5 Ways to Stop Trolls From Killing the Internet

Everyone commenting is a f******d. Remember the f******d!!!

Wow. This has been the least funniest (but most thought-provoking) article I have read on Cracked. I really like how they brought up World of Warcraft because almost everyone on the game is a complete douchebag. I motion that we take the advice given and enforce it.

Heck, I'm already a sad, deluded man in a ridiculous hat. But that don't stop me none from a-yodelin' my ding-dang-doo down the ol' Chisholm Trail there, pardner, yeeeeeedawgy! I say we breed internet ogres to hunt down the internet trolls and butt-rape them to death. Then we won't have any problems! (I mean--you know. Except for the horny ogres roaming free.) Yessssssssss.

yeahh that StupidFilter doesnt really work well...

The vast majority of the article agree with, while the only two I find some problems with is the pay for membership and laws. Laws exist on some sites, in the form of bans. There are actual very few sites that can post user content and not get banned and one thing I've discovered as a moderater on my forum is that it's easy to figure out who's an alt of a banned account. Mostly because we've come to know the mannerisms of different forumites. In addition, while people with "Money" may come with laws, there's still huge amounts of transactions going on in the internet as it is. There's no trolls stopping them or stealing thier cash, just though on E-Bay there are some people who use fraud, but even some used car dealers use fraud. Being in person with laws doesn't help you much.

Secondly is pay for membership. While it may not drive away adult members or some members who make cash, at the same time, it shows favoritism to those with money to spare which some of us don't after building our computer. I really doubt I'd have joined my forum a while back if it had charged. Even if I did join as a troll that grew up into a contributing member. Mostly because I was confused what the site was about.

More of a case of "Lurk Moar!" then anything else.

There have been so good comments made by a lot of people (and the usual trash) so I won't try to rehash anything explicitly, but I think that some people are looking at some of the censorship ideas the wrong way. I think Wikipedia is a great example.

Wikipedia is open for anyone to comment, correct or add to. However, because there is a process for eliminating some of the s**t that is thrown at the wall, what ends up sticking is one hell of a product , if there wasn't a filter I promise that a lot of us here would have failed a number of papers by now. What has been left, however, is an extremely useful utility that is representative of what the internet can be, the collected knowledge of experts, college professors and professionals all one keyword search away.

I know some of you are thinking that Wikipedia is for fact and opinion boards are opinions so that it is a useless analogy, but in my eyes the principles are the same. If a privately owned site (keep that in mind all of you 1st amendment invokers, quit being so dramatic) decides that it wants to create a certain atmosphere within its forums whether it be stricter to facilitate thoughtful conversation or looser for those who need a 4chan outlet, then it has every right to use anything in its power to do so.

I entirely agree that plenty of us out there avoid forums entirely because it sucks to be immediately s**t on without cause. The internet, Youtube, and even this site are all about user-generated content. Nothing stymies opening yourself up to criticism like that as much as a troll saying that that girl who made a video on youtube is a fat b***h because she’s got a few pounds on her or that an article that may not be all that amusing but may certainly be funnier than what the troll could write (as he empirically speaking unable to write a full sentence) is cause for the author to end their own life. Eventually, we all may get burned, and just stop contributing content. (*cough*HateByNumbers*cough*)

While I agree destroying anonymity would backfire entirely, moderation and some of these other ideas are not censorship, are not fascist or any other buzz word that is floating around there. It is just the owners of the a private club, or forum if you will, setting the rules of conduct.

For the record, even though I avoid most comment boards I bothered to register just to comment on this. Sorry this was so long.

Wicked article. I also agree with kiwusek in that harmless jokes could be miscontrued. For example, while browsing the forums earlier, I came across (in one of the photoshop contests) a picture of Santa with a massive dong, and a kid next to him. It said something like "now your kid can sit on Santa's lap everyday", and while we go "oh christ that's horrible!", we still laugh, because we know it was for shock factor, and that's what amuses us. But if there was a regulation, that poster could get in serious trouble for it.

