ron Paul has now the same foreign policy that Bush had in his campaign (he says so frequently). But Bush, and the republican party, deviated from the original course, and many people followed them blindly. I didn't.

Ron Paul is deviating from the inclusive message of freedom and the constitution, to give importance to a divisive issues like abortion.
His campaign was originally frugal, making most of very little money. Now it needs tens of millions of dollars to air sub par ads, that alienate much of his support base (independents, democrats, liberals in general).

My support is not unconditional. Neither should yours.

Some people now say that the only thing important is to get Ron Paul elected. I beg to differ. We are here to make USA a better country, and the world a better place.

This movement is about the idea of freedom and small constitutional government, not about a person (and Ron Paul will be the first to say that).
I will support the constitutional message, even when the official campaign decides to focus on other things.

But if the campaign deviates even more from the original path, they will move away from me. And I will say good bye.

ooh, the melodrama is overwhelming:rolleyes:

me3
12-30-2007, 01:47 AM
Hey, that's my post! Guess I am a troll now.
I never said that.


My support is not unconditional. Neither should yours.
Apparently not. You mentioned bailing depending how the campaign does in NH and Iowa. Ron Paul for the Long Haul hunh?

szczebrzeszyn
12-30-2007, 01:47 AM
ooh, the melodrama is overwhelming:rolleyes:
Oh man, I've just cried...

davidhperry
12-30-2007, 02:04 AM
Hi all,

Mod-alert http://www.ronpaulforums.com/gfx_RedWhiteBlue/buttons/report.gif any threads that is provocative. E.g, negative threads being created by the same users. It's better than arguing and creating problems. :)

Good call - thread updated.

Joe3113
12-30-2007, 02:08 AM
i am not voting for ron paul because of his sneakers....mwaahaahaahaaa

LMFAO!

davidhperry
12-30-2007, 02:17 AM
Hey, that's my post! Guess I am a troll now.

I am a passionate supporter of Ron Paul, because his ideas struck me as logic, well thought through, devoid of dogmatism or herd mentality of us vs. them.

I will not, however, support anyone or anything without periodically questioning them. I think that following blindly something that was originally good, is bad.
Republicans in general are a great example of this. Ron Paul has now the same foreign policy that Bush had in his campaign (he says so frequently). But Bush, and the republican party, deviated from the original course, and many people followed them blindly. I didn't.

Ron Paul is deviating from the inclusive message of freedom and the constitution, to give importance to a divisive issues like abortion.
His campaign was originally frugal, making most of very little money. Now it needs tens of millions of dollars to air sub par ads, that alienate much of his support base (independents, democrats, liberals in general).

My support is not unconditional. Neither should yours.

Some people now say that the only thing important is to get Ron Paul elected. I beg to differ. We are here to make USA a better country, and the world a better place.

This movement is about the idea of freedom and small constitutional government, not about a person (and Ron Paul will be the first to say that).
I will support the constitutional message, even when the official campaign decides to focus on other things.

But if the campaign deviates even more from the original path, they will move away from me. And I will say good bye.

coboman, this post isn't accusing anyone of being a troll so don't worry about it. Trolls or not, there is a lot of immaturity on this board and so you have to take things with a grain of salt.

If people are calling you a troll, they probably think you are making a mountain out of a molehill. I'm guessing that you didn't decide to start support Dr. Paul by seeing one 30-second commercial spot - it took some research and investigation on your part to learn what he's all about. In that same vein, I think think we should not be so quick to dismiss Dr. Paul over something like the verbiage in an ad. I find it very hard to believe that he would be inconsistent on this issue so I think it's nothing more than a misunderstanding somewhere.

You seem to have some insider knowledge about the finances at HQ, do you volunteer there or something? I'm sure more details will come to light soon.

davidhperry
12-30-2007, 02:19 AM
That and report- dueling trolls will get around the "just ignore them" technique.

Bryan, something tells me you and the other mods are going to be busier than usual for the next few days. Hopefully we won't wear you out. :)

I think even the trolls are realizing that support for Dr. Paul is not fickle and his supporters can not be converted like others can. They still try though. :D

pacelli
12-30-2007, 02:30 AM
Yes, now is a fairly suspicious time, the campaign is more high profile. I expect to be exposed to troll propaganda soon :( Just don't feed 'em. This is a good thread.

Anyone who joins the forums and is trying to demoralize us about this $23 million challenge would be an immediate troll infiltrator.

transistor
12-30-2007, 02:40 AM
i think people get called trolls way too often here.

agreed

Nihilist23
12-31-2007, 12:11 AM
Bump for #4.

yongrel
12-31-2007, 12:16 AM
Bump for #4.

