Attack of the Nazi Trolls: A Lesson for Message Board Moderators

Richardpoe.com ^ | 10-27-03 | Richard Poe

[SJackson]

Wednesday, August 13, 2003 at 13:41

Attack of the Nazi Trolls: A Lesson for Message Board Moderators

In a recent blog entry titled, "I've Been Red-Baited!", I wrote, "I'm not familiar with LibertyForum.org, but it appears to be an anti-Bush, anti-war message board with a distinctly anti-Jewish undertone."

A member of LibertyForum.org named Max Soldo (aka "thoughtcriminal") has responded by e-mail and provided further clarification of LibertyForum's political orientation. He writes:

This forum is a libertarian forum, and is devoted to the libertarian concept of unabashed free speech. With that principle in mind, most posters aren't libertarian as many fringe types have taken advantage of this policy (which includes a no-banning policy) to run amok...hence the preponderance of anti-Jewish posts on this forum.

All of this raises interesting questions for any message board moderator -- such as myself -- who has tried his best to allow a relatively high level of free expression. Inevitably, Nazi trolls find your forum and begin probing your defenses. If you allow them to post messages, they immediately spread the word to other Nazi trolls and soon your message board is infested.

At that point, all the normal people stop posting. It's a bit like when a fight breaks out in a bar and everyone stops talking and turns to watch the fight, transfixed. Suddenly, your message board becomes an arena for Nazi trolls and people arguing with Nazi trolls.

This is called "free speech."

I decided long ago that allowing Nazi trolls to occupy my message board and drive off everyone who does not share their idiosyncratic obsessions is a very poor method for encouraging "free speech." Therefore, I make frequent and forceful use of such allegedly un-libertarian methods as censoring and, when necessary, banning troublemakers, brownshirted or otherwise.

Apparently, the decision-makers at LibertyForum.org have adopted a different approach. As a result, their self-styled "libertarian" message board has become, by Mr. Soldo's description, a playground for non-libertarian "fringe types" to "run amok."

"It does get quite ugly at times, but that's the price one pays for sticking to one's principles," writes Mr. Soldo in a subsequent e-mail.

Well, if that's the price, I don't think I'm willing to pay it. I will add the sad fate of LibertyForum.org to my growing list of reasons for rethinking whether or not I wish to continue calling myself a "libertarian."

 

[aloysius89]

There is much here in this definition which could easily be seen to apply to the efforts of "trolls" to restrain free speech. Bell Labs has done exhaustive studies regarding signal to noise ratio. I think the analogy to signal and noise on the internet is apt. "artifice...srategem..trick", rights injured.

Noise prevents speech.

[truthandjustice1]

"to say nothing of the rabid attack dogs poised to spring on ME threads"

and they have the ping list to prove it.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Am I late? Did I miss anything? And hey, how come the Nazi Trolls get all the attention? What about us Iroquois who long for the return of our north american empire? Huh? Huh? How come there is no thread dedicated to us, and our history of Genocide? No fair... waaaaaaa! and stuff...

[AmishDude]

With all due respect to JimRob, and with all seriousness, yours is the most profound post on the whole thread!

[snopercod]

There's something wrong with that traffic graph. There are no dips on the weekends.

Anyone who spends time on FR on the weekends like I do knows that it's totally dead on weekends.

[truthandjustice1]

"Molecules were similar from whatever substances obtained, yet the evidence then adduced in support of the supposition was far from satisfactory; and I may add, that I am still less satisfied now that such is the fact."

How much less satisfied?

[Chad Fairbanks]

I'm like that sometimes... ;0)

[truthandjustice1]

Just curious, how long has Liberty Forum been around?

[MissAmericanPie]

"Apparently, the decision-makers at LibertyForum.org have adopted a different approach. As a result, their self-styled "libertarian" message board has become, by Mr. Soldo's description, a playground for non-libertarian "fringe types" to "run amok."

I have to disagree, it isn't just a playground for non-libertarian "fringe types", it is also a petri dish labratory example of why libertairiansim can never work and is without merit to found a government on. Libertairianism counts on the next guy having some self control, respect for others, and pure agendas, that is just not the world we live in.

[tpaine]

Perhaps it is a mistake to give you the attention you so desire. Hard to tell . . .

---

Not hard at all.

Show us how smart you are and quit posting to me..

[truthandjustice1]

"Anyone who spends time on FR on the weekends like I do knows that it's totally dead on weekends"

With the possible exception of the Challenger thread. Believe that happened on a Saturday. Right?

[Helix]

A logarithmic scale. The stuff of nightmares.

[Cultural Jihad]

Just curious, how long has Liberty Forum been around?

Apparently, that anarcho-ideologue website which is a fave of Nazis was registered on February 5, 2001.

[Bob J]

Get off it. Skinheads are removed immediately and without ceremony. What you got were people who wouldn't play by the posting rules and since you didn't have any, he was performing a public service.

Your whining about how Jim ruined your site is sophomoric.

[Catspaw]

I noted you were left off :>)

Yup, that Jewdar sniffed out the real Jews from the honorary Jews like my Dad's beagle could sniff out a rabbit.

But being relegated to the B list? I tell ya, it stings.

[Cultural Jihad]

Your whining about how Jim ruined your site is sophomoric.

It fits right into his liberal philosophy which proffers that everything is all society's fault.

[aloysius89]

no dips on the weekends...
no dips?
really?

[truthandjustice1]

"Apparently, that anarcho-ideologue website which is a fave of Nazis was registered on February 5, 2001."

You don't have any strong opinions about this site, do you? (Btw: I know little about this site) However, if FR has peaked, and this site is growing, what does that suggest about the FR premis?

[Neets]

OUCH for that Oct dip....

[Catspaw]

Am I late? Did I miss anything? And hey, how come the Nazi Trolls get all the attention? What about us Iroquois who long for the return of our north american empire? Huh? Huh? How come there is no thread dedicated to us, and our history of Genocide? No fair... waaaaaaa! and stuff...

I feel your pain, Chad. But, well, er, you could start your own thread about Iroquois (you insert the word here __________), we could divide up into pro and anti Iroquois factions and duke it out into infinity.