Something Interesting Alexa Showed Me Regarding Recent Trolling Activity

[I Am Not A Mod]

Hi everyone.

One of the things I have noticed lately is that, at least from where I sit, trolling activity has increased greatly recently. Many relatively new accounts, or older accounts with previously little or no activity, suddenly coming on and posting negative comments about President Reagan, saying they are lifelong Republicans but no more, and a bunch of other things that could be legitimately held beliefs on their part but when taken in aggregate make it clear that there is quite a bit of trolling action going on.

I found the following to be quite illuminating. Alexa.com is a website which tracks web usage for those who voluntarily use their software (a browser toolbar extension). They accumulate the data and compile it into useful reports, such as traffic reports. They also report on related topics-- "People who visit this page also visit".

So, what sites do "People who visit" Free Republic also visit?

• The Hollow Planet:

  "Progressive-left activist news and essays with an extensive link page to all things counter cultural and activist."

• Co-op America:

  "Contains information on boycott campaigns, sweatshop activism, public service, barter and LETSystems to regenerate local economies in the service of local needs."

• CIVICUS - Worldwide Alliance for Citizen Participation:

  ""Promoting a worldwide community of informed, inspired, committed citizens who are actively engaged in confronting the challenges facing humanity." In English, Español, Français."

• Emc:

  " People who visit this page also visit:

  • Clarity Web-Portal for Issue Resolution and Social Action. clarity.aurdev.com - Site info 
    
    
  • A SEED Europe www.aseed.net - Site info 
    
    
  • Mobilization for Global Justice www.a16.org - Site info 
    
    
  • Resist Corporate Rule tao.ca/~resist - Site info 
    
    
  • Co-op America www.coopamerica.org - Site info 
    
    
  • International Action Center www.iacenter.org - Site info 
    
    
  • Free Republic www.freerepublic.com - Site info 
    
    
  • Do Something www.dosomething.org - Site info 
    
    
  • CIVICUS - Worldwide Alliance for Citizen Participation www.civicus.org - Site info 
    
    
  • Essential.Org www.essential.org - Site info 
    
    

  "

• OpenWords.Com:

  " People who visit this page also visit:

  • Celebrate Capitalism www.celebratecapitalism.org - Site info 
    
    
  • Latino Education Network Service palante.org - Site info 
    
    
  • Industrial Workers of the World www.iww.org - Site info 
    
    
  • Save The Good Friday Agreement Coal members.tripod.com/SavetheGFA - Site info 
    
    
  • A Call To Charms calltocharms.faithweb.com - Site info 
    
    
  • Photo of Fritz Weidner www.pivot.net/~weidner/fcw150x150-1.jpg - Site info 
    
    
  • [maine Greens Update] Fritz Weidner lists.psouth.net/pipermail/mainegreens/2002-June/000008... - Site info 
    
    
  • Woodstock Electronic Press ewoodstock.com - Site info 
    
    
  • Portalscripts.com www.portalscripts.com - Site info 
    
    
  • OurVoices www.ourvoices.org - Site info 
    
    

  "

• League of the NewJust:

  "Concerned about growing environmental harm, the increasing power of transnational corporations and other matters which affect the quality of life on Earth. "The chains of capitalism and the quest for profit obscures the path leading to true happiness and self-actualisation. In ignorant denial, capitalists fail to acknowledge the inherent unsustainability of their system as well as its intrinsic wrongdoing, crime against, not only humanity, but against a larger purpose, against mother Gaia and the great interrelated systems of the Universe."

• Government Is Not God Political Action Committee:

  "GING-PAC raises support for socially conservative legislation and candidates" [Hey! A conservative one! Who would have thought?]

• Focus on the Family:

  "Offers practical help for your marriage and child-rearing. Recent magazine articles, letters from Dr. James Dobson, news, and RealAudio broadcasts." [Score another for the good guys]

• Do Something:

  "Encourages young people to create their own vision for making a difference in their community and provides them with the resources and support needed."