#4 is dead on the money. I am living proof that a high post count does not equal valuable posts. It just means I've typed "bump" a lot. Post counts are easy to inflate.

ChooseLiberty
12-31-2007, 12:22 AM
Umm. The lady should look more like Annie Coulter as a soccer mom.



http://www.dullesnow.org/Iraq_war_poster_spotting.jpg

This ad might help with your enemy profiling.

coboman
12-31-2007, 12:28 AM
Let this thread die.
I don't think there are any trolls here, I just think some people are frustrated.

Many of us were emotional yesterday, because many things collided that made us question our affiliation with this campaign.

I, for one, don't like to say I admire someone that does not understand the theory of evolution (or does not "believe it").
Don't like to brag about having contributed money to the creation and airing of an ad that says "terrorist nations"
And feel frustrated that a campaign that has received over 19 million in less than three months, now wants 23 million.

But I am incredibly proud of being part of a movement that has the opportunity to make history. To restore the government to its constitutional levels, bring back our freedom and peace to the world.

I think calling people trolls, when all they are doing is venting their frustrations, is counterpoductive.
Sometimes we come here to rant, to complain, to blow some steam. Bear with us, and let it pass.
Don't increase our sense of frustration calling us trolls or drama queens. Just ignore the ranting posts.

Let's focus on the big picture. We can win. We have to win.

yongrel
12-31-2007, 12:29 AM
Let this thread die.
I don't think there are any trolls here, I just think some people are frustrated.

Many of us were emotional yesterday, because many things collided that made us question our affiliation with this campaign.

I, for one, don't like to say I admire someone that does not understand the theory of evolution (or does not "believe it").
Don't like to brag about having contributed money to the creation and airing of an ad that says "terrorist nations"
And feel frustrated that a campaign that has received over 19 million in less than three months, now wants 23 million.

But I am incredibly proud of being part of a movement that has the opportunity to make history. To restore the government to its constitutional levels, bring back our freedom and peace to the world.

I think calling people trolls, when all they are doing is venting their frustrations, is counterpoductive.
Sometimes we come here to rant, to complain, to blow some steam. Bear with us, and let it pass.
Don't increase our sense of frustration calling us trolls or drama queens. Just ignore the ranting posts.

Let's focus on the big picture. We can win. We have to win.

There are a good number of trolls here, but even more false accusations of trolling. Both need to stop.

devil21
12-31-2007, 02:29 AM
Let this thread die.
I don't think there are any trolls here, I just think some people are frustrated.

Many of us were emotional yesterday, because many things collided that made us question our affiliation with this campaign.

I, for one, don't like to say I admire someone that does not understand the theory of evolution (or does not "believe it").
Don't like to brag about having contributed money to the creation and airing of an ad that says "terrorist nations"
And feel frustrated that a campaign that has received over 19 million in less than three months, now wants 23 million.

But I am incredibly proud of being part of a movement that has the opportunity to make history. To restore the government to its constitutional levels, bring back our freedom and peace to the world.

I think calling people trolls, when all they are doing is venting their frustrations, is counterpoductive.
Sometimes we come here to rant, to complain, to blow some steam. Bear with us, and let it pass.
Don't increase our sense of frustration calling us trolls or drama queens. Just ignore the ranting posts.

Let's focus on the big picture. We can win. We have to win.

You should ask yourself whether your posts here are helping elect Ron Paul or whether they are hurting. If he has lost your support for any one reason then stop posting here and go find another grassroots forum. You slam RP in this thread then say he has to win? That's counterproductive. I, for one, believe this forum is NOT for airing grievances, differences, disagreements, etc about the campaign and political differences but rather solely to ELECT RON PAUL AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. If your input isn't helping then why are you here? If someone who wants to know whether they should support Ron Paul reads your post, what attitude will they take after reading it? If it's not a good attitude then don't post it.

Im tired of people putting personal politics ahead of the goal of electing Ron Paul. Trolls aren't always supporters of other candidates. They might just be very selfish Ron Paul supporters.

hawkeyenick
12-31-2007, 02:31 AM
Another example:

claim someone else is the troll to take the attention off yourself. E.G. davidhperry

bucfish
12-31-2007, 02:49 AM
We must remember that this forum is to help in building our creative ideas and then we must then go and do what is then best to help spread the word in a positive and good way. There are many people who do not know who RP is so it is OUR job to at least create curiosity and to allow people to find RP's message for themselves!

The secret is to let people find RP's message on their own and to therefore get a whole lot of GOOGLING Going ON!

