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BP should cool it on trollers

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JXC;1337764; said:
Look guys, i'm nothing more than another random member of BP. I'm not a mod, or admin. I'm just a part of the community, and therefore I don't know how much of what I have to say matters, but i'm going to say it anyway.

Recently, another troller was harrassed before being banned, and i'm sure most of you know what I am talking about. Before you know it personal information, pictures, addresses, etc. are being provided, and many BP members are encouraging spamming and prank phone calls, along with defacing pictures, and promoting harassment. This is not the first time this has happened.

First off, there is no way to be 100% sure that this IS the person who was trolling, but that may not matter. If this person really wanted to, they could file a harrassment lawsuit against Buckeye Planet. Now depending on what actually happened, the effect of this lawsuit could range from none to a lot. Though unlikely, if we aren't careful it could end up hurting Buckeye Planet in a way that gets the website shut down.

If somebody comes on here and says negative things about Ohio State, a member, etc. or violates any other terms that Buckeye Planet has set forth, they should be banned. But that should be the end of it. What is the point of getting personal information about the person? Payback? Payback for talking trash? I don't think that is right at all. I believe in an eye for an eye, but these things have been moving closer and closer to excessive. Banning them and removing or splitting their comments is all that should be done.

I do not feel like BP should allow it's memebers to actively post personal information about another poster in a manner that encourages others to harrass that member. I know that if I hosted a website, I wouldn't want that stuff to go on there. A LOT of people view Buckeye Planet. I think we should be above this type of harrassment. Nothing good can come of it, and it just make us look as bad as whoever it is who is trolling.

There is nothing wrong with responding to their comments and standing up for Buckeye Planet and The Ohio State University. But in a way I feel like we represent The Ohio State University, and this type of harrassment is not a good way to do so.

There is a fine line here, and I think it has been crossed a few times. I'm not trying to ruin anybody's fun, but BP offers a lot more enjoyment than this type of fun. I don't feel like it belongs here. I hope this doesn't offend anybody. I'm not trying to point fingers. It's a collective effort and I just kind of stepped back and realized that this stuff is going down a bad path quick. I definitely don't fault any single BP poster or group of BP posters.
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Tell your friends to quit trolling and they will not have to have you fighting for them on here.
 
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I guess I should put my $0.02 in here...

I understand the point that JXC is making. It's a valid concern. There is a risk that we mistake the true identity of some of these trolls.

FWIW, I take some non-trivial degree of care when it comes to verifying, from multiple *public* sources that the troll is, with a high degree of certainty, actually the person whose info I post. Usually there are pieces of info out there that link up... overlaps in email addresses (ones that have demonstrably been around for a few years), a handle or moniker, a name, etc.

Is my approach fool-proof? Probably not... The overlap could be sheer coincidence.

Have identities been mistaken? On occasion... But we've (well... mostly the admins) have gone back and cleaned those threads up.

Do things get out of hand sometimes? I suppose... caveat emptor.

I think it's important to repeat (like BKB said) that all the info *is* public info (personal address and phone numbers included). IMO, a troll has no less a right to respect and dignity than, say, Justin Boren.

Look... I'm not trying to be dismissive or derogatory toward the potential danger for real harm - both to BP and to the visitor - from these incidents. I'm just trying to give a reasoned response to JXC's points.

Is it worth the risk to the site and its reputation? I'm in no position to say... If there is a perceived risk, then we need to account for that and spell it out so everyone understands that BP will accommodate ALL comers, regardless of their intentions, with the utmost courtesy, respect, and reverence... even if they've come on here under an assumed identity.

It seems to me, though, that those who come here under false or assumed identities, for the most part, are easily distinguishable from those who do it with brazen and pompous disregard. The latter group gets no quarter, in my book. I'm not good at drawing lines. To me, there's little difference between a picture, a blog, and a phone number.

