How good a countermeasure could this have been?

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AuthorTopic: How good a countermeasure could this have been?
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #0
I'm not sure this idea was clear to everyone. It's not just to crowd out the troll topics; it's a way to continue discussions with no risk of intrusions by the troll, by effectively turning UBB into a chatroom. If people just keep on editing the first post in their personal topics, and don't reply or read any replies, then the only things the troll can force you to see are their subject lines on the forum page. The troll topics are identified by starter, so you can avoid them. And since you only read the first posts in any topic, you won't enounter any troll replies, either.

The 'chat' topics can all get deleted once the troll is dealt with; but this would be a way of preventing a troll from denying service by threat of shock image replies in all topics. Of course, just leaving the boards for a while will make the problem go away in due course, but wouldn't it nice to know you could have a countermeasure if you wanted one?
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[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 12:31: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ]

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It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem.
Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
This Side Towards Enemy
Member # 3098
Profile #1
Better idea: sober the hell up.

Seriously, whatever possessed you to think this was a plausible idea?

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Voice of Reasonable Morality
Posts: 961 | Registered: Thursday, June 12 2003 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5806
Profile Homepage #2
Obiwancanblowme probably inspired him...

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So, as the great Groxy, I have come back to be served by goblins. In the "main hall" of the goblin cave was a large totem which resembled very much of... me.
Posts: 437 | Registered: Friday, May 13 2005 07:00
Guardian
Member # 2476
Profile #3
quote:
Of course, we could just wait. But I'm curious how well this would serve, as a work-around, should we ever not want to wait.
And so we are all enclosed in our shell, reaching out to meet...ourselves? If we can.

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Polaris
Posts: 1828 | Registered: Saturday, January 11 2003 08:00
Warrior
Member # 5986
Profile #4
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:

Make a nice long first post, so it fills the screen, and just edit it. Of course, we could just wait. But I'm curious how well this would serve, as a work-around, should we ever not want to wait.

I don't quite understand what you're saying. A workaround? For what? What are we waiting for? :confused:

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Wu wei... it's the only way
Posts: 154 | Registered: Monday, June 20 2005 07:00
Shaper
Member # 5437
Profile #5
quote:
Originally written by Slp006:

I don't quite understand what you're saying. A workaround? For what? What are we waiting for? :confused:
It was an attempt to keep a neutral topic at the top of the forum, so as to discourage the troll, but it didn't really work. The waiting was for an Admin to ban the troll.

[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 10:02: Message edited by: Dolphin. ]

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Nena
Posts: 2032 | Registered: Wednesday, January 26 2005 08:00
BANNED
Member # 6055
Profile #6
Wonk wonk wonk.

[ Saturday, July 02, 2005 15:46: Message edited by: Drakefyre ]
Posts: 21 | Registered: Thursday, June 30 2005 07:00
Nuke and Pave
Member # 24
Profile Homepage #7
The best way to discourage trolls is to simply ignore them. It normally takes more than 1 person to keep several threads at the top of the forum. If people simply stopped replying to his threads, they'd stay down until he left from boredom/got banned.

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Be careful with a word, as you would with a sword,
For it too has the power to kill.
However well placed word, unlike a well placed sword,
Can also have the power to heal.
Posts: 2649 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #8
Yeah. Sorry about replying to his threads. Anyway, this ideas been tried before. It didn't really work, but I'm happy to keep it up!

EDIT: Obiwancanblowme's Karma count just dropped to two. 3 accounts, all voting 1. I love my kinda power! :D

- Archmagi Micael

[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 10:45: Message edited by: Archmagi Micael. ]

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"You dare Trifle with Exile?" - Erika the Archmage
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My Scenarios:
Undead Valley : A small Undead problem, what could possibly go wrong?
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Proof of Richard Black's existance:
Richard Black - PROOF of his existance (the Infernal one's website).
Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00
Guardian
Member # 2238
Profile Homepage #9
This is why I hate the internet.

In real life, I can just punch this person.

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The critics agree!

Demonslayer is "a five star hit!" raves TIMES Weekly!

"I've never heard such thoughtful comments. This man is a genious!" says two-time Nobel Prize winning physicist Erwin Rasputin!
Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #10
quote:
Originally written by demonslaeyr:

This is why I hate the internet.

In real life, I can just punch this person.

