My Respect for Moderators Grows Daily
One would think that before one joins an e-mail list they would read what the list was about and what it is not about. This has been happening on several of the lists I belong to on various places around the Internet.
One of the individuals is just a garden variety Internet Troll. Annoying as all get out but not much we can do. The moderator has the call to keep or warning or dump the individual. I am all for dumping this idiot. The Troll keeps complaining because we are not discussing the things he wants to discuss. When asked what they might want to contribute or ask the group, they attack the person who asked. Then complains on each post that they think shouldn’t be on the list. Maybe I didn’t get the memo but I thought that when people lurked that they sat back and listened not try to stir up trouble. Apparently this is not the first list the Troll has exhibited this behavior according to a couple of individuals who have been on other lists with them.
Then we have the youngster who is more a pest than a troll. They come on with thousands of questions about a topic and want to be spoon-fed the answers with chapter and verse. When given some good websites and places to look for the information they seek, they might go look at the front page of the website but are quickly back asking the same questions and demanding that we give them the answers they seek. I had these types all the time when I was working on the Homework Helper section of AOL. You can try to ignore them but they tend to get more and more belligerent and vocal to the disruption of all the other discussions going on.
Finally we have the obtuse variety of a Troll. They honestly are Trolls that don’t know they are being Troll but they refuse to see the evidence of their troll-like behavior when politely pointed out to them. When hit over the head with a clue by four they whine and complain that we are big meanies and why can we be nicer. This happens a lot on lists that state the purpose of the list’s narrow focus at the beginning and the moderator keeps a tight reign on the posts so we don’t veer off into off-topic land. When you sign up for most of these lists you are sent an e-mail that states the rules of the list and you have to reply that you have read and understood the rules. The obtuse Troll assumes that the rules don’t really apply and really don’t apply to them. Now sometimes there will be a little off topic but it is usually by a longstanding member of the list. So the whine start well you let them do it. Why not me? Double Standard is the cry. Well yes but the rules also state how those sorts of things work as well. If you had read carefully you would see what you can and can’t do and when you might be able to do other things on the list. Then they are kicked by the moderator and wonder what did they do?
These types of people are one of the reasons I don’t moderate lists anymore. I just got tired of the infighting and complaining. I have the greatest respect for all those who do moderate and try to keep the peace.
I am grateful to the moderators of the various groups I belong to.
One of the individuals is just a garden variety Internet Troll. Annoying as all get out but not much we can do. The moderator has the call to keep or warning or dump the individual. I am all for dumping this idiot. The Troll keeps complaining because we are not discussing the things he wants to discuss. When asked what they might want to contribute or ask the group, they attack the person who asked. Then complains on each post that they think shouldn’t be on the list. Maybe I didn’t get the memo but I thought that when people lurked that they sat back and listened not try to stir up trouble. Apparently this is not the first list the Troll has exhibited this behavior according to a couple of individuals who have been on other lists with them.
Then we have the youngster who is more a pest than a troll. They come on with thousands of questions about a topic and want to be spoon-fed the answers with chapter and verse. When given some good websites and places to look for the information they seek, they might go look at the front page of the website but are quickly back asking the same questions and demanding that we give them the answers they seek. I had these types all the time when I was working on the Homework Helper section of AOL. You can try to ignore them but they tend to get more and more belligerent and vocal to the disruption of all the other discussions going on.
Finally we have the obtuse variety of a Troll. They honestly are Trolls that don’t know they are being Troll but they refuse to see the evidence of their troll-like behavior when politely pointed out to them. When hit over the head with a clue by four they whine and complain that we are big meanies and why can we be nicer. This happens a lot on lists that state the purpose of the list’s narrow focus at the beginning and the moderator keeps a tight reign on the posts so we don’t veer off into off-topic land. When you sign up for most of these lists you are sent an e-mail that states the rules of the list and you have to reply that you have read and understood the rules. The obtuse Troll assumes that the rules don’t really apply and really don’t apply to them. Now sometimes there will be a little off topic but it is usually by a longstanding member of the list. So the whine start well you let them do it. Why not me? Double Standard is the cry. Well yes but the rules also state how those sorts of things work as well. If you had read carefully you would see what you can and can’t do and when you might be able to do other things on the list. Then they are kicked by the moderator and wonder what did they do?
These types of people are one of the reasons I don’t moderate lists anymore. I just got tired of the infighting and complaining. I have the greatest respect for all those who do moderate and try to keep the peace.
I am grateful to the moderators of the various groups I belong to.