In our perpetual mission to moderate the General Board with surgical precision, the mod team frequently discusses the daily goings-on here. In one such discussion this morning, the illustrious jamaalstar21 made the following point:
jamaalstar21 wrote:Users are allowed to criticize other teams. Users are even allowed to make vacant, tropey, done to death, substanceless criticism of other teams. Bad quality criticism is not necessarily trolling.
We want to build on this observation to briefly refresh y'all on what trolling is and isn't.
Trolling is discourse explicitly intended to upset, offend, trigger, or otherwise rile. Trolling is not expressing a sincerely-held opinion that causes strong reactions as a naturally-occurring byproduct of an ongoing discussion.
The truth is that not all opinions are equally valid or even equally good; some folks on this forum (and every other internet forum) hold opinions of questionable validity. But if they're sincere and expressing them in a style that doesn't violate forum policy (they don't insult anyone, attack fanbases, state gross falsehoods, etc.), they're within their rights to do so.
Fandom is driven by passion, and sometimes, passion causes us to process something we read/hear/see with a touch of subjectivity; sometimes, it makes an otherwise-innocuous statement seem 'trollish' to us. Such a response is extremely common and totally understandable.
Trolling is a function of intention, so there's a degree of judgment in determining whether someone is trolling. Ultimately, it falls to the moderators to determine whether something is a troll attempt.
We want you to report all instances of trolling so we can keep the GB free of it. But before you report a post, consider whether a reasonable case can be made for trolling, or if it's possible that you're reacting with the passion of a fan rather than with the objectivity of a disinterested reader.
We don't want to discourage anyone from taking action against violations, and lord knows we aren't trying to protect, justify, or make room for bad content. But people have a right to hold and express views that challenge majorities and even 'common sense' (so-called); an echo chamber is little fun when the name of the game is spirited discourse.
And now, a little coaching:
Behavioral tendencies and patterns that may indicate trolling
- Posting the exact same thing in multiple threads, over and over, for a prolonged period, to a point of obvious excess or tedium (agenda posting)
- Overusing superlatives or extremes ('Michael Jordan is the very worst player of all times'; 'Shaq will never ever ever win a ring')
- Phrasing that doesn't admit alternative possibilities or nuance concerning uncertain matters ('LeBron is definitely and obviously on gear' instead of 'LeBron might be juicing')
How to avoid accusations of trolling
- It's generally not necessary to state that something is an opinion (unless you're stating a verifiable fact, I already know it's your opinion and not someone else's), but it doesn't hurt to subtly clarify that something is your take when the topic is controversial or when the potential for misunderstanding is higher than normal (i.e. 'I don't think Shaq was as good as Hakeem' is better than 'Hakeem made Shaq his b****'); such an approach disarms others' natural inclination to correct you and makes it about telling you why they disagree instead
- Consider whether your language might be incendiary and whether you can make your point more diplomatically ('The Spurs are pretty bad this year' is better than 'San Antonio is a festering dumpster conflagration')
- Consider whether this forum needs another 'EXPOSED' thread (it probably doesn't), another 'ArE wE jUsT gOnNa IgNoRe' thread (it probably does not), or whether every single player in the league needs a thread about every single game he plays (he probably doeth not)
How to respond to trolls
- Report violations and let us handle them. PM a mod you trust if you feel something warrants additional attention.
- DO NOT 'CALL THEM OUT' FOR TROLLING IN A THREAD. Report the post and let us handle it. Calling another user a 'troll' is potentially a personal attack; don't risk a strike over it.
- DO NOT USE THEIR VIOLATION AS AN EXCUSE TO COMMIT YOUR OWN. All violations will be treated as such, regardless whether someone else commits a violation first.
- DO NOT QUOTE A VIOLATION AND BRAG THAT YOU'VE REPORTED IT. Report it and leave it to us.
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We hope this helps. We'll leave this thread open for constructive, appropriate questions and discussion on the matter.
This thread is only for discussion about what trolling is/isn't. Do not tell us why something barfyman362 posted last week is a troll, threaten to close your account if we don't ban Raps4Lyfe416, or instruct us on what you want the rules to be.
As a final note, let us remind you that THIS IS YOUR BOARD-- the quality of its discourse is in your hands and those of your fellow RGMers. Be the change you want to see.* Happy RGMing!
*FUN FACT: Gandhi didn't say this
