[MWS]

Submitted for your consideration.

[MWS]

Can I get a VK ping?

[Tijeras_Slim]

MWS
Since May 16, 2001

Hmmmmm.... ;)

[stuartcr]

Zot doesn't seem too intimidating...I've seen people zotted 20 times in a row, and it doesn't seem to do anything.

[exnavy]

Can you please define "overzealious".

[TexasGreg]

I was reading and posting replies to articles for several months before I ever saw an article that hadn't been posted, and posted it. I've yet to post a Vanity thread. I have, however, made mistakes -- posted an article that had already been posted (some of you are vicious when that happens, by the way) -- and posted from a source that is forbidden (oops ... oh, well, I learned about the list that time).

At any rate ... even some of us who joined earlier this year are not trolls. Keep that in mind.

[dansangel]

MWS is too lazy to create an about page.

Aha! *TROLL*!

:-)

[b4its2late]

Whew....

b4its2late
Since May 16, 1999

[RushCrush]

I have no idea what you are talking about

[RushCrush]

[MeekOneGOP]

Pinging my list also.

FYI and for comments, folks.

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Viking Kitty/ZOT ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[Not A Snowbird]

Good advice!

I think now that the election has passed and the "real" trolls are all in Florida getting therapy, things will calm down.

We were awfully jumpy for awhile there.

[Grampa Dave]

Actually this past year quite a few embedden trolls were outed or they outed themselves in a heated exchange.

Many joined during the 2000 election and lay dorminant or posted anti GW bs for years. They were probably Moby embedded trolls.

Interesting that some survivors of this anti GW group has been very silent since the election is over.

[MEG33]

What you are saying is that it isn't prudent to call someone you disagree with a troll...I agree with that..

I do think newbies or oldies who come in with ridiculous vanities are fodder for ridicule....but not zotting.

Newbies who make posting errors should have the Mod thread with helpful guidelines posted to them..They need info ..not ridicule.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1213319/posts
This is a good one.

[Darksheare]

Thankfully, the thread has been locked, but a troll just got nuked at a troll magnet thread.
Thankfully, the thread is now locked.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/782142/posts?page=113

We have had a few trolls who did sign up in 98 and 99, but they're getting increasingly rare.
So, correct, the main bulk of them are going to be of much newer vintage.

Thankfully, they're also kinda obvious lately.

[eyespysomething]

troll.






lol

[js1138]

You don't fit either protected category. Can we zot you?

[weegee]

There are troll accounts that date back to 1998. You can check the history on some of them and see that they have not posted anything in years and these sleeper accounts are suddenly "active" again (perhaps because another account they were using was nuked). Some trolls who use such accounts signed up under a number of names.

I find a number of types of trolls:

1) Moby's Marching Morons who have never been to FR before and think that they can vent frustration or shape FReeper opinion by signing up (first time) and posting an article but no followups. (Post and run). Some of these accounts even last a couple of weeks.

2) DU trolls who return to FR again and again (often the same account getting nuked 2 or 3 times in a day).

3) Google searchers gone wrong. These trolls dredge up a 2+ year old thread somehow (I would suspect a Google search) and then start posting to the comments there in a very outraged tone. These accounts generally last a day.

4) Stealth trolls (silent but stupid). They build up a list of names to vent at (DU supposedly had a "most hated FReepers" thread), possibly they use PING lists, and then they FReepmail members profanity laced death threats and insults. Since there is no posting history, the mods won't stumble across these trolls. Sometimes the trolls will manage to send out 7 different such messages to 10s or 100s of FReepers before being caught (a recipient has to notify the mod).

There has been heavy troll activity (posting as well as registration) when the Rats have been particularly upset. 1998 signups tie in with the Clinton Impeachment. Such accounts have not all been nuked yet. Perhaps LONG dormant (5 year+) accounts should have to be reverified to be able to post again (a history of such accounts reactivating would point to a cell of sleeper accounts).

The 2000 primaries brought liberal "McCainiacs" who didn't want Bush on the ballot against their own true favored candidate Al Gore Jr. (they wanted Gore but would settle for the lesser of "2 evils" if Republicans won).

The 2000 recount got a lot of signups (the left did not like the FReepers chanting "Get out of Dick Cheney's house!").

There are even some 9-11 attack DUpers who are trolling with those accounts now. I saw a 9-16-2001 signup get rightly nuked last month.

I would advise posters to err on the side of caution before shouting "troll begone" to established posters but legacy accounts do exist (and there are some known liberals who have been permitted to remain for years). However, if something seems to be crossing the line, you CAN always send an abuse memo to the Admin Moderator.

[darkwing104]

Thanks for the good advice....Now can we get back to some healthy zotting?

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

I was in the bathroom, what did I miss?

/humor (good post MWS)

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

Not every newbie posting an article is a troll.

Premature e-ZOT!-u-lation is not easy to talk about. Thank you for making this thread possible. :o)