Community Management 104 - Once a Troll always...

Beyond Death and Taxes, you can rest assured you'll get Trolls in your community.
Especially in gaming communities.

Handling trolls is simple, but not very well documented.

First of all - You should be a Troll if you're a Community Manager.
If you're not, become one.
Find a random gaming forum, register and start agreeing with trolls in their threads.
Push a few limits, get banned, repeat.

This is not only to understand trolls but also to understand yourself and your users.
Again - Trolls are also humans.
They're not happy with something and they'll try to ruin your day because of it.

Not only need you understand how to get rid of them. You need to PREVENT them.
Study Trolls in general. Understand their motivations and drive.
Become a Troll, and study yourself. Patterns, habits, motivations. Know it.
It will let you find flaws in your product,
because people turn into Trolls because they're upset.
Very few Trolls are true Trolls that Troll for the sake of Trolling.
And those we ban.
The ones that turn on the other hand, we talk to, we discuss with, always calm,
always helpful and never in a rude manner.
See Trolls feed on the same energy as any bully. Because that's what they are.
They feed on attention and hatred. By pissing you off, they grow stronger.
They get reactions out of you and the community.
So. Like a swift kick in the groin, talk to them.
Listen to them and force them into feeling a connection.
Make them feel appreciated for what they do.

A simple truth is that you don't Troll your friends.
Trolling a friend is an internal joke, not Trolling.
So approach them. As if in some half-arsed romantic drama,
sit down and show them they're valuable to you,
and that you understand that they're upset.
Discuss how things could improve and how to make them happy.


Far to few companies approach this style and instead just moan about Trolls,
send out bans, moderate etc.
Just like trying to stop bullying in a school be having talks with the kids.
Even if one stops, guess what happens next year when there's a new class?
Now, if the big muscled kid, who stuffed the smaller kids in the snow,
feels a sense of responsibility for *his* school and *his* class,
it's going to take a bigger kid to even try something.
And if he does. Rinse and repeat.

It's simple psychology. It's human behaviour and it's a defense mechanism.
Everyone wants attention and if you're bigger than the rest but not very bright,
you'll use the means you have to get noticed.
SO NOTICE THEM!

Trolls want something, they have a reason for being there, give it to them.
Do bargain with the terrorists. Becaue it's more often than not,
something you can afford, and you're in effect creating an anti-troll army.
Converted Trolls retain their Troll habits but it's focused elsewhere.
If they feel like they're part of your community,
and responsible for things in your community,
you can rest assured they'll attack any attempts to invade their territory.