On trolls and moderation
Great advice and input on the recurring issue of how to handle trolls, flamers and 'uncivilised' comments in online media communities, some of which perhaps also could be applied to dealing with the less welcome side effects of blog popularity, from Kevin Anderson and Mark Potts (via Martin Stabe). In the Norwegian blogosphere, both Mihoe and Vampus have posted on this challenge recently.
Kevin Anderson: "When I first joined the Guardian, someone on Comment is Free said that by trolls I only meant someone who I didn't agree with. No, that's not a troll. Trolls are folks who delight in breaking things. The BBC calls them WUM - wind-up merchants. But they can wreak havoc in online spaces, and the answers aren't simple and they aren't wholly technical....
When people ask me how blogs are different from forums, I say, 'The blogger sets the tone'. I sort of joke when doing blog training for journalists that if you write a post like a pompous ass, people will respond accordingly. I'm only half joking. Yes, the technology will help you manage the comments and help foster the community, but unless you look at your content as well, you're going to be fighting a losing battle against the trolls."
Jeff Jarvis has some interesting thoughts on the issue here, but I have to say that I don't think that moderation is a new issue for newspapers. In the old days the editors would simply throw all the 'troll' letters in the dustbin, these days this side of the editing process has moved online: it's faster, more immediate, at times more transparent, but the trolls have always been there...
