It isn’t a service offered on WordPress or blogger.com, but Wired Magazine has some insight on how the whitehouse.gov blog could successfully handle the toxic sludge that would inevitably clog comment traffic.
The world’s top discussion moderators have developed successful tools for keeping online miscreants from disrupting conversation. All are rooted in one psychological insight: If you simply ban trolls—kicking them off your board—you nurture their curdled sense of being an oppressed truth-speaker. Instead, the moderators rely on making the comments less prominent.
Basically, the method involves a voting system by readers on relevancy and usefulness of comments, which allows other readers to filter what they see. The nasties are still there, but most people won’t have to be bothered to “keep scrolling.”
Maybe the Times-Standard should try it.
How does this work?
I’ve seen it elsewhere and it works.
It doesn’t work. For example, on the Herald it would result in unpopular (conservative) ideas being downvoted into oblivion instead of only trolls being downvoted. It increases the groupthink factor, isolating the majority on the site more than they are now. You can see this demonstrated on Reddit.com.
Whitehouse.gov would be an interesting situation because there would be activist factions on both sides with ‘downvote armies’ working to create the impression everyone is for (or against) the president. It would be one huge _itchfest.
I wouldn’t be so sure. The Herald attracts a healthy number of Republican developer types.
I’m for anything that could control the trolls on the T-S forum site.
Trolls are pitiful, cowardly, excuses for humans. There should be a site just for trolls, so they can attack each other all day and not interrupt real threads on other sites!
Dave, we’d respect you more if you didn’t quote a movie so god-awful as “Forest Gump” as if it were inspirational.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Dave, there is such a site for trolls its called watchpaul.
Hey Bubba, it’s Forrest with a double-R. Get it right when you aim to deride someone.
If you look really close through the troll’s door, you can just make out Rio Dell.
Why is it, in this “free society” we always need someone telling us what to watch, read or say when all we need to do is exercise a little “free” will and hit the “OFF BUTTON”?
whatever happened to rose? she was like the ultimate troll from the future or something.
It is only authoritarian Republicans and Democrats that need someone telling you what to watch, read and say. You seem incapable of exercising free will or allowing others to exercise theirs.
We libertarian socialists on the left and the Paulistas on the right are capable of thinking for ourselves thank you.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
Dugg. I’ll twitter some other diggers to digg you too.
You’ve got to pay the troll toll if you want to get into the boy’soul.
Heraldo, you just a hater. stop hating on the folks who post good comments on your blog and on the times standard. I think its great to see a diverse comment section. Are you really advocating for censorship? why do you know what is a troll comment is, or is not. its all perception. Sorry if you dont exactly get the response your looking for from people. maybe you should join us in the real world. Please stop dictating to us all every week on your way that you think humboldt needs to be, you sure are picky and have alot of things you want to change around here. Maybe you should run for office like most people who want to change things do! Stop being a hater and talking shit and critiquing everything in humboldt, so what if its not the way you think everything should be. Some of us like it just how it is! And humboldt is rough place to live, it always has been and it will most likely always remain this way. Love humboldts unique culture, im talking the hippie rednecks the folks who actualy live in the county, the timber & dairy folks. And not the small minded folks who live in the city and spend all there time sucked into computers, media, tv and bullshit. heraldo you motto should be “Humboldts intollerance is intollerable” cause that pretty much sums up yuks like you.
Truth factory, thats got to be the best parody of a typical ignorant, narrow minded, reactionary, provincial HumCo hick that I’ve ever read. Best way to demonstrate why censoring trolls is a bad idea.
You nailed it, all the way down to the phonetic misspellings, grammar errors, mean spirited attitude, one long paragraph rant, and inconsistent stream of consciousness writing style. Even used a “big” work like critiquing in a feeble attempt to show class. I’m really impressed. Hat’s off to you, you’re the master.
Wow, Not a native, you really summed me up! Except your dead wrong, I am not a hick at all. Some might describe me as a back to the land hippy! i am sure you feel really cool with your good spelling and grammar. Well what difference does it make if i cannot write good! Who cares, the points i made are still valid. I am sure you feel very good about yourself, id bet you even look down on most us undesirable folks who happen to be ruining Humboldt county for you. Wow, I used the word critique, I wasn’t trying to show off to you how cool and grand my words are. unlike you!
Good job on your big words, here let me correct your spelling. i will hand it to you you sure are smarter than all us! Except i could debate your lame ass into oblivion.. I have an intellect too dummy. Just cause you don’t agree doesn’t mean you can write me off that easy! And so what if I can’t spell or have run on sentences. This is about communicating right, and you do not have anything real to say except try and feel superior by “critiquing” anyone that stand your lame ass’s way. You are exactly what i am talking about, another one of heraldo’s buddies.
Next time lets hear a real response something of substance, instead of your chicken shit.
So come on, reply back with some serious shit, tell me why i am so dumb again, why are you so cool, whats your story!
NAN is a meanie!!
not a native is just a jerk, he is always posting stuff like this.
Nice job stealing my handle.