Paul.Bearer.of.Injustice
12-31-2007, 02:52 AM
Evil is merely survival mode in the extreme. It can always be conquered with a pure heart and motherly love.

davidhperry
12-31-2007, 03:04 AM
Im tired of people putting personal politics ahead of the goal of electing Ron Paul. Trolls aren't always supporters of other candidates. They might just be very selfish Ron Paul supporters.

+1 I'll definitely concur with that - we have to stay on-mission, especially now. The last few days before an election are the most critical and usually determine the outcome.

davidhperry
12-31-2007, 03:07 AM
Another example:

claim someone else is the troll to take the attention off yourself. E.G. davidhperry

Good point - list updated.

Cyclone
12-31-2007, 03:08 AM
The biggest troll behavior I have seen is people attacking people and not ideas. Mods, you talk about negativity as if it is a bad thing. Sometimes it is needed. For example, when people try to incite violence, being negative about that is a good thing.

Trolls cannot think. They attack. They manipulate. They scream about negativity while trying to do things to hurt the campaign and then call others trolls if they won't go along with their scheme.

Rationality at times means disagreeing.

Man from La Mancha
12-31-2007, 03:20 AM
Trolls repeatably post detrimental posts against current projects and help undermine them. Disagreeing once or twice is rationality, repeatably is stalking. .

davidhperry
12-31-2007, 03:21 AM
The biggest troll behavior I have seen is people attacking people and not ideas. Mods, you talk about negativity as if it is a bad thing. Sometimes it is needed. For example, when people try to incite violence, being negative about that is a good thing.

Trolls cannot think. They attack. They manipulate. They scream about negativity while trying to do things to hurt the campaign and then call others trolls if they won't go along with their scheme.

Rationality at times means disagreeing.

I see your point, but I don't think all trolls are that stupid. Most are, but certainly not all. The stupid ones come in here and say of lot of idiotic stuff and then leave. Hence, they are relatively easy to spot and ignore.

The smart ones that I'm talking about are the ones that come here to camp. Posting quietly and patiently - even becoming aquatinted with a few folks, so much so that their friends (who are the real supporters) end up defending them when they spread strife within the community. They attack in veiled and nuanced ways that you can't always immediately identify. That's why you have to pay close attention because these types of people are the ones well-positioned to drive wedges within the community at critical times.

With all that said, disagreement and thinking critically shouldn't be stifled, but encouraged. There is a big difference between that and consistent trollish behavior. To identify one against the other you have to find the underlying motives.

Cyclone
12-31-2007, 03:26 AM
Trolls never allow discussion on issues where the answers hurt their causes. Trolls do every thing they can to push people off of a question and force the person to repeat the question over and over. Trolls answer questions with questions or irrational statements in an effort to deflect rational discussions.

Trolls hate truth! I think it makes their skin burn because when they come into contact with it they scream the loudest.

Trolls use the English language to benefit them and twist words around, but rarely get the actual meaning of words correct.

Live_Free_Or_Die
12-31-2007, 03:33 AM
nt

Cyclone
12-31-2007, 03:33 AM
I see your point, but I don't think all trolls are that stupid. Most are, but certainly not all. The stupid ones come in here and say of lot of idiotic stuff and then leave. Hence, they are relatively easy to spot and ignore.

The smart ones that I'm talking about are the ones that come here to camp. Posting quietly and patiently - even becoming aquatinted with a few folks, so much so that their friends (who are the real supporters) end up defending them when they spread strife within the community. They attack in veiled and nuanced ways that you can't always immediately identify. That's why you have to pay close attention because these types of people are the ones well-positioned to drive wedges within the community at critical times.

With all that said, disagreement and thinking critically shouldn't be stifled, but encouraged. There is a big difference between that and consistent trollish behavior. To identify one against the other you have to find the underlying motives.

Agreed. Trolls come in all sizes. Some are easier to spot than others. I think the common thread is that they want to hurt Ron Paul in one way or another. Worse yet are the few that actually think they are helping when they suggest things like spray painting a town, literally, or screaming at talk show hosts. I am not sure if troll is the correct term for them, but they do hurt us and any attempt to reign them in is usually met with incredible resistance these days.

It didn't use to be that way. But the board has changed. The good are being chased off by screaming attacks of others. A lot of cruelty is tolerated here and I think it is hurting us. It is watering us down.

davidhperry
12-31-2007, 03:41 AM
scroll up. look at the red print.

