question about trolls...????

sandiegomom · #1 August 24th, 2011, 10:25 PM

So, I have been reading about these trolls on here..which by the way is totally bizarre and creepy!!! I had been reading the posts of someone in a previous ddc I was in, and none of it made any sense. so...because I am nosy,

I kept reading their posts and people started accusing this person of being a troll. I had no idea what that was, but by the end of all the arguing in the post, i figured it out and honestly it disturbs me. I guess I didn't really ever think about a forum like this being a place where people would come to do malice. I thought about things that I post like...my husband is gone....my kids names and dog names, etc...and i don't put my last name on here or anything, but do you think we are at risk?? Now it is really kind of bothering me. I thought...maybe I should change my profile name because now I wish I didn't even have a city on there. do you think i am over reacting, cause these kind of things worry me. I read some people saying people do it to be funny, but I don't know about that. I think it would really have to be something more like a mental disorder, wouldn't it? because that is pretty bizarre. i don't care how old....or how bored someone is, it seems like a very psychotic thing to do. i just wish that I had never read about a "troll" and went on blissfully naive that the world is a perfect, happy place where we all hold hands and sing, lol.

WoahMama83 · #2 August 25th, 2011, 05:42 AM

Welcome to the world of the internet. I've been a part of several chat groups and message boards on AOL since 02 and trolls were a common thing even then. If there is a group where everyone shares a common interest then you are bound to get the fakers in there too. For the most part I don't think these people do it to be mean but as a way to seek attention or for entertainment purposes. I guess since I have seen this so often over the past 9 years it doesnt really shock me anymore and I havent really gone through any steps to prevent anyone from assuming my identity or whatever it is they actually do with the information they gain. Trolls seem to be a hazard no matter where you post and if you invest too much time in worrying about them then it ends up ruining the entire experience for you.

*SamF* · #3 August 25th, 2011, 06:22 AM

I don't get shocked anymore either. I have seen several trolls on JM, there s always a huge outcry of people after one is outed. But I don't let it affect me. I don't have my last name on here, but honestly if someone was that determined to find me, they probably could. I just don't sweat it. We had a nice nasty troll in my PR, she was outed she had posted her DH had died, and all this crap and then all of a sudden she finds out she's pregnant with twins. She was looking foe money because we had just had a member who's husband was killed in a tragic accident (she was not a troll and it was all very sad and true) and we rallied around her, set up a fund to help her out. Then after she was outed the the guy in the pictures she had stole came on and posted. He was alive and well, and the pics were several years old.

I also had a personal troll- my DH's ex-wife was stalking me on here.
But I let it just roll off. I just pay attention and if posts do not make sense I report it to the admins for them to investigate.

sandiegomom · #4 August 25th, 2011, 07:49 AM

wow, that is a crazy story...very sad that someone would do all of that. you are right though... we shouldn't let it get to us. I guess, it just freaked me out a little because I have never really been on any type of forum like this before joining JM, so I was clueless. I guess the internet can bring out all of the crazies!! lol

Cartersmommy08 · #5 August 25th, 2011, 08:58 AM

To be honest, when I first joined JM I hadn't a CLUE what this was about. I posted everything about my life in TTC #1 and up until I joined my DS's DDC. Then there was a troll and I FREAKED OUT! I went through JM and deleted all of my "thousand" posts and disappeared. I continued to lurk for reassurance on symptoms, etc. I decided to rejoin JM and just be more cautious of what I throw out there. I was saddened that my DDC had formed such close relationships and here I just came again out of the blue. I really found comfort in this board so I took a chance to be out there again. It is a scary reality though!