• Billboard Liberation Front:

  ""Improving" outdoor advertising since 1977."

• Facing the Future presents Creative Action:

  "We are often overwhelmed by global problems - hungry childgren, rainforest destruction, over population and global warming. Creative Action helps you get involved in solving critical global issues."

• A SEED Europe:

  "Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment and Development, a global organization linking youth groups and individuals. Information on campaigns, action reports, news, agenda and publications for ordering or download."

• Mobilization for Global Justice:

  " People who visit this page also visit:

  • The Hollow Planet members.primary.net/~gmarshal - Site info 
    
    
  • Resist Corporate Rule tao.ca/~resist - Site info 
    
    
  • Direct Action Youth www.geocities.com/djh_uk/day.html - Site info 
    
    
  • Facing the Future presents Creative Action www.creativeaction.org - Site info 
    
    
  • Co-op America www.coopamerica.org - Site info 
    
    
  • CIVICUS - Worldwide Alliance for Citizen Participation www.civicus.org - Site info 
    
    
  • A SEED Europe www.aseed.net - Site info 
    
    
  • Clarity Web-Portal for Issue Resolution and Social Action. clarity.aurdev.com - Site info 
    
    
  • 50 Years Is Enough www.50years.org - Site info 
    
    
  • Indymedia.org www.indymedia.org - Site info 
    
    

  See more Related Links...

  ---

  People who are interested in this site also bought:

  "

• Clarity Web-Portal for Issue Resolution and Social Action.:

  "Details solutions and everyday actions we can take to confront the many issues we face: environmental, social, governmental, and economic. Provides links, essays, articles, and other resources to that end. Takes on a systemic/holistic view of the world and the issues we are facing."

• Drudgereport.com: Hi Matt. Keep up the good work.

• Win Without War:

  "Coalition of national organizations offering a mainstream voice advocating alternatives to preemptive war against Iraq. Current actions, member organizations, alternatives to war, press room, and resources."

• Pax Christi USA:

  "Christian non-violence organization. Includes press releases and information on memberships."

• Newsmax.com Keep up the good work, Carl.

• International ANSWER:

  "Activist group against war and racism, formed in response to the rush to war following the September 11 attacks. Background reading, fact sheets, campaigns, petitions, action alerts, and resources for activism."

• Worldnetdaily.com

  Somehow, I doubt all those people from the left-leaning sites on this list are just lurking and browsing here.

  Just some food for thought.

[StarCMC]

How do you do it? (Visit DU) I tried a couple of times and I just get so honked -- maybe I need to try their tactics on them!!!!

[AxelPaulsenJr]

I have a question slightly off subject.

The poster, "MrLeRoy" has been banned. Recently a poster named, "No King but Jesus" has suddenly started posting in almost the same exact style and manner as did MrLeRoy.

Many of us in FR think that the two posters are one in the same. In that No King but Jesus has not been banned as were some of LeRoy's other incarnations, most notably, "The Coach" or something to that effect, are we to take it that No King but Jesus is not just another incarnation of LeRoy?

Thanks, APJ

[Lead Moderator]

Not the same guy as MrLeRoy. Neither was The Coach.

[BOBTHENAILER]

I haven't reached any hard-and-fast conclusions about why this idiot is doing all this; just thought people here should know about it.

Great job. Exposing the trolls is always useful.

[BOBTHENAILER]

If Jim charged 1$ for everytime a phoney conservative posted the above or some version of it, we would never have to have a Freepathon again.

I'd bet we could also have Freepfare and FReemedicine too.

[Grampa Dave]

To have FreepFare and FreepMedicine, Jim would have to charge $5/for every post/reply saying, "GW has done it now! I will never vote for him again!"

[Sam's Army]

"Hey....maybe Jim Robinson can get us good guys/gals secret decoder rings to authenticate us!"

D_O_N_T_F_O_R_G_E_T_T_O_D_R_I_N_K_Y_O_U_R_O_V_A_L_T_I_N_E

[Wheee The People]

Well I've been accused of being a troll because I dare to dispute the Terri bots on death with dignity issues. Conservatives by and large support the right to death with dignity and I'm a staunch conservative.

