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Community organized troll ban button?

Discussion in 'PriusChat Website Questions' started by 2k1Toaster, Jul 11, 2011.

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  1. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I don't know if it's just me or whether we did it as a group, but I do not receive emails for every report. Keep in mind that when a spambot or troll manages to spit out 8 posts before getting stopped, all 8 posts get reported, often many times. In the past, our mailboxes have exploded.

    We have a forum where the reports land. It works like this:
    - The first person to report it initiates a thread. That thread contains the post being reported and whatever the reporting person writes. Around those two quotes is text putting the whole thing into perspective. For example:
    Ryanpl has reported the following post:
    Reason:
    {quote}Looks like a spammer{/quote}
    Post: Hello! :) <- link to post
    Forum: Prius v
    Assigned: Moderators
    Posted by: Spambot <- link to user profile
    Original Content:
    {quote}Buy my cheap stuff at my website{/quote}

    - everyone after that point who reports the post gets logged as a reply to the original report. Like this:
    Chuck. has also reported this item.
    Reason:
    {quote}Looks like another one. . .{/quote}

    Because these get created as new threads, if I do a [View New Posts] search, I will see the reports. But I also have a bookmark that takes me straight to the reports forum. Almost every time I come to Priuschat, I use the bookmark to first see if there are any new reports. If I'm on a different computer, I go straight to the forums main page (priuschat.com/forums) and see if there's an indicator icon of a new post in the reports forum.

    This is just me. I don't know how the other Mods do it.
     
    #41 TonyPSchaefer, Jul 13, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  2. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    This is something I've said time and time again: when you report the spam, leave it alone. Don't reply to the spam and don't create a post indicating that you've reported the spam. The same goes for trolls.

    Here's what happens:
    [ORIGINAL]
    F8L: Unwashed heathens, something or another.
    Trebuchet: Unwashed is the truth.
    H2Owner: Tree-hugging, save the Earth Hippies, read the CNG Report!
    SlowTurd: Troll reported.

    After we get the report and initiate a "bulk deletion cleaning" in which we tell the forum software to simply delete all posts by "H2Owner" it looks like this:
    [RESULT]
    F8L: Unwashed heathens, something or another.
    Trebuchet: Unwashed is the truth.
    SlowTurd: Troll reported.

    Moving forward, anyone (especially Treb) will think that ST reported him as a troll. Very confusing and potentially confrontational.

    So, to reiterate, report and walk away. Do not post about it.
     
    #42 TonyPSchaefer, Jul 13, 2011
  3. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Sure, single me out........ :washing:
     
    #43 F8L, Jul 13, 2011
  4. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    As long as it's Treb, what's the problem?:D


    Tony,
    Thank you for the explanations and thank-you for moderating on PC. You guys take a rational, even handed approach to moderating and that is one of the big pluses of PC.


    I'm happy with your existing level of control of Spammers. I've moderated enough on big and small board to know Spam control will never be perfect.

    XS
     
    #44 xs650, Jul 13, 2011
  5. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I simply don't think "trolling" or Trolls are a big problem in Prius Chat. Thanks to the work of the moderators and the strength of the community as a whole.

    I think "community censorship" is far too dangerous to embrace, even if occasionally it would cut shorter a bit of ridiculousness.

    If I often came to Prius Chat and perceived a problem? Then maybe I'd be for some type of bolstering of Anti-Troll remedies...but that isn't the reality of Prius Chat I perceive.

    Also, to be honest, the line is just too fine. One mans legitimate, maybe even stupid idea or opinion is another mans "trolling"...

    I've also witnessed threads inwhich I thought it was obvious the original OP was posting with an intent to troll or inflame....but IMO also interestingly sometimes those threads morph into something greater than the sum of it's parts...I've seen real and valid ideas and topics come out of a thread where I think the original intent was simply to troll...

    Nah...I can't get behind a "button to ban"...not a good idea IMO.
     
    #45 The Electric Me, Jul 13, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  6. Ryanpl

    Ryanpl Active Member

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    First of all mods thanks for all the hard work you all do, even when I'm the one getting reported :rolleyes:. Thanks Tony for explaining how it works. I'm wondering if the system can be set up so when the thread is initially created by the first reporter that can be sent in an E-mail blast? I can't even picture how flooded your boxes would get if EVERY report got E-mailed out.
     
    #46 Ryanpl, Jul 13, 2011
  7. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Exactly.

    Just a comment on John1701a, he never trolled at the GM website, but boy did he have a following. In their groupthink just saying his name is shorthand for "liberal, US hating, GM bashing, out of touch, Volt enemy."

    :D

    Of course at that website outside of the engineering sub-section there are two kinds of people: Volt patriots, and the enemy.
     
    #47 SageBrush, Jul 13, 2011
  8. Ryanpl

    Ryanpl Active Member

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    Too late Justin, he singled got me first
     
    #48 Ryanpl, Jul 13, 2011
  9. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    I suppose just cutting their fingers off so they can not type, is right out?
    Too bad.......
     
    #49 KK6PD, Jul 13, 2011
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Another side effect is that we have to clean up your posts as well otherwise confusion arises (as Tony explained) or we're left with you quoting the troll which means the message is still there.
     
    #50 Tideland Prius, Jul 13, 2011
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