Redstate

By speciallist Posted in Archived — Comments (45) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

The Man Church Rules of Engagement...or...Saturday Night Fights

I have another announcement before we begin....We already have a Earl of Nacho..Joliphant.
Please remember he has decreed the new snack food is Beer and Chips...My spies have heard talk of Popcorn...that is forbidden.

We now have the Prince of the Patently Plain and Oligarch of the Obvious...John Wayne...I deem it so...Carry on.

Why is it that people will write things on Redstate that they would never even consider saying to someone else face to face?

Does the relative anonymity of the net loosen up our social inhibitions?

Or is it the fact that they know they aren't likely to get a punch on the nose for being so rude?

Or do we all suddenly think we become experts once we sit down and start to type?

Writing comments

You need to have thick skin, and be prepared to talk about things in very black and white terms. There's no room for "on the other hand" when it comes to comment. You need to know what you think, why you think it and be prepared to defend it. Who wants to read someone who says "I'm not really sure what I think but weighing up all the evidence I think both sides have good arguments." If we all did this, the comment pages would be pretty dull.

On most of the Blogs that I visit, it is often possible to tell the content and quality of the post before even reading it, just by looking at the name of the poster, spelling and grammatical errors. Some posters are always on topic and informative, some have their good and bad days, and others post mostly rubbish.

Among the greatest problems faced in a public forum is how participants may disagree without descending into either personal attacks or not-so-witty one-line repartee. There are certain "rules of engagement," if you will, which can prevent name calling and other debate no-nos.

Disagreement is never comfortable, but if we refrain from permitting it to become a war, we might learn something and keep our blood pressure down at the same time. Disagreement can be fruitful. But it will be fruitful only so long as certain guidelines are followed.

The Good guys

Grant your opponent respect. This means you must allow that he or she can examine the facts and come to a different conclusion from you. This is harder than it sounds, particularly for those who view disagreement as a personal affront, or a sign of stupidity.

You must be able to separate others' disagreement with your ideas from attacks on your person. Beware of the overly subjective individual who identifies with certain ideals/ideas to such an extent that disagreement is considered to constitute a personal threat. Such persons hold to the perception, "You're either with me or you're against me."

Objectivity means recognizing the difference between a fact and an opinion. It's usually a good idea to indicate in some manner that you realize it's an opinion. "It seems to me..." or "It's been my experience..." or the ever-popular, extremely useful IMHO (in my humble opinion).

Being able to recognize that interpretation of 'fiction' is opinion, not fact, is as essential to productive feedback as to productive debate.

No matter what your opponent says to you, do not respond with obscenities. Doing so shows deplorably bad manners and convinces any onlookers that you were raised in a barn.

In any debate, even polite ones, there is always a certain degree of side-taking. Onlookers who are convinced by, or agree already with the arguments of one participant or another. Onlookers who choose to speak out should obey the same polite rules of engagement as anyone else. Also, it is helpful to state why one agrees. "John's right and you're wrong" is neither convincing nor helpful.

Prevent "side-taking" from becoming mere ego-massage. It helps to keep the focus on the matter at hand, not the personalities involved. Persons who have tender egos should think twice before leaping into a debate.

If you have a tendency to take disagreement personally...stay out of debates! People have skins of differing thicknesses. What may strike you as insulting may have been meant innocently. Assume ignorance, not malice, and inform your opponent if he or she just said something which struck as hostile or personal.

Don't be afraid to employ humor. Humor in debate keeps blood from boiling.

Don't use religious principles or canons as absolutes. Recognize that not everyone may hold the same beliefs. Some debates directly concern religious points, but introducing them into an otherwise unrelated issue is inappropriate. The use of religious principles or canons in debate must be treated as opinions, not facts.

Be man (or woman) enough to concede. If one's opponent convinces....admit it! Those who can never admit to being wrong show fragile ego structure. The real point of any debate is not to win, but to learn.

Know when to quit. There is a point in any debate when continued discussion ceases to be fruitful and becomes mere argument. Graceful closure is as important as graceful conduct. One does not have to have the last word, and it is permissible to say, "I'm sorry, I'm just not convinced." Agree to disagree. Then END THE THREAD.

Finally, watch grammar, Its a telling sign that you are furiously pounding at the keyboard. This is not a petty point. One cannot convince others of one's glittering wit and clever insight if it's delivered full of misspellings and grammar errors. Instead, take your time, you can say in one thought out post, more than you could say in ten, hastily pounded out.