I agree with what some have already mentioned about the safety issues that result from government laws that force internet users to reveal their identity. I'd rather have to skip over a few annoying blog posts than help hackers and stalkers find people even more easily. They always find a way to turn something intended for good into a tool to help themselves.

your fans all over the world will miss you. Rest in peace! I just find you on the celeb and millionaire dating site****** W e a l t h y s o u l M a t e .C O M ********** and he have a chat with you there. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

honestly, stopping trolls is good, but what about sites like 4chan and imagechan? the whole point is to have fun being rude. for that reason, i think moderators are the way to go. different sites can decide whom they want to attract.

I also disagree a ton. You're right: the internet is virtually the only place one can get away with this - That's what makes it Awesome. Taking that away feels like taking away free speech or something (internet legislation? what?). I like the internet just the way it is.

I disagree with this on so many levels I don't even know where to begin.

Come for the humor, stay for the Orwellianism. Anything but legislation!

kiwusek, your comment is spot on. While trolling is a real problem, it is often the result of "f******d" policies put in place by "fartwhales" with too much time and power in their hands.
Why do we have guys who troll for prostitutes both male and female, as well as for trannys is because we won't legalize and regulate prostitution in a rational, common sense-oriented manner. Because most sites refuse to regulate posters in a such way they get the "assheads" who want to post their harassment for "f**k's sakes".

The problem that I have with the last one is that though it may decrease illegal activity on the internet such as trolling and child pornography it adds surveillance powers to government. Something you say that can be misconstrued from your intentions on a political debate can land you in deep trouble with the terrorist laws in place. Piracy is in reality a result of DRM stupidity and as long as DRM will continue to attack the consumer they will go over to piracy and hit the company where it hurts. As I see it piracy is what will allow us to keep companies at bay with their policies.

And returning to the surveillance thing why should I, as a citizen, have to be subjected to surveillance by people that are supposed to serve the citizens?

when is the world gonna realize the source of its problems, and shut down the internet? i would buy a cracked newspaper

Thank you, Pops. I applaud you for not merely rising above "asshat", but for also rising above "apathy" and "mild distress" into "intelligent thought, non-stimulus response".

-A. Speakman

Although I do realize it would possibly be not even remotely funny, even though I'm sure you guys could find a way to make it just that, you did not mention one possibility. That is advertising and promoting awareness about the "dangers", if you will, of the internet. There was an ad campaign in Iceland focusing on that your actions on the internet have an effect in real life and it really raised awareness. Otherwise a really good article and I just had to register and comment since there was so much talk about commenting in this article. Also I think this comment might benefit me in the English exam I am taking in a couple of days

Another superb, prescient, well-written article by Mr. Wong, in a respectible line of equally thought-provoking contributions including "7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making You Miserable" and "What is the Monkeysphere?" All by himself, his contributions up the level of discourse here a full three notches.

By way of useful analogy, only very tiny tracts of what we now call "the Wild West" were at all wild. Most of frontier sodbusters and shopkeepers of the 1870s were Civil War veterans, who had long arms and knew how to use them. Ever wonder why, in "the Wild West," every saloon and whorehouse was right across the street from two other saloons and a whorehouse? Because the townsfolk insisted in keeping the little ghetto of sin and gunplay strictly confined to one tightly controlled zone where the sheriff could keep an eye on it all. Get drunk and ride down some other street whooping and firing your revolver at 3 a.m. and the locals would cheerfully blow your ass to kingdom come!

What's the answer to, "A man sees an empty room and says, 'Well, nobody here, guess I can flip out my dong.'?" Voracious, c**k-gobbling veliociraptors!

And, as Dave says, absent some control now, that will be the control later!

*cry* But I don't WANNA be a loser in a hat! I like my internet, even with stupid trolls!