Sue Scheff: Trolls Exposed: What kind of troll is disrupting your online community?

For anyone that has been harassed online, slimed online and think that attempting to correct the lies, twisted truths or malicious attacks of a “troll” online, think twice.  These so-called “Trolls” feed off of your responses.  This morning is a very interesting article on this type of behavior.  As someone that has been on the receiving end of a several “trolls” I always tell people that contact me, “don’t feed them or fuel them” – it can only energize them.  My new book, Google Bomb, goes into detail about this and many other aspects of Internet Life.

By: Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 05/31/2009 01:27:12 AM PDT

Don’t feed the trolls.

You know the ones I’m talking about. They prey on news forums, chat rooms, and other online communities. Their purpose: to disrupt any conversation or thread, and to get an emotional response from some unwary person. Ignoring them and not responding to their posts is your best option.

What kind of people are trolls? They’re cowards. Lonely cowards. Their posts seldom show any real imagination and often resort to childish name-calling.

Trolls are often extremely pedantic and rarely answer direct questions. There are some exceptions, but most aren’t smart enough to make a reasonable argument. They’re not interested in reason. They repeat themselves and say stupid, off-focus things to disrupt conversations.

Some trolls like to brag about their IQ. They try to come across like rocket scientists to lure the unwary and then pounce with a verbal attack. Trolls count the responses they get. It must be highly pleasurable for the poor creatures to count coups if they disrupt other people’s emotional equilibrium.

Trolls call it “Lulz,” a corruption of “LOL” (laugh out loud). Jason Fortuny is the most famous troll in America (using his real name in an interview). He was interviewed in the New York Times on August 3, 2008. This article is the best read I’ve found on the subject of trolls.

Fortuny’s passion for “pushing people’s buttons” made him the most prominent troll on the Internet according to the Times. He managed to thoroughly embarrass a lot of men with his infamous “Craigslist Experiment” as described in the Times article.

Like many trolls, Fortuny claims his pastime is just a big joke, a social experiment. He lives alone, spends countless hours anonymously insulting people, doesn’t have a full time job, is 32 years old, and brags (to anyone who will listen) about being a troll.

For all of Fortuny’s faults, no one has ever accused him of murder, like the woman in the Megan Meier cyberbullying case.

The suicide of a teenage girl highlights another type of troll. A deadly troll, sometimes called a cyberbully, took on a fake identity and seduced a vulnerable girl in MySpace. When the troll was sure she had fallen in love with the fake identity she (this woman posed as a man) broke up with the girl and said terrible things to her.

It was more than Megan Meier could stand and she killed herself. The warning is clear here. You never really know who you are talking with on the Internet, especially in online communities like FaceBook and MySpace.

For a guide on trolls go to flayme.com, which offers an Intelligence Test for Trolls. For an insight into cyberbullying check out the book “BullyBaby: Portrait of a Cyberbully,” by Andrew Heenan. “Dealing with Internet Trolls,” posted on lockergnome.com on April 17th, 2009, is another good information source.

Legislating cyberspace to go after trolls isn’t feasible in my opinion. The web is a new frontier for freedom of speech and I don’t want to see that changed by Orwellian laws that make it a crime to hurt someone’s feelings.

So what do you do about trolls? Recognize that they are part of the Internet community and will be there as long as there are lonely misfits and people who have trouble communicating in the real world.

They crawl through cyberspace seeking to create chaos. It gives them a sense of power when they feel powerless in the real world. They get to say things they’d never dare say to people directly. At best, they are lonely cowards. Ignore them and don’t let them spoil your use of the Internet.

Trolls are not hard to spot. For example, go to an online newspaper community like the Times-Standard’s Topix Forum. In no time, you’ll begin to recognize some names posted in every topic. Realizing this, trolls will sometimes change their identities, but their repetition and negative comments generally “out them” to an aware community.

There are also paid political trolls. They actually get paid to surf through online communities and disrupt meaningful conversations while touting their party line. Both Republicans and Democrats are guilty of this underhanded practice.

As It Stands, there’s really only one practical way to deal with trolls: don’t feed them!

 

Dave Stancliff is a columnist for The Times-Standard. He is a former newspaper editor and publisher. Comments can be sent to richstan1@suddenlink.net or davesblogcentral.com.