The Bad guys

Some people feed on conflict; this is how they get their jollies. It's a sign of unhealthy social adjustment. Such individuals will make inflammatory remarks simply to irritate.

A typical Troll is looking for a response...ANY response, and he will chum the waters with complaints, insults, compliments, inflammatory tidbits and just plain ranting, hoping that someone...ANYONE, will take the bait. He can upset the delicate ecology of a Thread.

Yet there are also individuals who aren't trolls but still jump into debates with both feet for the thrill of pixxing off others: gadflies. Don't confuse the two.

Fresh Fish (h/t EPU)

We need to adjust the way we deal with "Fresh Fish". We are scaring away to many that might be caught.....converted. And the ones that Can't be converted are succeeding way to often with their trouble making.

Recognizing a target

A trolls intention is baiting other users into an emotional response and an unending rhetorical dialog. You must turn the tables.

In order for us to have some fun without making the site look bad, all participants must be able to identify a trouble maker and obey rules of engagement. They're just on rampage and should be treated accordingly, Laugh at them but don't back them into a corner.

Once a forum becomes aware of a presence, all feeding activity must cease and the Troll must be surrendered to the First or Second person that replied to it.

If they are being over the top with bad language or personal attacks, Admins will Boot them before long, ignore them and don't lower yourself to their level. Doing so certainly won't accomplish anything except to make you and the site look just as foolish.

Engaging a target

First Rule...Surrender the troll to the First or/and second person that Replies to it. If ten people reply with 'your a dummy' comments you are giving the troll what he wants and it makes Redstate look kind of lame.

The first or second person to reply to the potential trouble maker must fish for his/her confidence and, once found, exploit it. Replying with 5 paragraphs to rubbish simply makes you look foolish. Grit your teeth and pick One area/quote where you think the trolls argument is weak.

Reply with just one or two sentences, not a full blown response. Wait.....Wait...for them to reply....DON'T chase, make them work...Some trolls will write a blog and never go back and engage the people who comment.

The suspected troll must answer at least one question for every two comments he posts. He may even choose to answer one of his own questions. For the conversation to progress and be productive, it must answer questions, too.

You can talk about the weather, or what you had for dinner last week, or the movie you saw last night, or the vacation you're planning next month. You might even take a stab at reading his mind, or maybe you'd like to speculate on his fashion sense (or lack thereof), his eating habits, his profession, or his dating success.

BE CAREFUL...If you engage a troll who has no intentions of 'Back and forth', it makes you look foolish, so you must 'feel out' the intruder and see if he will engage in debate. If they are not willing to engage...you MUST enforce the Hinz rule and let their blog or comment fall to the bottom.

Remember...No more than one or two people engage. Please don't pile on...that's what the troll wants is to get Everybody riled up. Watch the festivities. You'll really get a laugh if the good guy who engaged the troll can't keep up or is not two steps ahead. Be careful what you ask for!

A good ploy to 'feel out' an intruder that I seldom see employed here, is to pick part of their blog or comment and create a False fact. For example...when somebody you have engaged is gushing about the state where they are from, about a candidate that they like,
or about a law or issue they are advocating, you can use this to find out if they Really know what they are talking about or if they are just full of it. But above all, Keep it to a minimum until your sure. And please be thinking two steps ahead.

Internet Trolls

Internet Trolls are disgusting, smelly creatures that live under bridges. Trolls eat goats and small children.

Moderators have to deal with several types of trolls. I would like to introduce you to them now. They are in a class by themselves.

Shock Patroll
Disgusting...In his resident trashcan he has a vast selection of Foul language and Ad hominem personal attacks. He usually hits before you can circle the wagons to protect the “wimmenfolk”. DO NOT REPLY. You are making a mistake by reporting the intruder to the moderators. Worst yet, some folks begin posting, “Eeek! There’s a Troll!” causing the troll to heighten his attack. The only fitting punishment is banishment from the community.

Master of Illusion Troll
Pulling countless white lies out of his hat, this Master of Deceit plays his tricks on the trusting eyes of an established internet community. Targeting those who still believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. Some of the well-seasoned posters are privy to this game of cards. However, trusting souls are sucked quickly into his mind games. The way to control his act is, find the weak link in his house of cards, knocking them flat, thus ending his performance. The key to defeating him is to discover his bag of tricks and expose the Ace up his sleeve.

