Netiquette, Flamers and Trolls

Internet + Etiquette = Netiquette
Even on the internet, all users are advised to have their basic manners and courtesy in check. Simple stuff like thinking before you post, making sure you’re not typing everything out in CAPITAL LETTERS, be pleasant and do not aim to be sarcastic (bordering insults), etc.
The 2 types of internet species most notorious in creating hell (internet gangsters!) are:

Flaming
Flamers are the ones who post deliberate insulting and hostile messages on social/community discussion forums
– One of the causes of flaming is egocentrism – we assume we know a writer’s tone, which may lead to misinterpration of the writer’s intended meaning.
– The Flame Master: “there’s always a couple of people at the centre of the war; one of these may be a Flame Master. Usually self-selected as the owner of the ‘moral high ground’, the Flame Master has survived previous campaigns and even enjoys it. The Flame Master leads the attacks and carries the thread forward.”
Flaming is a deliberate act, not an accident.
– Examples of how to start a Flame War: 1. Accuse your opponent of being overly sensitive, or suggest in a patronizing tone that they “must be having a bad day”, or 2. Claim that *everything* is a matter of opinion, that there are no such things as facts or truth, or 3. Change the subject by pointing out all of your opponent’s grammar and spelling mistakes. (hehe, i was laughing at this. ;P)

Trolling
– Someone who comes into an established community forum and posts inflammatory, rude, repetitive or offensive messages designed intentionally to annoy and antagonize the existing members or disrupt the peace of the forum.
– Trolls are disruptive or usually attention-seeking, posting messages with intentional typos, or hateful comments to incite ‘war’, or opinionated messages without any proof or analysis to back up the messages.
– They don’t “get” that they are hurting real people. To them, other Internet users are not quite human but are a kind of digital abstraction. As a result, they feel no sorrow whatsoever for the pain they inflict. Indeed, the greater the suffering they cause, the greater their ‘achievement’ (as they see it).
Trolls crave attention, and they care not whether it is positive or negative. They see the Internet as a mirror into which they can gaze in narcissistic rapture.
– Can be classified as having a Personality Disorder. ;P So you psychos out there, beware! Time to think carefully why you don’t have many good friends…. ;P
Etc
– It has been said that hiding behind a false name, created for flaming, or no name, is cowardly.
– Don’t badger other users for personal information such as sex, age, or location. After you have built an acquaintance with another user, these questions may be more appropriate, but many people hesitate to give this information to people with whom they are not familiar.
– How to deal with Trolls? IGNORE the idiots.
Purpose of this post? Don’t be a flamer or a troll!
Question: is posting the comment “lame” repeatedly on all the person’s post considered trolling?
If you have nothing nice to say, might as well shaddup, ya? ;P unless the person deserves it la.

Links:
Netiquette on wikipedia
Netiquette Guidelines
Flame Warriors – picture profile and personality description provided (hilarious!)
How to Participate In a Internet Flame War – for humour

19 thoughts on “Netiquette, Flamers and Trolls”

  1. i guess all these problems surfaced after e inventions of COMMENTING in forums & blogs. people just have different opinions on anything based on the amount of/ lack of experience, education level, knowledge & preferences.
    deserving or not? i guess tis depends 2 people 2 people again since everyone has different views n opinions. well, let’s just say there is a GENERAL ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR, regardless of ur country, race, religion, language. NETIQUETTE it is then. perhaps it takes time 4 e generation 2 b educated in dat since there is no such education on HOW 2 BEHAVE ONLINE.
    unlike in real life, wat u speak if not recorded, will b gone thru time. but in e net, it will b there until e site is gone.

  2. wah, i so confused, man… reading your short forms. eheheh. the site can disappear too if the domain is killed what. ;P
    actually this post is dedicated to xes cos he said my post is lame before. hehehe. waHahAHaha…. sorry, i’m so bored so i laugh sendiri.

  3. endroo G: woiiiiii…. i know la. ;P you pay me and do something interesting to post la. hehe. ;P i think my lamest was the paperbag one. hmmm.
    wait la, lemme go post “lame” on all your posts in your blog. ;P
    Luxifer: to what? to being an internet gangster? apparently yes. ;D

  4. abalon: oh. internet gangsterism divided into 2: flamers and trolls. differentiate them from their actions and intentions and the extent of their comments.
    if i go to your blog and insult you for every single post you make, e.g. “omg, you damn lame la you, obviously you’re damn stupid and deserve to eat shit la!” obviously i’m trying to cari pasal with you right? everyday you blog, i post the same comment, calling you stupid. you can tahan or not, psycho ‘stalking’ you daily to insult you. that is trolling.
    repetition distinguishes trolls from the flamers. flamers can usually leave a one-off comment. but i think there’s a thin line that separates the 2. check out the last 2 links on flamers/flaming. funny stuff. ;P
    wolfx: how? diamonds? imported chocolates? sex? ;P

  5. No diamonds. Chocos, can go choco buffet. Sex, err..only if can confirm u r not a guy, then i can provide 3 flavours.
    1.) mild
    2.) hot
    3.) hot peri peri
    4.) MIND BLOWING
    oops…that’s 4 flavours. πŸ˜›
    Oh trolls remind me of those cute dolls with the long hair which you can style yourself.

  6. bimbo: oiii…. I’m not flaming anyone here ler…. take it easy. Pay you to do interesting post? What kind of interesting post you wanna do then? Haha.

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