Sue Scheff: Google Bomb Book Debuts on YouTube

Google Bomb, the book, will be in your favorite bookstores September 1, 2009. Google Bomb is the story of Sue Scheff and legal commentary from John W Dozier Jr.

Check out the new animation review of our upcoming best-selling new book!

Click Here for YouTube Debut: http://bit.ly/14ma3I

Sue Scheff: Help ReputationDefender Support Nikki Catsouras

When a family loses a child, I can’t even imagine the pain they endure.  How they wake up the next day, how they feel, what they feel and how they go on with life.  When a family loses a child in a tragic accident it seems it could only compound all the feelings of loss.

On October 31, 2006 the Catsouras family experienced the nightmare every parent fears – losing a teen in a tragic automobile accident.

The accident was the beginning of an emotional roller coaster.   If you haven’t heard about this story, it is time to take a moment and help make a difference.  Nikki Catsouras, after having a horrific car accident was dead on impact, the scene was described as shocking as Nikki’s head was nearly decapitated.

Can you even imagine as a parent, learning of this?  Can you imagine living through this?  As a parent advocate and a parent of two young adults now, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what this family has gone through.

What follows next is nothing short of evil, in my opinion.  Shortly after Nikki was buried, her parents and sisters still in mourning, the Internet creeped into their lives in the most heinous way. Photo’s of Nikki’s crime scene were posted online!  Yes, their daughter’s body, or what was left of it, was going viral!  Where is justice?  Who in God’s name would do this?

Please take a moment to read “A Tribute to Nikki Catsouras” and sign the petition to help create reasonable protection for personal privacy on the Internet.

Sue Scheff: Journey to Recovery

The Road to Recovery Update keeps you informed about activities leading up to National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) in September. Feel free to forward this information to friends and colleagues, include it in newsletters or listservs, or link  to it from your Web site.

Last Call for Questions for May’s Ask the Expert: Thomas A. Kirk, Jr., Ph.D., Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services

Questions for the May Road to Recovery Webcast, Providing a Continuum of Care: Improving Collaboration Among Services, are due by Friday, May 22, 2009.

Submit your questions to Dr. Kirk by contacting us. Answers from Dr. Kirk will be posted on the Recovery Month Web site in early June. Contact information for questions will be kept confidential.

Mark Your Calendars for the June 3, 2009, Road to Recovery Webcast: Recovery and the Health Care/Insurance Systems: Improving Treatment and Increasing AccessOn June 3, join host, Ivette Torres, Associate Director for Consumer Affairs, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for the June 2009 Road to Recovery Webcast.

 

When the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Act of 2008 becomes effective in 2010, additional options will become available to those seeking addiction and mental health services. The Act will require group health plans to offer coverage for addiction and mental illness and provide benefits on par with those for all other medical and surgical conditions.

This program will examine what impact the Act will have on health care and insurance systems and what it means for individuals and families battling addiction. The show will also explore other issues related to health care’s role in recovery, such as proper screening and intervention, prescription drug abuse prevention, and treating co-occurring disorders.

Sue Scheff: When Revenge becomes E-Venge

Take Cover – Google Bomb Book is almost here!

O-kay – this is a preliminary cover – but it is getting the attention of many media outlets! – John Dozier and I are extremely excited about the launching of this book – for many reasons. Most of all, we offer sound solutions and help you to learn from my mistakes and gain from his expertise!

Having Michael Fertik write the foreword will introduce the rumbling this book will bring – as the CEO and Founder of ReputationDefender, Michael Fertik is an expert in the field of helping you manage your online profile!

Together – we do have a dream team to help you surf safely!

Pre-Order your copy today at Amazon.

Sue Scheff: Is Google God?

Source: Toronto Sun

More like Casebook

Social networking sites can sometimes make or break a case in court

By VIVIAN SONG, NATIONAL BUREAU

Be careful what you post on Facebook or MySpace, because anything you say or upload can and will be used against you in a court of law.

Last year, for example, an Ottawa court heard that a civil servant had started a clandestine affair with an old friend she reconnected with through Facebook during a messy custody battle involving three kids.

In a Vancouver courtroom last month, defendants in a personal injury case produced photos from the plaintiff’s Facebook profile showing that while Myla Bagasbas was seeking $40,000 in damages for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment after a car accident, she was still able to kayak, hike and bike post-accident.