The Combat-Ready Troll
This warmonger likes to fight. Hand-to-hand combat, early morning air-strikes, fully armored vehicles, he launches all the weapons at hand with lethal intent. Invincible in his own mind, he spars with an extensive and exhaustive verbal arsenal targeting members and moderators alike. DO NOT REPLY...these kind will be banned in short order.

Hit-and-Run Troll
His sudden appearance can put the most placid member into a skid as he goes for personal injury and summons up emotional outbursts by all who read his posts. He is gone before you can take down his number. Don't become emotional..do not chase...leave one reply and see if you can engage.

The Tonya Harding Troll
In true freestyle fashion, this troll skates on thin ice. Jumping from topic to topic stirring up enough heat to melt a glacier. He studies the rule book carefully and looks for the weak comments. Knowing that a “back flip” is illegal, he performs it anyway calling it a “lay-out single.” He’ll argue till he’s blue in the face that it really wasn’t a “back flip” after all. Whomever engages this troll will have to be at the top of their game.

Toddler Troll
It is elementary when dealing with this primitive troll. He appears needy, wanting to be pacified. They are whiners. These trolls can be easily manipulated and can be of great entertainment. If Toddler Troll doesn’t get the attention he needs, he pitches a classic tantrum posting his fits in UPPER CASE to make a point. Many gullible members rush in to soothe him, pat him on the back and tell him he is a wonderful person. The First and/or second Good guy to engage must be left alone...Don't worry you'll get the next one.

The Stalker Troll
He is a scary individual. A Peeping Tom of sorts. This individual is looking for one thing- victims. He will follow you from post to post...Unwanted communications soon follow. The Stalking Troll is calm and in control. When dismissed from the forums, he will try and re-register immediately or launch an off-board campaign against whoever he believes is responsible for his banishment. Be careful engaging this one.

The Holy Troller
The Holy Troller believes that he has found a new congregation. He clambers up on his soapbox and prepares his sermon, It is your job to make him an Unbeliever.

The Great Pretender Troll
This troll is all things to all people. Medical problem? He’s a doctor. Debating a topic? He’s your instant, ready–to-greet Politician. Problem with your pet? He isn’t a veterinarian, but he plays one on the Internet. A super-hero in his own mind. His x-ray vision makes him pretty transparent. Keep it Simple. Posters tire of his grandiose early on. Keep him around for entertainment value. He will raise your posting count quickly!

The Politically Incorrect Troll
Putting both feet squarely in his mouth, this troll preaches to a choir that isn’t there. His radical beliefs can be right-wing, left-wing, racist, animal rights, or world domination. Full of rhetoric, there is no meaty center to this troll. Consume with care.

The “Goodbye You Meanie’s” Troll
The members are “mean,” the moderators are “biased,” the rules are “unfair”. The curtain call that never ends, this troll wants all the attention or he will take all his marbles and go home. But he must have lost his compass, because he never quite gets around to leaving.

These are the Internet trolls that stand out from the rest. There are hundreds to choose from. My hope is that in describing these types, I have prepared you for future encounters.

If someone joins the blog, immediately posts articles meant to get a rise out of others, but does not have enough affinity to chat or enjoy other's company, that's probably a troll. A genuine blogger enjoys the company of others here, and it shows.

If someone makes an attack on you, the messenger rather than the message, try not to rise to it. Ignore it and remain on topic. In the end, unless the parties involved are known to be good friends, the insult-er will probably come off looking like a horse's axx whether that blogger "wins" the argument or not. Kill with kindness.

If you suspect a troll, you can try to be first to engage or just watch, unless there's a particular fact that you can refute empirically and letting it stand unchallenged will fuel myth and misconception. The blog gets poisoned if we respond with poison or let trolls make us chase every bogus poll and article they scrounge up.

Brush your teeth. Nobody brushes or flosses like they should, as my intensive dental repairs can attest. It's just a good idea, and blogging is as good an excuse as any. And smile while you type.

ALL Trolls crave attention. That is the sole reason they exist. Even after they have been banned...Don't pile on...that's what they want. Talk about or insert Epic tales of trolls in future blogs, its great to add a little humor to them without giving the troll After-Ban attention.

Open thread as always.....Now..belly up to the Blog.

"Simpson/I Just love people who wear their religion on their sleve. So superior. I'm sure your cars sports a nice little plastic Jesus fish to let everyone know that you are a believer"....john wayne