dezza
Well-known member
I would strongly recommend those who contribute to angling forums on the web, to read and digest carefully our Graham's comments on "website trolls" in the "Marsden's Musings" column - Coarse Fisherman, September issue.
Want to know what a "website troll" is?
According to Graham they are not those who post exchanges that develop into controversial threads. This is normal healthy debate that no-one objects to.
Graham is referring to the threads that get thrown completely off track and then develop into nothing more than a tirade of "personal abuse as the protagonists do battle - all at the expense of the majority of readers who were originally enjoying the thread for the interest and information it was providing."
Graham goes on to say: "There are small elements of idiots that thrive on this; it's the usual names that appear on the controversial threads. You see one of the known names appear (rarely by their real names by the way) and you just know that it won't be long before the next one in the gang will make an appearance to add more fuel to the fire."
Graham even mention how some of these characters create two psuedonyms and slag off each other's doppelganger!
The use of pseudonyms has been a bee in my bonnet for years now. I am not getting at people like The Monk, Cakey or Chevin who have used such names as pen names for their articles for many year. We all know who they are and let's leave it at that.
The people I refer to are those disturbing trolls who appear from nowhere, first of all giving the impression that they know everything about fishing, when in fact they know next to nothing. This soon becomes apparent in their lack of basic knowledge of the sport. They are soon actually insulting people, and no matter how many hints they may get, they take no notice whatsoever.
As regards barbel anglers, one only has to look at other websites specialising in this form of fishing to note the disgusting language, the "anglers" foulmouthing each other off, and the quite honestly peurile subjects that are thrown around. All from behind pseudonyms of course. I even worry about sister websites such as "Fly Forums where over 90% of the members use pseudonyms. I've said it before and I will say it again:
If you can't put up, shut up!
Quite honestly we can all do without this sort of behavoir.
And I strongly suggest that you buy a copy of Coarse Fisherman and read this article.
Personally I love a good, interesting, intelligent debate. But the minute one of the trolls comes on who obviously knows nothing of the subject being discussed, with his/hers inane comments, I am turned off.
And of course so are many many others. I have recently had a number of people sending me PMs of what they can do to prevent the trolls.
I think the only thing we can do is to ignore them. We don't have to suffer fools, do we?
Want to know what a "website troll" is?
According to Graham they are not those who post exchanges that develop into controversial threads. This is normal healthy debate that no-one objects to.
Graham is referring to the threads that get thrown completely off track and then develop into nothing more than a tirade of "personal abuse as the protagonists do battle - all at the expense of the majority of readers who were originally enjoying the thread for the interest and information it was providing."
Graham goes on to say: "There are small elements of idiots that thrive on this; it's the usual names that appear on the controversial threads. You see one of the known names appear (rarely by their real names by the way) and you just know that it won't be long before the next one in the gang will make an appearance to add more fuel to the fire."
Graham even mention how some of these characters create two psuedonyms and slag off each other's doppelganger!
The use of pseudonyms has been a bee in my bonnet for years now. I am not getting at people like The Monk, Cakey or Chevin who have used such names as pen names for their articles for many year. We all know who they are and let's leave it at that.
The people I refer to are those disturbing trolls who appear from nowhere, first of all giving the impression that they know everything about fishing, when in fact they know next to nothing. This soon becomes apparent in their lack of basic knowledge of the sport. They are soon actually insulting people, and no matter how many hints they may get, they take no notice whatsoever.
As regards barbel anglers, one only has to look at other websites specialising in this form of fishing to note the disgusting language, the "anglers" foulmouthing each other off, and the quite honestly peurile subjects that are thrown around. All from behind pseudonyms of course. I even worry about sister websites such as "Fly Forums where over 90% of the members use pseudonyms. I've said it before and I will say it again:
If you can't put up, shut up!
Quite honestly we can all do without this sort of behavoir.
And I strongly suggest that you buy a copy of Coarse Fisherman and read this article.
Personally I love a good, interesting, intelligent debate. But the minute one of the trolls comes on who obviously knows nothing of the subject being discussed, with his/hers inane comments, I am turned off.
And of course so are many many others. I have recently had a number of people sending me PMs of what they can do to prevent the trolls.
I think the only thing we can do is to ignore them. We don't have to suffer fools, do we?
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