“Facebook will be seen as a gold mine for evidence in court cases,” said Ian Kerr, Canada Research Chair in ethics, law and technology at the University of Ottawa.

But it will also challenge the courts to further define the notion of personal privacy. In a precedent-setting case this year, a Toronto judge ordered that a man suing for physical injury in a car accident be cross-examined on the contents of his private Facebook profile. Justice David Brown of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice overturned a previous court decision that called the defendant’s request to look for incriminating evidence a “fishing expedition.”

The very nature of Facebook is to share personal information with others, Brown wrote, and is likely to contain relevant information about how the plaintiff, John Leduc, had led his life since the accident. But if Leduc’s profile is private with restricted access, is that considered an invasion of privacy?

“The courts sometimes don’t get it,” Kerr said. “The tendency in judicial opinion and popular thinking is that once something is out in the public, there’s no such thing as privacy anymore. But that can’t be right because we all have curtains.”

For Facebook users, those curtains are our privacy settings. If our home is our castle, Facebook should also be considered a walled domain, Kerr said.

For example, while a member may post pictures from a beer bash the night before, that doesn’t mean they would take the same pictures to show off to their boss the next day, Kerr explained.

Likewise, in Murphy versus Perger, a judge ordered that the plaintiff, who was suing for claims of personal injury and loss of enjoyment of life after a car accident, produce copies of her Facebook pages showing photos of her engaging in social activities. In her judgment, Ontario Superior Court Justice Helen Rady wrote “The plaintiff could not have a serious expectation of privacy given that 366 people have been granted access to the private site.”

But having 366 Facebook friends doesn’t entitle the rest of the world to view personal information meant only for certain eyes, said Avner Levin, director of the Privacy Institute at Toronto’s Ryerson University.

“It’s not how many people you share it with, it’s who you choose to share the information with,” Levin said. “The judge is missing the point. What’s important is not how many people are your friends, but who you choose to know you.”

While we’re able to compartmentalize and separate people in our lives offline by assigning titles to different spheres — co-workers, neighbours, family — the online world fails to recognize those distinctions, he added.

It’s a habit that spills over in the job hunt as well. Employers admit they rely heavily on information they glean about a candidate from Google searches and networking profile pages. But it’s an unfair screening process, Levin said, and attaches more value to people’s online identities — and sometimes third-party information — than the candidate they meet in real life.

“We need to suppress that tendency to go on Google and look people up. There’s already a process of hiring that works for them and has been working for years,” Levin said.

While we’re more likely to trust a direct source and treat gossip with skepticism in the offline world, the same can’t be said of online information.

Pruning online identities and putting a person’s best cyber-foot forward are services offered by companies such as DefendMyName, a personal PR service which posts positive information about a client and pushes down negative links in Google. ReputationDefender also destroys libelous, private or outdated content.

“A resume is no longer what you send to your employer,” said ReputationDefender CEO Michael Fertik. “More people look at Google as a resume.”

But instead of authenticating information found online, people are trusting secondary material and treating Google like God.

“What happens is in a court of law, you have to prove something beyond a reasonable doubt. On the Internet though, many decisions are based on lower standards,” Fertik said.

But is sanitizing a person’s online reputation of unflattering content an infringement of freedom of speech and freedom of expression?

“Only if you believe Google is the best and most accurate source of information,” Fertik said. “But I don’t think Google is God. I believe Google is a machine.”

vivian.song@sunmedia.ca

Sue Scheff: Mother’s Day Weekend

What a great weekend to honor mother’s – whether they are with us in spirit, with us, or in another state – Mother’s Day is a special day for many parents – including many fathers that have taken on the mother roles.  Single parenting is common today – and many forget a single parent isn’t necessarily a mother.

Take some time to do something nice for that special mentor in your life – your mother or someone that has been a motherly figure to you.

Education.com offers some great Mother Day Gift Ideas!

Sue Scheff: Swine Flu and Parenting

Many people are extremely nervous and cautious as this flu is spreading throughout our country.  This past week we have had the first 2 cases in the state of Florida.  One in Lee County and one in Broward Country.  Take pre-cautions – wash your hands “a lot” and read these tips and resources.