RonPaulForums.com
Grassroots Support For Ron Paul's 2008 Presidential Campaign

If you are not supporting take it elsewhere. With the current traffic trends and more and more people discovering these grass roots web sites there is no reason for criticism of Ron Paul or the campaign. It is counter productive to our whole purpose. Send a private message to people you know. Call the campaign directly and voice your concerns. But there is no reason to criticize RP or the campaign on this forum. In these critical weeks we should hold the campaign blameless in public. We should not be the ones pointing out possible campaign mistakes in the same back yard we are trying to host a barbecue for new supporters.

I will be doing a full frontal assault on threads I see official campaign or RP criticism

What gets me is that some people seem to forget the fact that, during the day, this forum routinely has 400 or 500 (or more) lurking "guests" in here. Granted, many are casual RP supporters but you know that a lot of them are coming to check out Ron Paul and see what it would be like to join the grassroots community.

I'm cool with debating the finer points of Libertarianism - even on this site - but we should keep that stuff relegated to other areas of the site.

devil21
12-31-2007, 02:43 PM
What gets me is that some people seem to forget the fact that, during the day, this forum routinely has 400 or 500 (or more) lurking "guests" in here. Granted, many are casual RP supporters but you know that a lot of them are coming to check out Ron Paul and see what it would be like to join the grassroots community.

I'm cool with debating the finer points of Libertarianism - even on this site - but we should keep that stuff relegated to other areas of the site.

Unfortunately new members, especially, don't realize that the MEDIA pays attention to this forum as well. RPforums has been shown on ABC, CNN, etc. Im sure more than a few guests are media people waiting for something to pounce on. Dont give them any ammo. Somebody is always watching!

tonyTheBest
12-31-2007, 02:51 PM
Are you guys ok with composing a list of identified trolls and infiltrators?

RonPaulwillWin
12-31-2007, 03:34 PM
TTT I need to up my post count

Original_Intent
12-31-2007, 03:58 PM
I have probably been considered a troll by some at times.

I didn't think the blimp was a good idea - still not sure of its effectiveness but i will eat crow if that makes anyone feel better.

I was really against the money bomb inspired by Bydlack's email a couple of weeks prior to Tea Party - it failed and I think that was a good thing.

Nonetheless I am not a troll, or if I ever am my intentions to get RP elected are good and I will continue to speak out against ideas that I think are wrongheaded.

Usually I have to spot trolls on a post by post basis:

Step 1: The post makes me say to myself "WTF did they just say?"
Step 2: Re-read post.
Step 3: Yep. They REALLY did say what I thought they said.
Step 4: Check Join Date. 95% of the people that at this point I am suspecting of being either trolls or just well intentioned idiots have a join date of Oct 07 or later. There are also a LOT of good people that have joined recently, and also a very few oldtimers who I still am not sure about.

My response is usually to ignore them if what they are proposing is so stupid that it won't get any traction anyway. If the idea seems to be picking up supporters I will usually post my concerns and let the market decide. On a few occasions a few very vocal supporters of an idea have posted literally dozens of posts and started multiple threads promoting their idea of the hour. In those cases I suppose I get a bit overly tenacious and since they feel the need to start multiple threads to spread the idea I kind of take it upon myself to post in all those threads saying why I think it is a bad idea. :)

I know I have been accused of being a mole or a troll a few times, but usually LibertyEagle was getting accused in the same breath, and that is good company to be in imho.

I think the true trolls and moles are pretty few and far between, I think most of the cases are people that are just not being smart. Like people that are promoting violence. It may turn out that it comes to violence to get our freedoms back, but now is not the time and an internet forum is certainly not the place to be espousing such things unless you are an agent provacateur.

all J's in IL for RP
12-31-2007, 04:26 PM
Members with several hundred+ posts telling new people to get off the board and/or vote for someone else if they...

1) have a question on Paul's positions
2) express frustration with the campaign
3) don't immediately understand all the nuances of the board (media lurkers, opposing campaigns, muckrakers).
4) express a personal opinion not related to the campaign.

Instead of habituating new members, let's just drive them away, shall we? That'll ensure our tent is as small and ideologically pure as possible.

davidhperry
12-31-2007, 04:31 PM
Are you guys ok with composing a list of identified trolls and infiltrators?

I don't know if that's a good idea - mainly because it could turn into a witch hunt. This campaign is a big tent and some people are bound to disagree and/or not like each other - even if they both support Ron Paul.

I think the effective thing to do would be to familiarize ourselves with the forum guidelines and report the posts to the admins. If they notice a pattern of activity, then they will take action. This way we don't have a lot of people pointing fingers at each other.

Help the mods - please don't be shy about reporting posts!