HARD. YOU CAN PUNCH HIM/HER HARD!
Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00
Shaper
Member # 32
Profile #11
quote:
Originally written by Archmagi Micael.:


Obiwancanblowme's Karma count just dropped to two. 3 accounts, all voting 1. I love my kinda power! :D

- Archmagi Micael

Well there goes my rating of 5 stars for him :P

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Lt. Sullust
Cogito Ergo Sum
Polaris
Posts: 2462 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #12
quote:
Originally written by Lt. Sullust:

quote:
Originally written by Archmagi Micael.:


Obiwancanblowme's Karma count just dropped to two. 3 accounts, all voting 1. I love my kinda power! :D

- Archmagi Micael

Well there goes my rating of 5 stars for him :P

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! *shrieks in horror*

"I'm melting. I'm melting!!!!!!!!! My power - it's fading! It's fading! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

:)

- Archmagi Micael

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"You dare Trifle with Exile?" - Erika the Archmage
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My Scenarios:
Undead Valley : A small Undead problem, what could possibly go wrong?
--------------------
Proof of Richard Black's existance:
Richard Black - PROOF of his existance (the Infernal one's website).
Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00
Nuke and Pave
Member # 24
Profile Homepage #13
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:

I'm not sure this idea was clear to everyone. It's not just to crowd out the troll topics; it's a way to continue discussions with no risk of intrusions by the troll, by effectively turning UBB into a chatroom. If people just keep on editing the first post in their personal topics, and don't reply or read any replies, then the only things the troll can force you to see are their subject lines on the forum page. The troll topics are identified by starter, so you can avoid them. And since you only read the first posts in any topic, you won't enounter any troll replies, either.

The 'chat' topics can all get deleted once the troll is dealt with; but this would be a way of preventing a troll from denying service by threat of shock image replies in all topics. Of course, just leaving the boards for a while will make the problem go away in due course, but wouldn't it nice to know you could have a countermeasure if you wanted one?
...

Why not use AIM instead?
No trolls, instant response, no moderators, etc.

EDIT: You can post to PM you for a chat invitation. That way it's also client-pull, and you can control who gets in.

[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 12:20: Message edited by: Zeviz ]

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Be careful with a word, as you would with a sword,
For it too has the power to kill.
However well placed word, unlike a well placed sword,
Can also have the power to heal.
Posts: 2649 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Mongolian Barbeque
Member # 1528
Profile #14
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:

I'm not sure this idea was clear to everyone. It's not just to crowd out the troll topics; it's a way to continue discussions with no risk of intrusions by the troll, by effectively turning UBB into a chatroom. If people just keep on editing the first post in their personal topics, and don't reply or read any replies, then the only things the troll can force you to see are their subject lines on the forum page. The troll topics are identified by starter, so you can avoid them. And since you only read the first posts in any topic, you won't enounter any troll replies, either.
I think this is a good idea. I had a similar idea a while back, as a way of continuing locked topics by editing posts. But that seemed a bit disrespectful of a moderator's decision to lock a topic, so I never tried it. Come to think of it, I not even sure if you can edit your posts in a locked topic...

But yes, this does seem a good temporary solution. This latest troll seems more persistent than most. But it is a rather unusual concept, which is why I'm replying here in the customary fashion. Probably by the time I get it all sorted out in my mind, the troll will be gone. I hope!

Where the heck are the mods, anyway? This guy's hardly subtle, so it should be quick and easy to spot the problem, it's not like it's buried in some other topic. I for one wish that mods would be more draconian with this kind of troll, and ban their IP address altogether to start with, as it's obviously a blatant and deliberate disregard for the code of conduct. This kind of person can't be reasoned with, and won't be chastened by a warning.

EDIT: Oh good, *i did just that! Good for you! Thank you, thank you! :)

[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 12:31: Message edited by: Icshi ]

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The A.E. van Vogt Information Site
My Tribute to the Greatest Writer of the Science Fiction Golden Age
Posts: 907 | Registered: Monday, July 15 2002 07:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #15
Okay, Stareye has now blown the all clear. But I still think that the protocol I proposed could have been an amusing way to continue broadcast conversation while filtering out a troll.

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It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem.
Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Law Bringer
Member # 335
Profile Homepage #16
Some mods have other things to do. Sometimes the mods have other things to do at the same time. And it takes an admin to deal with a nightmare poster like that permanently anyway.

In otherwords, blame Drakey and *i for everything!

—Alorael, who will run very far and very fast now. His flower power is no match for the glower power indeed.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
Profile #17
And now there is nothing to do. And I'm willing to bet your flower power is a match for my random zig-zag style of running and evading the snipe.

*this message has been sponsored by numerous prison breaks everywhere*
Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
Mongolian Barbeque
Member # 1528
Profile #18
quote:
Originally written by Byte -1:

Some mods have other things to do. Sometimes the mods have other things to do at the same time. And it takes an admin to deal with a nightmare poster like that permanently anyway.

In otherwords, blame Drakey and *i for everything!

