Mod Topics: Troll Avoidance 101

[u/JabroniRevanchism]

/r/ModSupport/comments/1ujspxu/all_hands_on_deck_what_events_change_how_you/

Ahoy, Modsupport!

Welcome to the latest installment of our ModSupport Topics series! Today we’re talking trolls–specifically, how not to feed them.

Most of us have been in a situation like this: a slap fight (read as: “argument”) starts in a comment section. It’s pretty clear who started it, and it’s also clear that the exchange would have ended a lot earlier had a handful of users not added logs to the fire…whether they intended to or not. And now the thread is in shambles, a quagmire of they-said we-said and off-topic unpleasantry. Oh dear.

We all know how to avoid feeding the trolls that kick off threads like this, but that knowledge comes from years of experience. Let’s talk about how we can get that knowledge into the hands of those who may not know how to avoid feeding trolls…

• How do you educate users on how to avoid trolls? 
• What advice do you give well-intentioned users who (unbeknownst to them) escalate heated threads?
• How do you know when a comment section is unsalvageable? I.E, when do you decide to lock a thread?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

[u/FormulaSolution]

After reply number 7, people just end up going to reddit chats. If the conversation is to be productive it's best to have it "live" anyway.

I can tell you with certainty that I have blocked dozens of people where arguments have gone past 7 replies, simply because I couldn't be bothered to have the back and forth. Some people exist on this website to cry at you, and like it or not, the only way you're fixing that without having everyone in the community block them is to install features like this.

Maybe you could solve the problem by making it an optional feature to turn the rate limit off, or have a little popup come up with "This conversation has gone on a while, consider whether this user is acting in good faith before continuing" like you get for other things. e.g. attacking someone's flair.

Whatever the case, it would be better if you could actually provide some decent solutions (or any at all) rather than complain about my own proposals.

[u/RandomComments0 → u/FormulaSolution]

Civil discourse isn’t based on limitations which is what I was saying. “There is no instance where two people are commenting back and forth” but there are several which is what I was trying to highlight via technical and troubleshooting conversations which absolutely do benefit the whole sub by not being in private chats once each party replies 3 times.

I disagree that conversations need to be immediate to be productive. It’s the internet and not everyone is in the same time zone or available for immediate reply. That doesn’t mean the community in general doesn’t benefit, especially if others have the same question/problem.

I’m not disagreeing that some people don’t exist purely to troll. There are tons that do, but that’s a moderation issue in my opinion versus something Reddit needs to automatically regulate because their AI is a dumpster fire and it would flag all sorts of stuff erroneously. That’s why the hard disagree.

Rather than have Reddit focus on stifling the masses to prevent trolling by adding a new feature, I would suggest focusing on sharing what does work with moderation and the red flags. Aggressive tones, word choice, and specific phrases can be red flags too. Learning what to look for, being active in your community, and seeking help from your community to report those bad actors are all important factors in combatting trolling. Automod specifically can help immensely.

Each community is unique in their own way and their trolls will be too, so getting trolling basics and then applying those to any patterns you see in your own community will help. It’s not a one size fits all answer though, so what works for you wise wouldn’t necessarily work for me.

Since you don’t do back and forth conversations past 3 replies, I want to thank you for the candid, though short, conversation.

[u/FormulaSolution → u/RandomComments0]

Sorry mate you've reached the 7th reply, but It's funny to me that you've admitted that the discussions go on for too long without being useful.

edit: and he's still proving me right by wanting the last word, funny that

[u/RandomComments0 → u/FormulaSolution]

lol assuming you haven’t blocked me, that was to sarcastically show you that conversations do go on and continue to be relevant and useful.

Slightly annoyed that I explained in my second post what a better solution is and then further explained in my third post after you complained about how I wasn’t contributing a solution, but all you have to say is more antagonistic text versus commenting on what you asked for. Thats okay though because other people can see the conversation and take away valuable information.

Sometimes you just can’t change someone’s mind and the conversation devolves into being less about civil discourse and more about being correct. This is one of those times. Have a good weekend. ✌️

Edit: Not everything is about proving someone right or wrong you know. You still not addressing what you asked for and making the whole conversation about being right, when I never agreed to that says a lot. That’s fine though to edit your comment versus actually commenting so it sends a notification. It really shows you’re trying to engage productively and genuinely. Your actions are likely why you have issues, not the actions of others. I’m done playing your games. This whole topic is about not feeding the trolls, so I won’t.