Source: Connect with Kids

“During a time if people are nervous or scared, we can run out of essential goods.  And so if people begin to prepare now and stock up on those things that can keep over time, such as non-perishable food and water and medicine… they’ll be in better shape for the pandemic.”

– Rachel Eidex, Centers for Disease Control

The outbreak of the swine flu has many Americans, parents especially, worrying about their own safety and the safety of their children.  Before a possible pandemic, the CDC has several recommendations.

First, get in touch with your child’s school.  “I think they should ask the schools, does the school have a plan for pandemic influenza, what is the plan,” explains Rachel Eidex of the Centers for Disease Control.

And, explains Jacquelyn Polder, also of the Centers for Disease Control, “How will they plan to communicate with parents regarding when the school will close or when it will open.”

Next, the CDC recommends that families have plan that, according to Eidex, would include, what you’re going to do if your children stay home from school.”  Also, who will take care of the kids, should they stay in the house, if they do go out- where can they go?  And, just as important, how do you keep the family entertained for days on end.

Georgie Renz, mother of two, has an idea, “Board games, songs, please, don’t let the t-v go away!”

Number three on the CDC’s list: stock up on supplies.  Families should have at least two weeks of food and medicines stored.  “During a time if people are nervous or scared, we can run out of essential goods,” explains Eidex.  “And so if people begin to prepare now and stock up on those things that can keep over time, such as non-perishable food and water and medicine… they’ll be in better shape for the pandemic.”

Finally, Eidex advises the best prevention is good hygiene, “Wash their hands regularly.  After sneezing, after coughing, after blowing their nose.”

And that’s not always easy for little kids, like 11 year old Morgan, to remember, “Cause sometimes I just get distracted and forget.”

Mother of three, Debra Mecher says, “You have to reiterate, you have to stress ‘wash your hands before you eat, wash your hands after you use the bathroom.  Wash your hands whenever you’ve touched something that maybe wasn’t clean.”

And there is no better time to prepare than right now.

 “Rather than sitting around and worrying about it and dwelling on it, just get yourself ready the best you can,” says Mecher.

Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.   

 Tips for Parents

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Swine Flu is currently at a phase 4 pandemic alert. Phase 4 is “characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause ‘community-level outbreaks’.”  This current outbreak has infected over 250 people in 7 countries.  There are over 2,000 more cases still unconfirmed by laboratory testing.

The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.
There are antiviral medications used to treat swine flu.  Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).  There is no vaccine, however, to prevent contracting the swine flu.

The CDC gives these tips on how to stay healthy:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Emergency warning signs that your child may need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash 

References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• World Health Organization

Sue Scheff: Teens and Driving

Yikes – many of us cringe when our teen starts into adulthood by driving!  Be prepared, learn all you can about educating your teen today behind the wheel. 

Here’s a message from The Safe Teen Drivers Club:

Our Mission

To help you (Mom and Dad!) safeguard and protect your teen, leading to reduced driving crashes, injuries and fatalities.

What We Do

 
We provide education and information for parents to help them protect and safeguard their children as they begin driving. To help parents with concrete and actionable steps they can take, we also deliver services and tools — proven to reduce the likelihood of a crash — to help parents keep their teens safe and alive.
Why We Do It

There is no other threat that consistently takes over 5,000 young lives each year. If there were, our nation would long ago have been galvanized into action to do whatever was necessary to stop the carnage. Yet teen driving has been a national health and safety issue — and a tragedy for thousands of families — every year since the late 1950’s when teens began driving in large numbers. We believe there is no more important step we can take for our young people than focusing on ways to keep them alive behind the wheel.
About Safe Teen Driving Club

Vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of death and injury for youngsters age 15 to 20. Guns, drugs, suicide, homicide and all other causes take a back seat to driving crashes.  Nearly half of teen deaths result from vehicle crashes. For those who survive crashes, some 300,000 teens must be treated in hospital ER’s each year, many with life-changing injuries.
The Safe Teen Driving Club is a community of concerned parents, teens and professionals, and a resource for protecting teenage drivers and their families. We are working with parents, schools, educators, businesses, non-profits and public policy makers to create a safer driving environment for teens, while giving parents the tools and services they need to significantly affect and improve their teen’s driving behavior. We want to help you keep them safe!

Visit and Contact Safe Teen Driver’s Club here.