Concern – NaBloPoMo Day 4

My father was asking recently whether any more of my articles might be featured on the CBC website. I mentioned I hadn’t pitched any lately, mostly for REASONS that involve being a) pretty busy; b) kinda brain-dead; c) most likely undernourished since our oven is busted and my slow cooker is pooched and basically all we have to eat is cereal and eggs in a nest. I maybe didn’t mention that last one.

He asked whether I’d had any feedback from the ones that have already been featured and I said yes, people tell me when they see the humour pieces. Sometimes they get shared on social media. It’s fun, I told him. I like to make people smile.

“Well do you get any negative comments?” He asked.

I said no, people are pretty much universally nice about my general dorkiness and smartassitude.

“I just got worried that maybe they had comments,” he said. “You know, negative comments. Like maybe someone didn’t like what you had to say and they commented.”

But I understood what he was getting at. The now nearly throw-away acknowledgements you hear every time someone mentions “social media” (which is different from websites, but that’s another post). Oh you know how people can be on social media, they say. I appreciated his concern.

I said, I haven’t, Dad. If people are put out by the articles I’ve written, they’ve not said anything to me. But even if they did, I’ve had my share of trolls and it’s okay.

It’s okay.

What’s the most effective way you’ve found of dealing with trolls? I assume “blocking and muting” will be the top answers, but what else, if anything, do you do when someone comments just to try to get under your skin?


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10 responses to “Concern – NaBloPoMo Day 4”

  1. Sky Sorenson Avatar

    Block and mute, for sure.

    1. cenobyte Avatar

      Do you ever unblock/unmute?

      I find myself unblocking and unmuting on a regular basis just to see if things improve. Sometimes they do, and that makes me happy!

  2. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

    I don’t know what Akismet blocks on my site; I don’t check any more.

    Since I have every commenter go through having the first comment wait for moderation, I have only let one or two very short (and therefore possibly iffy) comments through. In over five years, and with over 500 posts, that’s pretty good.

    On FB, I don’t usually go where the trolls have open season (unmoderated threads), and that’s my total social media beyond blogs I’ve found safe to comment on.

    I know there is a vast world out there, much of it negative. It is the traditional sticking my head in the sand not to go there, but it has to be for me. I’m one of those personality types who wants everyone to get along, and it can’t be done. So I have stopped beating my own head against the wall. Stronger-stomach types will have to fix the world.

    1. cenobyte Avatar

      spam filters on this site block spam, but not legit comments. So it blocks a lot of sales crap, bots, etc.. But when it comes to actual trolls, real life people making real comments, the spam filters don’t touch that. And that’s at least partly by my choice.

      I hear you, though. I’ve deactivated my effbook account because there’s only so much abject negativity and BS that I’m willing to put up with.

  3. Stubblejumpers Cafe Avatar

    I’ve never been trolled or had nasty comments on my blog, probably because I do moderate so they don’t bother.
    As for your dad, doesn’t he know what no one would DARE sass you? Sheesh, even *I* know that!
    Kate

    1. cenobyte Avatar

      I moderate comments from folks who’ve not commented before. But here’s the thing. I often approve the nasty comments. I mean, not the ones that are obviously there just as bait, but the ones from people who vehemently disagree with whatever I’m talking about.

      I don’t let people post comments that attack other people who’ve commented. I don’t approve comments that are overtly hateful, that advocate (or encourage) violence or that use threatening language. But if someone wants to call me a stupid cow for something I’ve said, they’re more than welcome to do so.

      There was someone who did some shitposting on here a while back, and I know the person IRL and I asked them to stop after it got distracting. Eventually I had to block them (I think I’ve since unblocked them). By and large, though, when it comes to the blog, anyone who wants to have a say is welcome to have a say, as long as they’re okay with attacking arguments, not people; and as long as they’re not assholes.

  4. DerKaptin Avatar

    Hello? Hello? Is this where the wiper blades are on sale?

  5. Cara Avatar
    Cara

    I don’t hunt them down and punch them.

    Anymore.

  6. cenobyte Avatar

    This makes me wonder if there’s a ranch somewhere where someone has “no hunting” but it’s a troll ranch and everyone just wanders around in these big corrals sneering at each other and shitposting on each other’s social media.

    …that sounds like an episode of “Black Mirror”…

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