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.

[netmilsmom]

Good job summarizing! You are great!

[I Am Not A Mod]

I should have added that I periodically look at that page. The preponderance of lefty sites in the related sites section is new. Either those who browse those sites to see what the adversaries are up to have stepped up their activity, or it is what I suggested that I think it is- trolls.

Plus, it is not like this list is of the sites most Freepers would go to in order to check up on the left. Some of these are pretty obscure.

[IncPen]

The other thing is, not everybody likes Reagan. I don't put my lifelong distaste for the man and why I feel him vastly overrated and why I feel others are using him name to feather their own pillows out of respect for the feelings of his family and admirers in the difficult time of his very tragic illness I wouldn't wish on anybody.

I had a rather benign view of Reagan, even tho I voted for him, until recently.

If you can, check out "In His Own Hand", which is a book of his (handwritten) radio addresses from the 1960s and 70s. It proves the 'amiable dunce' theory quite wrong, and shows that Reagan had formulated his political views early on, and his vision was executed without wavering wherever he had the opportunity to implement it.

There's another book of his correspondences that I spent some time reading at the library, and he comes across and a genuine and engaging sport; not the 'taciturn', aloof, dimwit that the media would have you believe.

I'm not saying you'll be in love with him, but it certainly was in stark contrast to the picture you get of him from 'the media'.

[I Am Not A Mod]

"Although Alexa can and does track click behavior, the information you refer to is the result of their "editorial process", where they look for "similar" sites."

You are suggesting that The Hollow Planet, the Billboard Liberation Front, and Mobilization for Global Justice are similar sites? Not buying it.

Plus, just a few weeks ago there were sites there that were more what one would expect, such as NRO and Frontpagemag and so forth.

Besides, Alexa's own explanation contradicts what you say is how it works:

For example, Alexa uses links on the crawled pages to find related sites. The day-to-day use of What's Related also helps build and refine the data. As the service is used, the requested URLs are logged. By looking at high-level trends, Netscape and Alexa can deduce relationships between web sites.

[I Am Not A Mod]

"I fail to see how anyone in their right mind would let someone track something as private as surfing habits."

Let's say you were part of a radical group that wanted badly to have everyone think they were larger and more important than they really are. A group which wants everyone to think that 'lots of people think like we do', and not that they are a bunch of left-wing radicals. One way to do so would be to ensure that the group is over-represented in a tracking sample, such as by having them all use the toolbar.

[I Am Not A Mod]

"If you don't mind my asking, where does Jim say that?"

He said it on the abuse report page for this thread when I started it.

[Gothmog]

You might be interested in this

[bicycle thug]

I'll check it out. Reagan was anything but stupid. And he did many great things in his time. I became aware of him in the sixties and on that very personal level on how someone strikes you I found him grating on my nerves. And I don't trust everyone invoking his name.

If President Reagan were healthy, I believe he would not like those instances where the person mentioning him reaped large personal gain. Like I said, he was far from a dummy.

My point to the person starting this thread is that he or she should be careful about grading FReepers in a black and white fashion.

The moderators here understand shades of gray and do an excellent job filtering out those who should move on with little error. I see no point in trying to do their job for them.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Funny because the last person to post to me last night accused me of being a troll .. for defending father's rights and the Constitution, and the rule of law.

HA- HA.

This is a timely ping! There are some very confused people ( liberal women from what I have seen the last few days )around here and lots of real trolls. Watch out.. you may have just gotten a post from one. ;]

[I Am Not A Mod]

You are missing something- I am one of the moderators. We post from this account (the screen name is sarcastic) when we don't want to clutter up the LM, AM, or SM self-search and don't want to have our pagers going off whenever someone replies to the thread.

[Tribune7]

Good work.

[MeekOneGOP]

I didn't see many that I visit except I noted NewsMax and Drudge, WND. May have been more though.

They didn't mention the CUPUSA and Moron.org, er MoveOn.org. I drop in now and then, but just to see what they're up to ...

Thanks for the heads up !

[Devil_Anse]

LOL. You're a mod? Good, because when I posted to you, I also wanted to include "Admin. Mod.", but I couldn't seem to abbreviate or punctuate it right, so the system kept saying "no such poster".

Please make note of the problem I described. Some of us have been wanting to report this odd trend we noticed, and I wasn't sure how to articulate it. There is little that I know for sure about all those names, except that they almost always sign up about the time the thread is put up, they almost always try to trump other posters by claiming to know someone mentioned in the news report, they use a name for a few days or exclusively for posting on one single thread (then abandon the posting name), and they all sound like the same semi-literate idiot.

I'm not saying such trends have not come and gone from FR in the past; I'm just saying that in the here-and-now, we have been annoyed by someone who is doing it NOW! And the mystery troll is PROLIFIC!

[halley]

Believe what you want to. These "editors" are only lightly literate web-surfers, who only scratch enough to believe that these are all political, or community, or bulletin board sites: that's how they are similar. Again, several of our sites are ranked in the top 5,000 by Alexa and the links are stone cold wrong or out of date.

[Lead Moderator]

"There is little that I know for sure about all those names, except that they almost always sign up about the time the thread is put up, they almost always try to trump other posters by claiming to know someone mentioned in the news report, they use a name for a few days or exclusively for posting on one single thread (then abandon the posting name), and they all sound like the same semi-literate idiot."

We've caught one or two like that. The best thing to do when you see one is hit abuse on that thread, and just ask if the person you are curious might be a returning bannee. Thanks, LM

[I Am Not A Mod]

Like I said, I'll belive their own description of how they come up with them:

The day-to-day use of What's Related also helps build and refine the data. As the service is used, the requested URLs are logged. By looking at high-level trends, Netscape and Alexa can deduce relationships between web sites.

[Stop Legal Plunder]

Excellent expose.

BTTT.

[Constitution Day]

VK ping!

The mods are doing some behind-the-scenes sleuthing... very interesting.

[Stop Legal Plunder]

I visit DU every day, often more than once. I can't help it. It's like when you see a bad accident on the road and can't stop rubbernecking.

LOL!

[Constitution Day]

By the way, OUTSTANDING work.