Confidence that new posters are interested in their thread - an idea.

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

Anti-troll code:1979 validate code at http://www.IanSmithCSE.co.uk/AntiTroll/LookupCode.aspx

I have been thinking (a nice hook for some insults) on first posts from new users, not just here but on all forums and product review sections and how much confidence you can have in them and by implication how much effort you may want to put into answering them.

The results of my thoughts is the Anti-troll code, hence the weird line at the start of the post.

The idea is that anyone who wants to add credibility to their first post gets an Anti-Troll code and posts it in a similar manner to above.

Then anyone who is curious can look this code up and can see how many other codes the person has asked for and if any have been reported for "bad behaviour"

Anyone can report these codes, so if someone gets a code and then uses it to promote say a cafe with a spam post, the post gets flagged for doing such a thing lowering the credibility that others might give to an associated code on another site.

Possibly over time individuals will make first posts on a number of sites building a history of new codes without issues, strengthening their first new post somewhere else.

Clearly on day 1 nobody will have a history, but even just getting a code show a degree of seriousness and as codes are issued against site and user name on that site, misusing them is a sure sign of bad faith.

So have I over thought the issue, it is a terrible idea?

You get a code from this form


and if someone goes to lookup the code they see something like


Feel free to report these codes, they will be reset to unreported as this is a test account.

Bye

Ian

 

[PaulSB]

Well I took the time to have a look and it's a nice idea. In all honesty I don't feel I could be bothered. I suppose I might use it if a post or review had especially annoyed me but this would be very rare.

Could be useful if making a decision on a major purchase but I'm more likely to use a quality trusted source such as Which? and then make my own judgement.

Overall one can't trust internet reviews on products and on chat forums it's not important enough, to me, to be worried about the new poster's opening message.

Doesn't work well on a mobile which is an instant switch off. It needs to be mobile friendly.

 

[Drago]

I like puppies.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good afternoon,

I like puppies.

I managed to disable the web cam on my laptop by mistake and have just wasted most of the morning wondering what I had done.

I am now going to waste most of the afternoon wondering what this means, just in case it might mean something.

Bye

Ian

 

[Rocky]

It's a nice idea, Ian but I wonder if it isn't a tad too technical. I suspect we all know who the trolls are from their posting behaviour. We just need to make sure we don't feed them.

 

[T4tomo]

Exactly you can normally soon tell whose just on for wind up pretending to be an incompetent beginner or having had an apparent appalling service at XXX bike shop or have just broken the hour record on spin bike.
Its just that some people are too trusting and take them at face value. We just need to be be less sensitive about calling people out for it, or at least not flame people who cry troll.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good afternoon,

Looking at it today as a completely new idea

• It definitely looks very complex, but is it? My thinking was that only one person would ever bother to check the code if the post looked iffy and the fact that the check was okay or not might be mentioned in their reply
• It's not normal, so its absence doesn't matter, unless one day it is normal.
• The key objective is to make the first post one that as many people as possible feel comfortable spending their time answering.

If I go and make my first post on a Hi-Fi forum and say that I have a ZXCVASDF turntable and I need a new drive belt, any idea where I can get one, that leaves a big question, oohps I forgot to specify the model.

The "hassle" of getting the code, once you've "got the idea" it is a very small hassle, becomes a much bigger hassle if I am posting on lots of sites to ensure that ZXCVASDF turntables appear in search engines.

Equally if I am writing a bad review and am willing to attach my history of good "codes" to that review it may add credibility especially where posting on a site where I have little history.

PaulSB made the point that I had pretty much ignored people who look at forums on a mobile and that is something that I need to address. I am too used to desktop/laptop and large iPad users.

Thanks for the feedback.

Bye

Ian

 

[newfhouse]

Troll sniffing is part of the fun of forums, isn’t it? This seems like a solution looking for a problem.

Also, what stops me reporting other users so as to deliberately lower their reputation?

 

[Smokin Joe]

Exactly you can normally soon tell whose just on for wind up pretending to be an incompetent beginner or having had an apparent appalling service at XXX bike shop or have just broken the hour record on spin bike.
Its just that some people are too trusting and take them at face value. We just need to be be less sensitive about calling people out for it, or at least not flame people who cry troll.

After three or four posts at the most it becomes obvious when a new member is just a troll. Lockdown has driven the number up in the last year, I suppose they are bored without school.

 

[All uphill]

After three or four posts at the most it becomes obvious when a new member is just a troll. Lockdown has driven the number up in the last year, I suppose they are bored without school.

I agree mostly, but there are people with communication difficulties, unusual personalities or styles who can come across as trolling when they may be in earnest.

I fear that relying on intuition or gut-feel just ends up excluding anyone who is somewhat different, reducing this to just another echo chamber.

Personally I just ignore people who I feel are trolling, and am cautious of calling out anyone because I could be wrong and I don't get any joy from policing someone else's forum.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good afternoon

Troll sniffing is part of the fun of forums, isn’t it? This seems like a solution looking for a problem.

Also, what stops me reporting other users so as to deliberately lower their reputation?

Troll sniffing... may be for you but not for many, a lot of forum members simply don't answer new members, I don't mean here I mean forums in general.

If someone new posts and only a few people know the answer then it is good for any forum's health that an answer is given and if those few generally don't respond to new members then that is bad for the forum.

Also, what stops me reporting..... The report goes into a queue for manual review by a real person, I have been undecided on requiring a confirmed email address to allow reporting this would depend upon the number of silly/spiteful reports.

After three or four posts at the most it becomes obvious when a new member is just a troll. Lockdown has driven the number up in the last year, I suppose they are bored without school.

The idea of the code is really to establish the good intentions of the new member rather than the bad ones, this makes more sense in the future where many forum and site users have built up a collection of codes, something that has value.

By the time a thread has gotten to three of four replies members who may have looked at the post when it was new, decided that it wasn't worth their time responding will not look again.

Bye

Ian

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good afternoon,

........Personally I just ignore people who I feel are trolling, .......

This makes you the exact person that I am trying to give confidence about the posters intentions to.

Bye

Ian

 

[ianrauk]

Hello

Sorry Ian you have too much time on your hands

Bye

Ian

 

[Drago]

Just say, "Morning Regulator", and if they get uppity you know it's a troll from the fens.

 

[irw]

Good afternoon,

I like puppies.

I managed to disable the web cam on my laptop by mistake and have just wasted most of the morning wondering what I had done.
I am now going to waste most of the afternoon wondering what this means, just in case it might mean something.
Bye
Ian

I think it means you're trip-trapping over somebody's bridge...! 👹