Join the Troll Patrol!
WANTED: Anonymous Internet Trolls
The Troll Patrol -
Welcome, and thank you for visiting this section of the site. This is the troll patrol page, a place to describe the basics of trolls, their behaviors and how to stop them. Perhaps the best way to combat the negative, is to meet a standard of ethics in the written work. I recommend that bloggers-writers (including Myself), ask story subjects for comment, verify information, identify on-the-record sources and strive for objectivity in all writing. This is the easiest way to thart a troll, refute them with logic.
By the way, You can send any specific questions, comments and other items of importance about the content of this site here; Or, You can look for more general details about the problem of trolling on the Internet below;
What is a Troll? Answer: "A person who posts to an online forum or blog to provoke a hostile response from other readers." [#01]
So what is a blog? Answer: “Blog: Derivative of 'weblog'. A series of entries to an online journal, posted in some chronological order. Sometimes used, incorrectly, by writers to describe discussion forums or even all websites not affiliated with offline publishers. A blog can be written by an individual or a group. It can allow comments to entries or not.” [#02]
What makes a good blog? Answer: Excellent writing abilities will always help (like all literate pursuits), but most important is a positive and meaningful goal… such as; “Citizen journalism: AKA ‘grassroots journalism’. The collecting and publication of timely, unique, nonfiction information by individuals without formal journalism training or professional affiliation. Examples include the publication of cell phone photos from a breaking news scene, blog reports covering local government meetings and discussion forums reporting results from international competitions.” [#03]
In more common terms, trying to illuminate the plights of starving children and how to solve the situation by even an amateur (like My blog), is a hell of a lot better than a professional debating the latest embarrassing and ridiculous antics of yet another rich, bratty, and spoiled silver spooner. Think about it. Ninety nine percent of the stuff You watch and hear in modern media is garbage. You already know this, but what have You done to change it? How about writing, speak out! Just do it thoughtfully and with dignity, because they are worth it. The people You seek to help, the issues of most need, the unity We all call community, local state and national.
Another similarly effective and transparent approach to writing and commentary… “Open source reporting: A method in which reporters, or readers working as reporters, make their source list and gathered information public while they are working on their report, instead of merely revealing selected information from their newsgathering available in a traditional report at the conclusion of the project.” [#04] That's partly what this site is, a giant catalog of articles and information cited, designed for public access and databased for Mine or anyone else's positive goals.
P.S. Don’t forget, ‘Help stomp out Trolls’, by knowing what they are, and not becoming one Yourself!
Citations:
[#01] Definition provided by the USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review glossary of online news terms. http://www.ojr.org/
[#02] USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review http://www.ojr.org/
[#03] USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review http://www.ojr.org/
[#04] USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review http://www.ojr.org/
Copyright © 2008 M. W. Boitano All Rights Reserved.