Nicole Sullivan, 'Don't Feed The Trolls' - Fluent 2012

The JavaScript community is one of the most vibrant and fun groups I've ever been lucky enough to be a part of. Like any vibrant community, sometimes people don't play nicely. In this session, I will discuss what it has been like to be shy and be on twitter, mailing lists, and open source. I'll talk about my experiences consulting on massive CSS overhauls, and ways to defeat trolls—including your own inner troll! I'll also share a timing attack for your brain that might just surprise you.

About Nicole Sullivan (Stubbornella):

Follow O'Reilly Media:

[meducation]

This is great everyone should watch it.I am going to share it.

[TomsWorkbench]

I'm going to spread this video far and wide. Great info.

[PeterCooperUK]

It's not rude to ignore other people's rudeness; it's sensible. That's what the keynote is about.

[PeterCooperUK]

I didn't know Nicole much before Fluent but she's super nice. I don't usually like "off-topic" keynotes but she did a great job and it actually proved to be relevant.

[JeffFrick]

Watch Nicole's theCUBE Interview here 
Nicole Sullivan - O'Reilly Velocity Conference 2013 - theCUBE 

[reneecharles]

Oh my gosh, this is my life in a 9-hour-day-nut-shell for 13 years. And I wish, wish, wish, wish I'd seen your sensible view on how to handle it a long time ago. If I let my own troll out to do battle for me I get exhausted. Thank you for the different way to look at it.

[hellomichellen]

Thanks for the amazing talk! It's very applicable to any work environment.

[bkaraus]

Good presentation. Nice job, thank you.

[plankytronixx]

I don't think in her definition, a troll is a person who asks stupid questions. A troll is a person who explicitly calls you "stupid" for asking a stupid question (which as you point out - might be the right thing to do)...

[michaelshur]

You're brilliant Nicole, thank you for this!

[ConforMIDI]

Even worse than getting troll mail is getting trolled at during a company meeting. Thanks for the talk, Nicole!

[dannalbob]

Thank you for bringing this bug to my attention. I will correct for the next build.

[lynth]

Okay, this whole talk tries to convey exactly one rule: "Don't be agressive, be passive-agressive. You can feel smug and superior without exhausting yourself."

[Bananadine]

I like her point about how trolls are also people.  I wish she would have pushed it harder.  Nobody seems to speak up on behalf of trolls, understandably.  But, for instance, that "thanks we'll correct that in the next version" response she suggested is good, not just because it gives an eff you to the troll aspect of the person being responded to, but also because it invites the non-troll aspect of that person in to participate further.  Sometimes if you're a troll you even know you've been nasty and you sort of want somebody to defang you that way.  A person who flips out over your meanness while ignoring the positive message you hid in it is, perhaps, not deserving of fully respectful treatment.  But if they show you that they're not only better than you in this small way but also on YOUR side, by focusing only on the positive thing that YOU brought up while also doing you the favor of letting your own hostility quietly vent and disperse so that you both are rid of it afterward--then maybe they'll deserve, and win, your respect.  We are all foolish monsters; and anybody who sincerely looks at a person and sees ONLY a troll is as much responsible for the trolling as the ostensible troll is.

[CosmicCat]

26 internet trolls thumbed downed this vid. I suppose ignoring them is the best advice.

[TubeofDestiny]

HEY ! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING THIS IS NOT...

[oh, do you mind if I take some notes ? I'm just new in the business, I've still a lot to learn :D]

[eno]

She forgot about the person who "trolls" just because the optimists in the group are ignoring some realities that must be considered. Call them the "raising awareness" trolls.

[DathDmension]

I am your practice Troll! Nice to meet you! (let's see what you have learned so far)

[amusement]

Another trolling form for thought. Same effect. Site owners who show no respect for non-trolling forum members. They don’t start anything nor swear. They respond to otherwise interesting posts by callously talking down to posters. It provokes an unspoken emotional response. Throwing their weight around. It puts a speed bump on an otherwise interesting discussion. Yet members are afraid to say anything for fear of being kicked off. Bad policing. No tact. Demeaning. It’s painful they don’t get it.

[hughjfahget]

coming from someone who spends all his time with one of the largest collectives of trolls on the internet, shes kinda got this one, but shes defining a troll by the methods they use.

the troll has a point to their ruse, the troll spouting death threats for example (assuming its actually a troll, and not merely an idiot) would likely be trying to put the point across that youre taking the internet too seriously. grammar nazis, who i dont believe are strictly a subset of trolls, are typically looking for a laugh at those willing to argue over trivialities, or may simply be the kind of person who feeds on conflict. jealous troll isnt really a troll at all, most likely, but its possible that hes looking to bait out those who cant see the flaw in his statement.

a troll in not the same thing as a flamer, the measure of a troll is by how much intervention they need to put in to make everyone else make asses of themselves. the best response to a troll is to humor them if you want to take his attention away from creating conflit, as when a troll sees a likeminded soul willing to joke about a bit, their efforts to troll the community will likely be more muted as theyre spending their time talking to you and not them, this also helps others recognise the troll, and if theyre seasoned enough theyll stay away or try and steer the conversation to more productive grounds. another thing worth mentioning is that the troll isnt nessecarrily going to attack their target with the bait, often the troll will attack the side they agree with in order to bait out those he doesnt agree with.

also
>as a woman you dont expect to be told youre a sexist
oh my, were it not for the context this would indeed sound like bait