Howdy folks,

Listen, if we all refuse to answer those morons who post with other peoples names, then we can use the recent answer function to screen them out. They'll never even show up on that list.

Plan?

Art

-- art welling (artw@lancnews.infi.net), December 17, 1998

Answers

YUP! Though one or another of us MIGHT want to just respond something like "Bridges Bridges" so the rest of us have half a chance of not responding out of outrage.

CR

JMNTBHO

-- Chuck a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), December 17, 1998.

Unless they started answering their own posts, causing them to float to the top.... Ooooppps!!!!!

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), December 17, 1998.

"if we all refuse to answer those morons who post with other peoples names, then we can use the recent answer function to screen them out. They'll never even show up on that list"

This I truly don't understand. What will prevent a new post from appearing in "Recent Answers"? And without looking at the post, how can you screen it out?

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), December 17, 1998.

Sorry, folks. Mind now re-installed. I see what you're saying.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), December 17, 1998.

How about the trolls who post on other people's threads?

-- Lisa Jean (lj@preparing.com), December 17, 1998.

Unless I am greatly mistaken, "Trolls", by their very nature are defective beings. In my experience, they all have an inherent "self destruct" mechanism that will eliminate them unless that mechanism is "reset" by a response. There are ways to respond without resetting the clock, but it's a dicey proposition and not only doesn't always work, it's almost always different from troll to troll and instance to instance.

If a troll "gets to you" (and we can all be "had"), you must balance the internal emotional benefit of a response against the likelihood of its effectiveness against the troll and the possibility of "resetting" the troll's self destruct countdown.

I don't see it as a moral issue; trolls, like cockroaches, should be unprotected and an open season should obtain. If you're an effective "troll killer", go for it. If you miss and cause further spewing of garbage, everyone else will probably let you know you've blown it. If you short circuit the countdown, there will most likely be a collective cyber-sigh of relief.

There are too many variables (how thick your skin is, how effective your retort might be, how vigorous the troll is, etc.) to make hard and fast rules. Just remember that your judgement is one of the things that sets you apart from the troll.

-- Hardliner (searcher@internet.com), December 17, 1998.