Calling a Troll a Troll

[Abaddon]

You Mad?​

Since we are discussing the rules. I find it very very annoying that you get infracted for calling someone a troll, or even saying that a post has a trolling nature.

I have seen some of the most obvious OP Trolls, and if we call it out, we get infracted! Where is the sense in that? Can't the mods actually weigh up if someone IS trying to troll before infracting?

 

[GhostWriter16]

The position that calling someone a troll is trolling is logically inconsistant since trolling requires ill intent.

That said, it can still be derailing to the issue at hand and so still be a problem and so still worth dealing with.

That said, the mods/admins need to choose which direction they want to go and stay on it. If they want self-policing more, OK, if they want to keep things in their own hands, fine.

What I think is irrelevant, but consistency and logic are relevant. For instance, the moderators should not complain about having a large workload if they are unwilling to allow self-policing.

I think Self-policing can be too overdone to fix the problem though. If people could have just called me an idiot 9-10 months ago instead of explaining to me why I was making no sense, I wouldn't be where I'm at today.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

It's simpler to just infract a user who just called someone a troll than to figure out if OPs or others are actually trolling or not i guess.

 

[MobBoss]

Its name calling, and as such, against the TOS and simply not productive to keeping the peace. Its nothing more than escalation and as such deserves to be cracked down on.

As I have no desire to see the OT devolve into some kindergarten playroom where all anyone does is call names back and forth, I support the mods in infracting such name calling. Huzzah.

 

[Moss]

Calling a troll a troll adds nothing to the discussion and many times just results in an argument between those two posters, that is why we frown upon it.

My question would be, instead of calling a troll a troll, why not just report that troll?

 

[GhostWriter16]

Calling a troll a troll adds nothing to the discussion and many times just results in an argument between those two posters, that is why we frown upon it.

My question would be, instead of calling a troll a troll, why not just report that troll?

That does indeed work, and is indeed the best option since calling someone a troll is against the rules. That said, I would like to see a bit of discretion used rather than dropping 2 points on people that really do not deserve it. For instance, if someone is clearly trolling, clear as day, you should be allowed to call them out on it. But its not alwayws clear. And in those cases it should be discouraged.

 

[MobBoss]

Calling a troll a troll adds nothing to the discussion and many times just results in an argument between those two posters, that is why we frown upon it.

My question would be, instead of calling a troll a troll, why not just report that troll?

Heh, well, I think the frustration to some few posters is that their defintion of a troll and the moderators isnt exactly the same and said report goes largely unacted upon.

At least thats the overall gist I get from such complaints.

 

[useless]

i wish we could call a troll a troll, for there are many in ot that are trolls

 

[SuperJay]

I agree with Abaddon - god forbid you write "Troll" anywhere, lest ye be infracted - but I understand the reasoning behind the rule, just like PDMA.

The only problem with simply reporting to mods is that other posters can be taken in by someone trolling, continue to feed that troll, and encourage continued trolling. There's no "Troll Signal" that goes out when you report a troll, even if that person gets infracted for trolling.

The Birther thread comes to mind, here. Users at Poly were openly discussing plans to troll CFC OT - with the Poly owner's blessing - but we here at CFC are not allowed to point that out or WE get infracted. That's a little backwards, IMO.

 

[useless]

but apoloyton is not civilised like we

 

[GhostWriter16]

but apoloyton is not civilised like we

We aren't exactly civilized either at CFC.

 

[useless]

well in comparison we are

 

[Dachs]

What if somebody states that he is trolling?

 

[Abaddon]

He would possibly be infracted twice for good measure.

 

[GhostWriter16]

I am trolling (Here's a test run)

If it was done seriously though, I'm guessing he wouldn't be infracted twice, but he might get extra points for knowingly defying the rules.

 

[MobBoss]

I am trolling (Here's a test run)

If it was done seriously though, I'm guessing he wouldn't be infracted twice, but he might get extra points for knowingly defying the rules.

You mean like you just did?

 

[Abaddon]

You should have really pushed the boat out and said it in modtags

 

[.Shane.]

You guys are closing in on PDMA. Please be careful.
---
---

A few thoughts:

1. You can Report a troll and comment all you like... unburden yourself. Within reason, you're not going to get infracted for a private comment in a reported post.

2. If no action is taking that means one of the following:
*No one has noticed. Rarely happens. At worst there are delays. A day or two has been the longest I've seen an OT go w/out acknowledgment in the staff forum (then again, I've only been on staff a few weeks)
*No action was deemed warranted. Unfortunately, due to the large number of RPs, we can't reply to each RP w/ a notice of if we acted or not.

3. If you really think something is egregious or you don't know why an RP wasn't acted on.... PM a mod! There is no harm in asking or bringing something like to the attention of a mod you either trust or have a good opinion of. And like an RP you are at much more liberty to discuss things.

 

[Abaddon]

But it is so annoying watching people get trolled! So many suckers! I hope when I call out a troll, others might resist rising to the bait.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

What if somebody states that he is trolling?

Then he'd better be sitting in a boat, out in the middle of a lake, intending to catch fish.