How To Deal With Internet Bullies? 724
creyes123 writes "I run a free website with an online model airplane design calculator. The number of registered users has quickly climbed and I've gotten many compliments. Out of nowhere, a fellow shows up and proceeds to bad mouth the calculator in a posting in one of my forums. After I politely point out that he's mistaken and should have looked at the documentation before posting, he changes the subject and bad mouths a different 'flaw.' The cycle repeats a few more times, with no apparent end in sight. I want to encourage folks to share their opinions, but constructive criticism was clearly not his goal. I feel that the whole episode was just a massive time waster for me. What did I do to deserve this? Could I have handled this better?"
Killfile (Score:3, Informative)
Killfile him. Ban him. Ban his IP. There's many options available for that. Use them.
Suggestions (Score:5, Informative)
follow view askew's lead (Score:2, Informative)
Or just ban the douche. Its your call Lynn Doyle
Re:Quit whining (Score:5, Informative)
No kidding! I actually RTFA for a rare change, and the "bully" in that thread actually seemed like he wanted to help improve the product.
The "criticism" included hateful words along the lines of "you might want to lower the warning threshold for propeller speed because plastic propellers often can't tolerate those forces". Again, bullying? No! That's called a bug report.
If you're reading this, creyes123, you might really want to consider laying off the caffeine. Not everyone is out to get you.
Crap. Did I just bully?
Re:Quit whining (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Create a "Trollcage" (Score:4, Informative)
So, you basically add him to everyone's ignore list. That is a rather neat solution.
Re:ban'em (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Internet (Score:2, Informative)
It's possible. Just watch how Eric Cartman did it:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/103946 [southparkstudios.com]
(If the link doesn't work select Season 5 Ep. 4. It's all legal)
Nothing is perfect (Score:3, Informative)
However, dicks stand out in a crowd, and it's obvious when a repeat offender comes back. Simply rinse and repeat. Few clicks, done.
Earth to sysop (Score:5, Informative)
It's your site, where you are god. Delete the junk and ban the fucker! How hard is it ?
I know we're supposed to be non-confrontational and all that bullshit, but if someone barged into your home, started harassing you to the point of frustration, would you ask your shrink how to peacefully deal with it, or would you shove the bastard out the door and release the hounds ? /thread
Re:Why not just say ... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Why not just say ... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory (Score:4, Informative)
Most cable and DSL providers will assign you a different IP if you merely change the MAC address of your router (a 10 second procedure from your browser). You don't even need to use proxies; IP bans are useless and trivial to avoid, unless you're willing to ban an entire ISP (and I've gotten Shaw banned completely from quite a few IRC channels in my day).
Re:Why not just say ... (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, let everyone from his IP address see his posts. Else trolls with half a clue will "verify" with a second account whether they're being heard.
You have to accept critisysm, otherwise get out. (Score:1, Informative)
You sound like a total pussy.
Don't like it, don't make a free website. It's because of people like you that we get all these crazy laws for the interwebs.
Re:Stop Playing Their Game (Score:2, Informative)
I like parrots.
At least get the quote right noob. (Score:1, Informative)
Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!
Re:Stop Playing Their Game (Score:3, Informative)
Sometimes.
On target as always. [xkcd.com]
Re:I love you. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Stop Playing Their Game (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Stop Playing Their Game (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Stop Playing Their Game (Ironic Title, That.) (Score:3, Informative)
You've bought into the new-age feel-good philosophy that's taken America like cancer. All opinions are not equal, and you must realize that humor itself can be objectively defined to some limited degree.
Making a funny reference involves making a non-obvious connection to something with which your audience is familiar. It's clever. It requires wit.
Extending a reference is exactly that. It is pasting more of the script. All of the intellectual heavy lifting has already been performed. There is no joke. No punchline. No real value at all.
Judging someone's sense of humor gets into tricky territory, but it is easy to objectively view this situation and realize that if no joke is being made, the only fashion in which it can be funny is an ironic one unintended by the author.
Tachy Goes to Coventry (Score:2, Informative)
"Tachy Goes to Coventry" is a feature in vBulletin 3. Some people call it the hellban. Basically what it does is have people it is assigned to completely ignored in the forums. Their posts, threads and so forth are never seen by regular users.
From the vB3 Control Panel under vBulletin Options -> User Banning Options:
This option allows you to effectively add a user or users to every member's 'Ignore List'. However, users in this list can still see their own posts and threads...
vBulletin 3 also allows timed bans for periods as short as a day up to and including permanent bans.
http://www.theadminzone.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-222.html [theadminzone.com]
Re:Stop Playing Their Game (Score:1, Informative)
Congratulations (Score:3, Informative)
Now the troll can point his friends to Slashdot and say "that article's about me!"
Re:Stop Playing Their Game (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Stop Playing Their Game (Score:2, Informative)
Stop whinning (Score:2, Informative)
A bibliography on this subject (Score:2, Informative)