There was some discussion on NN in how to respond to trolls in recent memory. I wanted to submit for your perusal, a very thoughtful and now approaching 100% perfect flowchart to help guide a cool-headed response. Based on my long Internet experience, dating back to the 80’s, I would consider the “protocol” tested and useful. Kudos to Capt. Faggard and his team.
Excellent. Now I can “disclose my Air Force connection” with impunity.
You realize, of course, that it took me 25 minutes to complete all the flowchart steps before I typed this, right?
Well, it was more addressed to those people who are regularly flustered when they come across a non consensual commenting style.
You did click on that flowchart link to xkcd, didn’t you?
I’ve been puzzling over this picture, on and off, all day. I first saw it this morning. Now it is 2215 hours (since we are being all military). I still find it totally confusing. I even preferred helping my younger daughter work out the internal angles of various geometrical entities. (Of course, she was better at this than I was.) Maybe we need a kind of NN deconstruction?
Hm. Where the heck did my comment go?
Does that make you an “unhappy customer” or “misguided”, Heather? (Not a “rager” or a “troll” I am sure!)
aaaaah…. I see!
Thanks Heather :)
That’s funny! I like that flowchart. Can I adapt it for use in the meat world?
Well, take it and run with it, naturally. I suppose one could class my lost comment because I must have clicked on “preview” rather than “send” and then navigated away as “unhappy customer” but I am most pleased that Maxine doesn’t consider me troll material. Best thing that happened to me today.
While the chart looks like overkill it’s probably quite useful for any staff not already convinced by the value of blogging. It usually helps to minimise the perceived effort of writing blog posts in the minds of anyone you want to get out there and posting, so they get round to it in their busy lives.
Turning this process into a flowchart probably makes more sense in a protocol-rich environment like a big corporation or military institution. But I’d love to see it used in a normal conversation – imagine wearing a chart like that on a t-shirt for managing discussions with your mother-in-law.
Welcome, Ben. I think you’ve just set yourself your first challenge. Make sure to post a link to the results, please! ;-)
Maxine, I found it confusing too. To understand it, you have to imagine that you work for the Air Force, and you read something about the Air Force on someone’s blog or a forum, and also that you have apparently never used the internet before and are not used to its customs. The whole thing is from the perspective of someone reading about their organisation online and wanting to correct it. The Maxine-version would be “Has someone posted something about Nature’s editorial policies online? Is it fair and balanced? Is it misguided?” etc. and then you can use the chart to figure out when to respond or not. Or you could save about 15 minutes and just use common sense…
What I always say in such perplexing situations,
Is ‘excuse me, Madam, does this bus go to the station?’
Couldn’t help but notice that this is actually their V.2 of the chart…
Anyone care to speculate on what V.1 looked like? My guess is that there was a single arrow, and the appropriate response was: “Notify H.Q. (that part still survives!). Locate the server hosting the offending web posting. Set as target for next airborne raid”
The v.1 I believe is in the first link; after getting feedback from the comments on the second link it was modified to the version I posted here. One difference I notice immediately is in the simpler contact information.
As Eva said, it’s just common sense.
Yes, Heather and Eva, I agree, – by the time you have stopped being confused, you could have made the decision, done the action, and three other things as well as had breakfast (perhaps in my case, not done the maths homework, though) ;-)
Not to mention having believed six impossible things, just to stay in form.
Heather, what is that on your new profile picture??
Oh yes, that’s what I looked like about four weeks after conception. Funny how much I looked like you, actually, at that age. ;-)
But in the comments, the image ends up actually about life-sized, which makes it hard to see without a dissecting microscope for your screen.
Funny how much I looked like you, actually, at that age. ;-)
have to stop laughing. now. :D