Let me begin by explaining what this diary is not. First, it is not a call-out diary. I will not be naming "names" or quoting/linking to comments that I find objectionable. Second, this is not an appeal to the administration or the wider community about moderation.
What this is is a message to the sexual minority Kossacks and our straight, cisgender allies who regularly participate in the LGBT diaries.
As others have written, we had a difficult weekend, with a diary published in the TransAction group--a group focused on issues facing the trans community--on Friday derailing into a pie fight that continued well into Sunday evening. I'm not going to point out specific comments or posts, but several of these comments crossed the line between legitimate disagreement and outright trolling.
As shocking as the events this weekend were to some, it was for many of us just an amplification of a pattern of trolling we've been dealing with for quite some time. There are posters who present a constant pattern of showing up in LGBT diaries and consistently being problematic. Regardless of the topic at hand, some posters, not occasionally, but consistently--sometimes always--will arrive to argue a contrarian view. Consistently it involves defending homophobic actions, inaction in addressing homophobic policies or people, or defending the homophobic status quo. Their mission seems to be to convince LGBTs to find the status quo acceptable, for whatever reason.
With the reduced administrative moderation, it is the responsibility of the LGBT diary regulars to come up with a method for dealing with comments designed to derail conversation and/or ignite a pie fight. The solution that I am proposing below is very simple and can be easily summarized as...
If a troll is spotted, a responsible TU should identify the troll by replying with "DO NOT REPLY" in the subject field. Other users may rec the original "DO NOT REPLY" comment, but aside from that, ignore the trolls completely. Don't respond to them. Don't even post recipes. Posting recipes can be an effective method to shame Kossacks who make inappropriate comments, but the trolls that regularly visit the LGBT diaries are without shame.
But Psychodrew, what about the HR-worthy comments? If a troll is craving a donut, by all means drop a pastry. But a hidden comment with 20 donuts and 12 replies that reads "HR'd for (same reason)" only invites 12 heated replies and 12 subthreads with pies flying back and forth. What I propose is that the first person to HR a comment should write a detailed explanation of the HR. Those that follow should rec this comment, denying the troll additional targets to reply to. It might be cathartic to write your own "HR'd for being a butthead troll" comment, but this only feeds the troll.
Resisting the urge to reply to the troll can be difficult. I get that. But the other approaches have not worked. My somewhat childish and over the top profanity-laced tirade on Friday night probably made the situation worse than it was. Other things that did not work included hide rates, requests to leave, and factual rebuttals. What we did not try was ignoring the trolls. I realize that this really isn't an intuitive strategy, but everything we did try only fed a two-day pie fight and resulted in frustration and hurt feelings.
These proposed guidelines are not intended to squash dissent. Healthy debate is good, and the LGBT Kossacks sometimes find ourselves in disagreement with one another. There is a clear line between trolling and respectful disagreement. We want to end the former and encourage the latter. These guidelines should also not to be used to target individuals. Our purpose is to target bad behavior. Although the impetus for this diary was trolling by a number of specific individuals this weekend, this isn't about exacting revenge upon Kossacks who have offended us in the past, but to make the LGBT diaries a more pleasant place to discuss our issues in the future.
This diary also reflects the views of:
wyldraven
MBNYC
musing85
triv33
slinkerwink
NY brit expat
joanneleon
frandor55
poligirl
angel d
Clarknt67
Colorado is the Shiznit
jpmassar
indiemcemopants
aigeanta
FogCityJohn
jsfox
LaFeminista
T100R
SpecialKinFlag
TooFolkGR
alguien
sanglug
Ace Nelson
high uintas
bubbanomics
JustJennifer
hpchicago
AndyS In Colorado
Chrislove
potatohead
OIL GUY
annieli
sexgenderbody
Renee
scribe
Stripe
TheOrchid
Badabing
Abra Crabcakeya
Mortifyd
Mets102
owilde69
mango
nokkonwud
newpioneer
Steveningen
Crazy Moderate
qannabbos
Dave1042
Cali Scribe
Craziel
ChiTownDenny
TheMomCat
outragedinSF
bythesea
Montreal Progressive
ehrenfeucht games
alrdouglas
DavidW
ursoklevar
lineatus
Lady Libertine
Catte Nappe
smileycreek
blue jersey mom
EclecticCrafter
ALifeLessFrightening
on the cusp
craigkg
rhetoricus
HudsonValleyMark
tardis10
sara seattle
kck
lotusmaglite
kpbuick
rexymeteorite
TrueBlueMajority
aggieric
FrankCornish
Ekaterin
raboof
DMiller
gooderservice
avadoria
sfbob
Vtdblue
geomoo
auntichris
left rev
PhilJD
texasmom
JTinDC
shaharazade
glitterlust
legendmn
Hedwig
jayden
Tookish
Sychotic1
Dion
Actbriniel
Quilldriver
lissablack
TomP
Dem Beans
VolvoDrivingLiberal
El Mito
cooper888
Ginger1
ramara
gizmo59
IndieGuy
revsue
Maikeru Ronin
KelleyRN2
Dixiedemocrat
CayceP
Black Knight
AntKat
Pager
Kysen
briefer
Idgie Threadgoode
priceman
royce
Kitsap River
commonmass
Portlaw
rscopes
marketgeek
lostboyjim
cassandraX
ZhenRen
nickrud
LeftHandedMan
goldendragon1994
tonyahky
weatherdude
WI Deadhead
bnasley
croyal
Alice Venturi
kimoconnor
Ebby
CajunBoyLgb
vcmvo2
Puffin
Boris and Natasha
Angie in WA State
BobSmith415
BeninSC
DarlingtonD
emsprater
BFSkinner
SoCalSal
Debby
Brit
Zooey Glass
YucatanMan
gloriana
dlemex
vacantlook
Dom9000
teacherken
EdSF
MrJayTee
mdmslle
eclare
foolrex
RiaD
emal
Prav duh
koNko
Christy1947
Please note in the comments if you wish to have your name added to the list.Updated by psychodrew at Mon Apr 18, 2011 at 02:16 PM EDT
Thanks for all your great feedback. We're very excited that so many have signed on! A lot of people gave feedback and helped edit this diary before I posted. I need to step away and get cracking on this exam. I'll be back in an hour or so. Don't panic if you ask to me to add your name and I don't do it right away.
Andrew
Updated by psychodrew at Mon Apr 18, 2011 at 03:47 PM EDT
Poligirl is helping me get caught up on adding names. Thanks again for your feedback and support.
Poligirl, you are loved!
Updated by wyldraven at Mon Apr 18, 2011 at 09:17 PM CDT
We are trying to get all of your names added to the list, but my broken rib and attendant pain meds just cost me twenty minutes of edits. Please be patient, and know that we love each and every one of you!