Damn the Trolls, Full Speed Ahead!

My beloved trolls and stalkers will be happy to learn that I will continue this blog. I've gotten a number of appeals from fans in comments and through private emails not to act on that first impulse to shut this thing down.

So, I won't.

I found a good site with some sensible advice on how to identify and deal with trolls, spammers, and stalkers. It contains some ways to spot troublemakers like the following:

An article on Computer World.com has a LOT of important information about different types of online abuse:

Spamming troll: Posts to many newsgroups with the same verbatim post.

Kooks: A regular member of a forum who habitually drops comments that have no basis on the topic or even in reality.

Flamer: Does not contribute to the group except by making inflammatory comments.

Hit-and-runner: Stops in, make one or two posts and move on.

Psycho trolls: Has a psychological need to feel good by making others feel bad.

Cyberstalkers

Cyberstalkers can also assume many different forms, according to Wood, although they’re basically characterized by a continuing pattern of communication that the recipient considers to be offensive. Other common traits of cyberstalkers are malice, premeditation, repetition, distress to the victim, an obsession on the part of the stalker, seeking of revenge, threats that make victims fear for their physical safety and disregarded warnings to stop.

As with trolls, there are several different types of cyberstalkers, according to Wood:

Intimate partner: The most common type of stalker, this is usually a man who has a history of controlling and emotional abuse during a relationship.

Delusional stalkers: This type of stalker builds an entire relationship with the victim in his or her mind, whether any prior contact has taken place or not. Such stalkers are likely to have a major mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or erotomania, which means they believe the victim is in love with them. The typical delusional stalker is unmarried, socially immature and a loner who is unable to sustain close relationships with others.

Vengeful stalker: This type of person is angry with the victim due to some real or imagined insult or injury. Some of these stalkers are psychopaths — a person affected with an antisocial personality disorder — who have no conscience or remorse. They may have paranoid delusions, often feeling that they themselves are victims and are striving to get even.

Could any of these be you, my trollish darlings?

The question remains, to comment moderate, or not to comment moderate? I've tried it for awhile, and frankly I'm inclined not to use it. I think it dampens the conversation, and troll comments will get zapped anyway whether I moderate them or not. This website suggests keeping a log of regular trolls and troll comments just in case a report needs to be made to the blog police (or to the real police).

So, it looks like I will stay in business after all. I do need the outlet to hold forth, and occasionally to vent.