The Guardian: The day I confronted my troll

[WoodysGirl]

He drove me off Twitter, hacked my Facebook, and abused and terrified my family. Yet the biggest shock of all was meeting him

Leo Traynor
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 26 September 2012 04.31 EDT

In my blog of 12 August entitled Walking, Not Running, I talked about my time on Twitter and my basic reasons for leaving. I stand over a lot of what I said. The atmosphere there has changed and there have been negative stories in the media about trolling, etc, for months now. The brand has been damaged and Twitter needs to act fairly swiftly to repair it. At the time of writing that blog, for reasons that will become obvious, I was very sketchy about my own personal experience.

When I left Twitter numerous people thought it was as a result of an overreaction on my behalf. That my departure was a kneejerk reaction to a couple of "trolling" or "flaming" incidents or that I was attention seeking. The reality of the situation is that my wife and I were targeted for over three years.

It started in July 2009. I'd been on Twitter for over two years at that point, having joined in May 2007, and I'd never had a problem. My account was followed by a fairly innocuous looking one which I followed back and within 10 minutes I had received a direct message (DM) calling me a "Dirty ****ing Jewish scumbag". I blocked the account and reported it as spam. The following week it happened again in an identical manner. A new follower, I followed back, received a string of abusive DMs, blocked and reported for spam. Two or three times a week. Sometimes two or three times a day. An almost daily cycle of blocking and reporting and intense verbal abuse. So I made my account private and the problem went away for a short while. There were no problems on Twitter but my Facebook account was hacked, my blog was spammed and my email address was flooded with foulmouthed and disgusting comments and images. Images of corpses and concentration camps and dismembered bodies.

Read the rest: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...oll?CMP=twt_gu

[Hoofbite]

My dad doesn't understand trolling.

He thinks people do it because they want to act "tough".

I had to try to explain to him they are doing it purely for reaction and they don't care one way or the other about being tough.

He got all riled up over something someone said on Facebook and I had to call him and tell him to tame it back a bit.

[WoodysGirl]

Originally Posted by Hoofbite

My dad doesn't understand trolling.

He thinks people do it because they want to act "tough".

I had to try to explain to him they are doing it purely for reaction and they don't care one way or the other about being tough.

He got all riled up over something someone said on Facebook and I had to call him and tell him to tame it back a bit.

Yeah, I never get what the trollers get out of trolling people. It never makes sense to me.

I don't have the energy for cyberstalking people. Nor do I have the energy to entertain cyberstalkers.

What made this story so interesting is that he did everything you're supposed to do to ignore the troll and the guy kept coming back.

I don't know how I would react to someone who was that persistent in making my life miserable.

[jobberone]

I would have a little difficulty being that civil. In my youthful days I'd have given him some pain. No damage just some pain. Now, I'm more intrigued by the mindset behind this. Perhaps I've had too much psychiatry or maybe I'm just curiously detached enough. Scary though.

[WV Cowboy]

Is there something significant about who Leo Traynor is?

I have never heard of him.

[BrAinPaiNt]

Originally Posted by WV Cowboy

Is there something significant about who Leo Traynor is?

I have never heard of him.

He is a famous Troll Slayer?

I don't know either.

[NorthTexan95]

I really respect how he handled the entire situation. Considering that it's the son of his friend he handled it in a great way.

[WV Cowboy]

Originally Posted by NorthTexan95

I really respect how he handled the entire situation. Considering that it's the son of his friend he handled it in a great way.

He did, he sure did, .. but they didn't do that boy any favors by letting him get away with it after a handshake.

That kid is sick.

He will do something else.

[Sam I Am]

Trolls are trolls because it gives them power they otherwise wouldn't have.

[AmarilloCowboyFan]

Originally Posted by WV Cowboy

He did, he sure did, .. but they didn't do that boy any favors by letting him get away with it after a handshake.

That kid is sick.

He will do something else.

Exactly my thought. I would have tried to find a way for him to not get a record but maybe be not allowed to be on a computer for a couple of years. I don't know if that is possible, but then if he screws up again it's on him.

[5Stars]

Wow, that is some crazy stuff...

[WV Cowboy]

Originally Posted by AmarilloCowboyFan

Exactly my thought.

When you look at the extent of some of the stuff that he did, .. let's face it, some of us are just incapable of doing stuff like that.

He is a sick puppy.

[rocboy22]

Originally Posted by WV Cowboy

He did, he sure did, .. but they didn't do that boy any favors by letting him get away with it after a handshake.

That kid is sick.

He will do something else.

yea, sick for sure. Give me a break with that "it was a game thing" nonsense.

[Dallas]

Honestly it kind of funny how those just now coming into the web and interacting w/ others through a screen react to this. Trolling is not new.

Sam-I-Am used to do it to me in TeleChat on ArgusBBS back when I lived in Texas.

Mad me sad, until I learned he had no power and was just a little person irl.

[Sam I Am]

Originally Posted by Dallas

Honestly it kind of funny how those just now coming into the web and interacting w/ others through a screen react to this. Trolling is not new.

Sam-I-Am used to do it to me in TeleChat on ArgusBBS back when I lived in Texas.

Mad me sad, until I learned he had no power and was just a little person irl.

lol. Probably more likely I just slaughtered you on the streets of Silvermere.

Most of you may not understand the following. Some of you will. Old school MORPG

Sneaking...
Sovereign Street, Northern End
You notice 26 silver nobles here.
Also here: Dallas
Obvious exits: north, south, east, west
[HP=353/KAI=15]:bs dal
A dark cloud passes over you
*Combat Engaged*
You surprise slice Dallas for 139 damage!
[HP=353/KAI=15]:hypn dal
*Combat Off*
[HP=353/KAI=8]:ju dal
Dallas just left to the south.
[HP=353/KAI=8]:Your command had no effect.
[HP=358/KAI=9]:sn
Attempting to sneak...
[HP=353/KAI=8]:s
Sneaking...
Sovereign Street, Northern End
You notice 26 silver nobles, greasy leather bracelet, hard leather gauntlets, hardened leather boots, silver holy amulet, amber talisman, wooden skiff, scroll of wrathful curse, greatsword, 3 rope and grapple here.
Also here: Dallas.
Obvious exits: north, south, east, west
[HP=358/KAI=9]:bs dal
*Combat Engaged*
You surprise slice Pherough for 153 damage!
[HP=358/KAI=9]:pu dal
*Combat Off*
*Combat Engaged*
You punch Dallas for 10 damage!
You critically punch Dallas for 37 damage!
Dallas dodges your attack!
You critically punch Dallas for 24 damage!
You critically punch Dallas for 39 damage!
Dallas just left to the south.
[HP=363/KAI=10]
[HP=363/KAI=10]:s
Sovereign Street
You notice 19 copper farthings here.
Also here: Dallas.
Obvious exits: north, south, east
[HP=363/KAI=10]:ju dal
*Combat Off*
*Combat Engaged*
You critically jumpkick Dallas for 58 damage!
You jumpkick Dallas for 11 damage!
You critically jumpkick Dallas for 46 damage!
You jumpkick Dallas for 15 damage!
You jumpkick Dallas for 11 damage!
Dallas drops to the ground!
You critically jumpkick Dallas for 51 damage!
Dallas is dead.
[HP=363/KAI=10]: gos My work is done here.
Sam I Am gossips: My work is done here.