For the past couple of years, I’ve had a troll infesting this place. To you, he has been invisible. This is because WordPress has first post moderation and it’s relatively easy to detect. A couple of times, I gave him the benefit of the doubt because I wasn’t quite sure and didn’t want to delete a genuine commenter, but once he started to behave like an arsehole, I gave him the boot. It doesn’t matter how much you try to disguise yourself, eventually you give yourself away. Once a pompous, self-righteous, patronising prick, always one and it can only remain hidden for so long.
Now, however, he has adopted a trick used by Dickie Doubleday (remember him?). He is impersonating people who have already been approved. Again, I can usually pick it up. However, if you see a comment that isn’t you, but purports to be and I’ve let it slip through the net, just let me know.
Ta.
That kind of thing is usually pretty easy to spot, we all have a certain style of writing that regulars will know. I can only recall one occasion when someone posted pretending to be me, I don’t remember where. I promptly put up a post stating that that wasn’t me but it must have already been obvious.
Yeah, he has a voice. Snarky, pompous, self-righteous, condescending and patronising. Thats what made me suspicious.
Blimey, if he comes in as me how will you tell the difference?
Too true – I read the comments sections of what I think of as our ‘estate’ of sites daily and more often than not know who the author is by style without (consciously) noticing the handle.
@LR – Have you thought about curating a list of friendly blogs for us all to reference? TW has similar but very outdated and many dead links; could be a useful resource.
There’s a particular style that I dislike. That sneering, condescending tone that crosses the line between disagreement and the ad hom. An example of this is MTG 1 over at Julia’s. He tried it on with me when I made a fairly innocuous comment. Rather than challenge my point with a valid argument or evidence, he went into one of those down-the-nose sneers ladled with insult (despite my merely citing evidence from the BMJ). When it’s on someone else’s blog, I just stop engaging. I’ve got better things to do with my time than waste it arguing with half-wits.
Shortly after that, he popped up here. However, he had burned his bridges with me. I won’t tolerate someone speaking to me like that in my home, so I see no reason to tolerate it here. He got the boot.
My troll has a very similar tone. To the point where I did wonder if they were the same, but they aren’t. There are two pompous pricks doing the rounds.
As for your second point – wasn’t that the idea behind Martin Scriblerus?
Surprised they get internet under the bridges.
I’ll get me coat
Baboom tish!
It is strange how a troll will latch onto a single blogger.
Much Missed Raedwald had one. Raedwald knew of him and I think let his comments appear, maybe just to amuse us.
This was fine so long as nobody took the bait. No matter what guise he adopted, he was always recognised, The poor troll wilted. Where is he/she/it now?
There’s nowt as queer as folk.
Do trolls have trolls.
Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ’em, and little flease have lesser fleas, and so on ad infinitum.
One wonders. They can amuse sometimes, but I would rather not have the bunfight. Besides, this is someone that I would prefer is not in my life.
Dickie Doubleday aka Rickie finally vanished. I think that Anna Racoon turning up on his doorstep was the beginning of the end.
The last I heard of Doubleday, he was in the comments section of a long dead blog, talking to himself. I do hope he got the help he so desperately needed.
Yes, that was shortly before he disappeared.
Assuming you’re referring to libellous Greg T, he always shot his foot as so easy to post cited evidence destroying his “facts” as outright lies.
Rabbit holing trolls take more effort as so easy to follow down hole eg
Good article and comments
https://hectordrummond.com/2020/10/06/a-beginners-guide-to-false-positives/
Nah, not Greg. Actually, Greg has been around for years. I’m fine with him going off on one as it’s not trolling even if it is hopelessly wrong and he gets his arse handed to him on a plate.
The other day I did delete some of his comment because it was so far over the line, it was actionable and I’m not prepared to have to defend it in court. However, I made it clear what I had done.
There was a guy who used to post on the comments section of Spiked! and, though he changed his pseudonym regularly every four or so months, everyone instantly knew it was him. Sheesh it became tiresome. Thanks LR for suffering so that we don’t have to.
Spiked seems to have stopped allowing comments altogether now. On balance I think this was the right thing to do. There were some good ones but considering the high quality of many of the articles the overall standard of comments was disappointingly low.
David, yes indeed. They were more or less OK even up until only about 18 months ago, but then just seemed to go off the edge of a cliff. I think Spiked! draws a considerable number of really witless trolls these days so, as you say, probably best to shut it down completely.
Spiked articles I find generally interesting even if I do not share the perspective, the comments on the other hand I do not miss; one of the few sites I follow where the comments were just worth the effort.
Donkeys years ago on a photo sharing forum I noticed that someone had posted original pics of mine claiming them to be his own.
I dealt with this by reloading entirely different pics using the original url so ‘his’ pic of “early morning mist” showed as polluted sludge.
I reported it to the mods who were fine with what I’d done. It took the offender several days to delete his stolen post and disappear from that forum.
I was then very new to the internet and thought myself very clever.
I did something similar when someone hotlinked my images. The usual trick was to replace them with tub girl. That being sufficiently gross and pornographic to get them instantly banned from whatever forum they were posting on.
Argly bargly knickers! Millennium hand foot!
One of the reasons I enjoy reading blogs is the banter between the commenters. Tim Worstalls blog is particularly good. I know what you mean about MTG, I almost feel sorry for him as he gives the impression that he has real problems in his life. I do wonder if some of the trolls would be like they are face to face and how long before they needed treatment in Casualty.
“Snarky, pompous, self-righteous, condescending and patronising.”
Damn! I thought someone called my name . . .
No. More likely me.
Blimey, if he comes in as me how will you tell the difference?
I’m afraid you lot are mere amateurs compared to this jerk.