TnPhotoMama81 · #6 August 25th, 2011, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *SamF*

I don't get shocked anymore either. I have seen several trolls on JM, there s always a huge outcry of people after one is outed. But I don't let it affect me. I don't have my last name on here, but honestly if someone was that determined to find me, they probably could. I just don't sweat it. We had a nice nasty troll in my PR, she was outed she had posted her DH had died, and all this crap and then all of a sudden she finds out she's pregnant with twins. She was looking foe money because we had just had a member who's husband was killed in a tragic accident (she was not a troll and it was all very sad and true) and we rallied around her, set up a fund to help her out. Then after she was outed the the guy in the pictures she had stole came on and posted. He was alive and well, and the pics were several years old.

I also had a personal troll- my DH's ex-wife was stalking me on here.
But I let it just roll off. I just pay attention and if posts do not make sense I report it to the admins for them to investigate.

I remember this!!!!! and it was so crazy how the guy outed her!!! I would be SO pissed if I found someone using my family photos and tried to pass them off as their own!!

Shadeauxe · #7 August 25th, 2011, 09:16 AM

I don't think identity theft is a concern. They are mostly just emotional leeches.

joanna26 · #8 August 25th, 2011, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadeauxe

I don't think identity theft is a concern. They are mostly just emotional leeches.

I have been on JM for several years now and have seen trolls come and go. We had one in my PR and I remember the one that Sam mentioned. People tend to get very upset because they view it as a betrayal of trust, not that there is any real risk to them in any way. I am very careful about who I add to my facebook friends list from JM, but otherwise I don't get particularly upset anymore. If someone has the free time and energy to waste by creating a whole other "life" online and sticking to it for months (some have) then I mostly feel really sorry for them.

Shadeauxe · #9 August 25th, 2011, 10:05 AM

I think they are fairly easy to spot most of the time. I have my eye on several people in my DDC. They are either incredibly stupid or trolls. Either way, I have no interest in interacting with them.

.:Shortcake:. · #10 August 25th, 2011, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadeauxe

I don't think identity theft is a concern. They are mostly just emotional leeches.

Ditto! I don't honestly worry about them. Your going to have them no matter where you go. If you think something is off just hit the report button on the top right hand corner and the admins will look into it for you

3Sapphires · #11 August 25th, 2011, 10:25 AM

trolls happen - don't feed them - I'm not terribly worried, I help DH run our own forum, and yes they happen, they are annoying, but they eventually go away as long as you don't feed them.

pepper73 · #12 August 25th, 2011, 11:16 AM

I agree about most of them seeking emotional gratification. I also think that, for this board at least, we are such a tight knit group and it is pretty easy to spot a troll. Something will just be "off". Plus, if someone is lying, then eventually there will be discrepancies in their story and people notice these things. It is really disgusting, especially when people use fake death stories.

cheeky_monkey · #13 August 25th, 2011, 12:14 PM

excuse my ignorance but what are trolls???? aren't they those cute dolls with very spikeyish hair?

Shadeauxe · #14 August 25th, 2011, 12:23 PM

The are annoying people who come into forums, pretend to be something they are not (like pregnant or human) and then they try to get attention from people because they are losers.

3Sapphires · #15 August 25th, 2011, 12:32 PM

or human! ahahah! Love it!

cheeky_monkey · #16 August 25th, 2011, 12:32 PM

oh! ic! why should someone do that? it's pretty stupid (at least that's what I think)

it's not fair on ppl who actually do have problems coz no one would believe anything others say

doremi · #17 August 25th, 2011, 02:40 PM

I have only had one troll who really got to me, and it was because I emotionally invested myself in her, not because she put me at any risk. I think it is always wise on a forum to be careful about the personal details that you post.

sandiegomom · #18 August 25th, 2011, 02:49 PM

yeah.. you guys are probably right...it is done for attention. Courtney, I know a few that were odd in that ddc too...one i thought was lying because the story didn't make any sense about the boyfriend, blah,blah,blah. But agreed, some could just be stupid and it could make them look like they were being dishonest. but, I don't put any personal info on here other than what you see, so I guess I shouldn't be worried. It just kind of bothered me when I read about "trolls" maybe the name just makes it extra creepy