Sorry, my intention wasn't to blame things on the mods. For one thing, I don't know much about how the mods do things, so I was just shooting off my ignorant blabberhole. My apologies!

But I am very glad that this troll has been dealt with using extreme countermeasures! 'Atta boy! That'll teach 'im! <punches fist in the air triumphant> :D

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The A.E. van Vogt Information Site
My Tribute to the Greatest Writer of the Science Fiction Golden Age
Posts: 907 | Registered: Monday, July 15 2002 07:00
...b10010b...
Member # 869
Profile Homepage #19
quote:
I for one wish that mods would be more draconian with this kind of troll, and ban their IP address altogether to start with, as it's obviously a blatant and deliberate disregard for the code of conduct. This kind of person can't be reasoned with, and won't be chastened by a warning.
The problem with IP bans is that they can sometimes catch other, innocent users on the same ISP. Someone on AOL, for example, is never likely to be IP banned.

[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 14:50: Message edited by: Thuryl ]

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My BoE Page
Bandwagons are fun!
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Hunted!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Law Bringer
Member # 2984
Profile Homepage #20
quote:
Originally written by ef:

quote:
Of course, we could just wait. But I'm curious how well this would serve, as a work-around, should we ever not want to wait.
And so we are all enclosed in our shell, reaching out to meet...ourselves? If we can.

That sounds about correct. Has it been different at some point?

And this idea is trash. Sorry to say this so bluntly but let me explain: The purpose of a troll is to make communication unpleasant, difficult, impossible or cumbersome.

Communicating in this way has been proposed before (I remember a thread where everyone was supposed to edit their own post to make a reply, and only post once), and it is absolutely impossible to communicate in this fashion. By making communication cumbersome, difficult or impossible, how are you solving the troll problem?

Oh, and if you suggested editing powers to the first post for everyone - doesn't work with UBB. And a switch to another board engine is, for the moment at least, pretty much out of the question.

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The Encyclopaedia Ermariana <-- Now a Wiki!
"Polaris leers down from the black vault, winking hideously like an insane watching eye which strives to convey some strange message, yet recalls nothing save that it once had a message to convey." --- HP Lovecraft.
"I single Aran out due to his nasty temperament, and his superior intellect." --- SupaNik
Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00
Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
Profile #21
I like Trinity's idea as well. Obi is not likely to be the last of his kind, and editing a hijacked topic onto page 2 is a good way to remove the troll from his podium while allowing our own conversations to continue. The mods can't always deal with things as quickly and efficiently as we'd like, as Alorael pointed out, and a community effort to beat the troll on our own terms is a welcome solution.

EDIT: Aran, I know what you mean, but I think it could work if planned better. Between quoting other people's edits and using differences in fonts, people could communicate almost as quickly and easily as before. Remember, the topic is dead anyway; this way, at least, legitimate posters will be able to get a bit of life out of it before the troller is taken care of.

EDIT2: Remember also that newbies and might-as-well-be-newbies are the most likely type of posters to keep a troll's topic going. Telling them to just ignore the troll is like telling a child not to open a box and see what's inside. Giving them an alternative, on the other hand, is potentially far more effective. Remember the fun that was had when the Abyss was opened to free editing? The novelty may wear off quickly, but hopefully the troll will be dealt with by then anyway.

[ Thursday, June 30, 2005 15:27: Message edited by: Lady Davida ]

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And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it.
-The Last Pendragon

Polaris = joy.

In case of emergency, break glass.
Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #22
I agree that the UBB-chat protocol is a drag, but if being forced to fight is counted as defeat, victories will be few.

If you tell me that my idea has been tried and worked poorly in practice, that's different. I was trying to investigate this today, but nobody played along. I never supposed it was a sure winner; I just found it interesting to explore.

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It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem.
Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #23
Best to just go on ignoring/mocking them. By resorting to such bizarre and lengthy schemes (no offense to those who have posted/begun using such plans), we only give them the satisfaction of knowing that they're annoying us.

I apologize if that made no sense.

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
Law Bringer
Member # 2984
Profile Homepage #24
I know! How about...

We all stop posting for a couple of minutes when there are trolls! Until the admins have banned them! Hey wow, now that's radical. :rolleyes:

Really, I'm getting the feeling I should drop out of all this. I can't keep up with the rate that is being posted at already, and the reaction to the possibility of someone spamming is to start more obscure systems that are even worse than ignoring the spammer?

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The Encyclopaedia Ermariana <-- Now a Wiki!
"Polaris leers down from the black vault, winking hideously like an insane watching eye which strives to convey some strange message, yet recalls nothing save that it once had a message to convey." --- HP Lovecraft.
"I single Aran out due to his nasty temperament, and his superior intellect." --- SupaNik
Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00

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