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why troll?

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tahunua001

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hello all.
I apologize ahead of time for the following rant. I've noticed recently that there is an increasing number of trolls on TFL, either that or it just never started bothering me until now. I never really understood the motivation.

now I understand if you are reading a thread and see someone has posted some wrong information, by all means, speak up and correct them. but why belittle them and make no attempt to correct them tactfully. an why if you see 15 people all posting the same thing that you think is wrong why continue to stick to your guns when odds are very high that you are in fact the one that is wrong?

I will not deny that I've ever gotten into heated discussions and quite often I have put out faulty information myself. however I have no problem being corrected by someone that can eloquently lay out the information and provide corroborating data. but to simply say that you are wrong and should just pack up shop get an education is not IMO the way to expand a peer's level of knowledge.

am I alone here? is anyone else noticing a deteriorating level of civility particularly in the handgun forums?
 
Every day I read the news on the Yahoo home page.Some of the responses by people are so ignorant and childish that it makes me infuriated.And then I realize the idiot poster won,because that's what they want to do.The world has it's fair share of lowlifes,that's for sure.
 
Trolls are everywhere. I been reading the latest game reviews/update on new games coming out from IGN, there is so many trolls on the comments it isnt funny. Same with Yahoo and Fox, trolls in like every comment section on these sites, spamming links to sites talking way off subject etc..
 
^ +1

I think what the OP is getting at is when a thread is open, sometimes it gets off track, haters come on and bash etc... Sometimes causing a good thread to get locked.
 
Why indeed?

That said, this thread is irrelevant to firearms and handguns in particular. Moved to a more appropriate forum.
 
though this thread does not directly address a specific firearm, it does come down to a discussion about the proper etiquette involved in discussing them. it shows the frustration of a new firearms enthusiast who truly wants to learn, expand his knowledge so that he can keep himself and his family safe through the responsible and knowledgeable use of firearms and it becomes difficult when a thread that is closely followed is closed simply because some yahoo wants to pick a fight with a complete stranger over a matter that has (in most cases) almost nothign to do with the discussion at hand. this went into the general handguns discussion because it does not specifically pertain to revolvers or autoloaders but more towards the general shooting enthuisiasts populace.
 
It's the internet, everyone and anyone can play. They usually don't last long here, thats one of the things that makes this forum so great.
 
We ask that all members try to help make TFL a better place to visit by not just reading a trolling post and moving on. Please always take the time to report any trolling, rude behavior, or disparaging posts to the Staff of TFL.

Simply press the "Report this post" button at the left of the post (
report.gif
) and give us a brief explanation of why you are reporting the post - shouldn't take more than 30 seconds.

Let us decide if the post is trolling or lives up to the high standards of TFL. Please don't post in the thread your opinion of the offending member or his/her post. Instead of helping the situation, that only creates a bigger problem for us.

You might be surprised how many reports we get in a day's time. We review each and every one of them. There are times when it is determined that no action is required, but more often than not some action is taken from editing or deleting the post all the way to banning a member for the most serious offenses.
 
Trolling here seems to come in waves. But TFL is consistently one of the most civil firearms forums. If you ignore them, they really do go away.
 
One thing that's important is to distinguish between folks who are simply wrong/mistaken/misinformed and people who are trying to stir up trouble.

There are lots of folks out there who hold incorrect views or are mistaken on a particular fact. That alone doesn't make them a troll, even if they can be exasperating about it.

The staff will deal with people who stir up trouble, and reporting troublemakers makes it easier for the staff to keep the peace. On the other hand, don't count on the staff to act as the "truth police". The normal give and take dynamics and membership interaction of a healthy discussion forum should generally sort the truth out without official assistance. Besides, who's to say that the staff is always right on every topic?
 
John is absolutely correct.

I find "troll crying" -- my term for a member publicly accusing someone else of being a troll for all the wrong reasons, like asking what they think is a silly question, having contrarian views on a subject, etc. -- to be as bad, if not worse than, an actual troll.

I tend to come down on troll criers pretty hard.

If you think someone is trolling, PLEASE REPORT THE POST as Mal has described.

If you decide to conduct your own "troll hunt," don't be surprised if you're involved in a 'hunting accident.'
 
We don't need it, Joe. First, we like to keep our rules plain and simple and they describe behavior we expect. If a member can't comprehend our rules or see how the overall tone of discussion is on TFL, then they just don't belong here. Plain and simple.

One other thing: Hardly ANYONE "sees" Sticky Posts. I swear to this. You'd be amazed on the daily basis of members claiming they didn't see the Gun Show forum rules...which are prompted in every subforum header and placed as Sticky Posts in said locations.

It's an admirable recommendation, no doubt.
 
That's True, Shane

Most people just skip over the stickies because most forums use stickies too much. Also, we tend to disregard most reminders/warnings that appear at the top of every forum for the same reason... and because many folks aren't interested enough to care.

BTW, there have been many times that I missed a new sticky or something in a lengthy-written reminder/warning. But at least I have an excuse... I'm brain damaged. :D
 
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