Re encouraging harassment... I don't know how I feel about that "line in the sand", either. Like I said... caveat emptor. What makes a person who comes on here looking to stir up trouble, think that we're going to turn the other cheek and honor their right to respect and dignity? Someone who comes in here and posts pictures of our players' faces superimposed with soiled and flaccid condoms and testicles insigned with Block-O's, falls off the wrong side of the scale of being unassailable. They don't deserve the benefit of the doubt, protection from a seething mob's response, or being shielded from harassment.

I realize that JXC's point is essentially "What if we hang the wrong guy?" My only response to that is "We need to be diligent in verifying the troll's identity." and then spare no comeuppance.
 
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I for one have faith in the power of Shetuck to find the bad guy's identity.

Which is why Shetuck is my favorite BP poster. A personal friend as it were. Someone who knows that I like him...who would never go after me like those others. :paranoid:

Shetuck....yessireebob....that is one great friend....like family...who would never hurt his own family....or me.....who likes him. My kids do too - like him.
 
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Gatorubet;1338204; said:
I for one have faith in the power of Shetuck to find the bad guy's identity.

Which is why Shetuck is my favorite BP poster. A personal friend as it were. Someone who knows that I like him...who would never go after me like those others. :paranoid:

Shetuck....yessireebob....that is one great friend....like family...who would never hurt his own faimily....or me.....who likes him. My kids do too - like him.
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Pussy.
 
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Buckeyeskickbuttocks;1337827; said:
Oh, and I'll be a bit of a pussy myself and say, when I said that about JXC I don't want to be understood as discouraging these sorts of "Who are we as a group" threads. I was just bustin his balls a little bit.

There was a time when the "How should we be doing this or that" thread was quite common, and there is certainly nothing wrong with examining our behavior as a site. So, if you have an opinion, share it.. if there is a better way to deal with these idiots, lets hear it.
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BUCKYLE;1338109; said:
I agree with everything BKB said about JXC being a pussy.
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Don't you also agree with BKB saying he a pussy himself? :slappy:
 
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Since the most infamous example of these trolls came from a douchebag, jackhole, drunkass sisterfuckin' SEC fan - it seems only natural that I contribute to the thread.

I think the "McNeil treatment" should be reserved for repeat trollers only.
People who've tried they're zany hijinks, gotten banned and still feel necessary to do their thing.

I also feel that under no circumstances should an individuals employer be contacted.
 
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JXC;1338129; said:
To me, it's not as much about the public info being posted, as much as the info being posted, and then harrassment using the personal info being encouraged. Public info is public info. I agree with that. But how you use it is important. Your phone number is public, but that doesn't mean I can call you and harrass or threaten you. That crosses a legal line. Having a night to sleep on it, I feel like posting pictures or email address isn't bad. It's the addresses, phone numbers, and other stuff that may cross a line, especially what any encourgament to harrass. Good discussion though. Thanks for the post BKB.
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And if I look up your phone number and start calling you at 2, 3 and 4am every morning, your recourse is not against 411.com. It's against ME, individually. Nowhere has BP, as an entity - to the extent that it is one - ever encouraged any person to harass anyone. Indeed, I would discourage anyone doing that... and frankly, I don't know what would possess someone to do it. As I said above, the threat is far more effective than the execution. I guess what I'm saying is, I love BP, but not enough that I'm going to start calling trolls on the phone and giving them a hard time. I'm probably niave, but I can't see anyone else doing it either.

And... again... if they did... that's on them, not BP. Public information exists all over the place, including on the internet... individuals determine what to do with it.
 
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I've called trolls before. Just once, and only to let them know they are douches. I'm not worried about the consequences though. What are they gonna do? Sue me for all I'm worth? I'll just give them my jar of change and a half pack of balogna and tell them to fuck off. No, there isn't any bread...just bologna.
 
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BUCKYLE;1338227; said:
I've called trolls before. Just once, and only to let them know they are douches. I'm not worried about the consequences though. What are they gonna do? Sue me for all I'm worth? I'll just give them my jar of change and a half pack of balogna and tell them to fuck off. No, there isn't any bread...just bologna.
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:lol: Your beard will be sheared.
 
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