Some people try to stifle legitimate debate and opinion by screaming troll at anyone they disagree with.

[AxelPaulsenJr]

Not the same guy as MrLeRoy. Neither was The Coach.

Wow, thanks for the info. But you sure could have fooled me. In many of "No King but Jesus'" postings I could almost hear LeRoy saying his patented line.

"Prove your claim"

LOL

[BOBTHENAILER]

GW has done it now! I will never vote for him again!"

Translated into Troll and Plantspeak for: "I LOVE DEAN".

[Sloth]

Wow, you guys are observant. Good work.

[af_vet_rr]

10-4 on that. There is no RealMedia video or audio stream I need to see/hear enough to make me load that crap on a system.

Real Alternative - with Windows, it uses an older version of media player classic to basically bootstrap the realplayer codecs. Newer versions of Windows Media Player are very picky (they don't want you playing RM files, they want you using their formats) and so normally you'd have to install RealBloatWare Player.

On a thread-related note, I'm a bit shocked so many people aren't keeping an eye on what is on their machines or is being tracked. Alexa is, while not the worst, still a bit unsettling, and while it appears to be installed automatically with updates of Internet Explorer these days, still, you shouldn't be tracked unless you want to be.

[Freedom2specul8]

Glad you posted that! Others can now watch out for it too..

[RebelBanker]

Very interesting...

BTW, sorry if I double-reported "bothsidesnow" - I had not realized she(?) was already being watched.

[Palladin]

Very very interesting. Thanks for all the work you did to bring us this information.

We have known for years that the enemy lurks here, plotting and planning against us.

Tough luck to all the commies, socialists, Birkenstock do-do birds, Bush-haters, Greens, environuts, feminazis, PETA idiots, anarchists, Al-Quaeda and other ghoulish species who spy on us!

We are stronger than all of you put together!! We will prevail, and you will die, Commie-scum!

[Freedom2specul8]

" ""Well, I am a lifelong Republican ever since ...BUT now"

Didn't shawn hannity or rush have the same thing happen on their show? I seem to recall one of them mentioning it on the radio show. (It was a few months ago I think..I don't get to listen very often)

[Sloth]

Well I've been accused of being a troll because I dare to dispute the Terri bots on death with dignity issues. Conservatives by and large support the right to death with dignity and I'm a staunch conservative.

Perhaps because that particular case involves the "right" to provide "death with dignity" to someone who has not expressed any desire for it.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"I, too, have noticed older accounts that seem to suddenly come to life. But in this case, they seem to come on (believe it or not) the threads about the Laci Peterson murder."

Bad example. There is a mob mentality on those threads at times. If you disagree, you get flamed. And then people fight back. Sticking to political threads is much more accurate.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"There is another group that waits until good economic news is posted. Then they rally together to attack the good news and try to make it not important."

Closeted socialists, always spewing the same rhetoric.

90% of their posts are limited to these threads only. To me, argumentative/combative posters who only post on 1 subject are trolls.

[af_vet_rr]

"Well, I am a lifelong Republican ever since the Jurasic era, but unless President Bush campaigns for __( enter your favorite fringed johnny-one-note issue here )__ then this Republican will not be voting for him again!"

That's one of my favorite lines to see/hear in a discussion, it's like a little kid saying "if you don't buy me this toy I'm going to find some other parents". I had a friend actually say something those lines and I replied "well that does it, if President Bush doesn't campaign for me to get a billion dollars this year, then I won't vote for him again!". He wasn't too amused, but he saw my point.

I will say there is a difference between somebody demanding the President be a cheerleader for their favorite issue, and drawing a line and saying "step over this line and I no longer support you".

I think everybody here has lines, that if crossed by a President or Senator or whatever, they would not support them. That's just part of the nature of being a Conservative as opposed to a liberal who will waffle over anything and has a spine filled with jello.