Troll management for activists and change makers
Because not everyone on social media loves what you say
One thing you can count on — if you are trying to do things differently or influence people around to a new way of thinking, you are going to upset some people. And in today’s social world, that means attracting trolls. Social media is an awesome tool for activists, advocates and changemakers but much of your success will come down to how you manage your trolls.
So what are the best ways to manage trolls? I think a lot of people assume there are some “magic rules” to follow but, like everything we do in the social good / change space, your approach will be unique to you and must role model your values.
This is how I think about troll management. Let me know if it helps you to figure out your approach.
Trolls are like gatecrashers
Imagine you are hosting a party. Everyone is getting along well. People are mixing, meeting new people and making friends. Everyone is being friendly and there is heaps of conversation because they’ve all come together for a similar reason.
Then suddenly a drunk, high, obnoxious stranger turns up! They proceed to insult the other guests, interrupt conversations and yell abuse. They think the party sucks. They think anyone who is having fun here is lame.
Now the guests that you originally invited — the ones you actually wanted there, who were making it a great night for themselves and everyone else — stop talking. Some of them move into other rooms or start leaving.
Then a few of the bolder guests try to shout down the noisy intruder and as he responds, you start to see the worst possible side of these more outspoken guests too. Other guests, knowing that these people were also invited, start to wonder if this really is the type of crowd they want to be hanging out with after all.
The host is responsible for the whole party
As host of the party, your responsibility is to the guests you invited (and any friends that came along with them who have shown similar respect for you, your house and the other guests). You invited them here for a reason — you told them that they would find similar people here; people they would enjoy spending time with. You need to protect that promise if you ever want them to come back.
You don’t actually have any responsibility to the troll. If you are going to offend anyone or make them feel unwelcome, it has to be the troll, not your guests. But making sure your guests feel comfortable also means dealing with the troll calmly, discretely and clearly. Getting fired up is only going to make your guests uncomfortable and could possibly enrage the situation even further and put your guests at risk of being attacked by the troll.
Your actions in dealing with the troll need to role model your values and your approach to social change. This is your demonstration moment — your chance to show people “how you do things”. A great opportunity really!
Simple tips to manage trolls and stay true to your cause:
Here are my tried and trusted tips for a positive troll interaction:
1. Intervene early — the longer bad behaviour goes on, the more likely it is that your community will become the Wild West! Even within your community, there is a whole spectrum of members and you don’t want your fringe-dwellers slipping over into feral territory.
2. Although “self-managing” communities are a great thing and good communities will defend the community’s values, if you have a serious troll I think it is better for you to respond to a troll than a community member — you get the chance to highlight the community expectations and reiterate the culture of the community clearly. A community member may respond more personally and actually behave in a way that reflects the behaviour of the troll.
3. Focus on behavioural issues not differences in opinion. Don’t get into an argument about whether or not the troll’s point of view is right or wrong — they are not a troll just because they are expressing a different opinion to the usual one of your community.
Be clear about the behaviours that were not acceptable — a great way to do this can be by recognising their contribution in the most positive light possible followed by clear feedback on the behaviour:
· It’s great that you are so passionate about this topic… when you are making comments however, it is important that you don’t swear or make racist remarks in the process…
· We welcome people with different opinions as it helps us all to grow… part of ensuring our conversation is robust is to always comment on the ideas, not on the contributor’s personal attributes…
· Thank you for taking the time to share your point of view… we do ask that people stay on topic with the post, rather than using comments to put forward their views on unrelated topics….
Stay true to your values and the principles of your community. Make it clear that it is not about conforming to your ideas — you welcome different people and different views but expect people to show respect for each other, listen and seek to understand. Point out the difference between opposing ideas and personal attacks:
· It’s okay that you don’t believe in climate change (all to their own) but you need to say that, not tell JimmyX123 that he is an idiot! We love a good debate but it only works if we don’t get personal...
· Wow! What a passionate response! How about you tell us what you think about the topic though, not comments on our personality or looks ☺ I promise it will lead to much more interesting conversations…
4. Give the troll the option to stay and engage but make it clear that ongoing bad behaviour won’t be tolerated — you will need to decide if or when you ban someone but I generally wouldn’t do it without giving someone the option to participate constructively, especially if you are working around views of open-mindedness, tolerance, acceptance or embracing of difference etc
5. Make sure the same rules are applied equally to everyone. You can’t have favourites or overlook bad behaviour because it comes from an otherwise “good” community member.
6. Try to take the heat out any situation before you push the point too strongly — a little bit of carefully chosen humour, a really warm friendly tone, and the tips above on recognising contributions and openly expressing that different opinions are welcome can all help with this.
7. After giving them the opportunity to engage constructively be sure to follow through on removing them from the community. Some trolls don’t want to be tamed, others will appear tamed for a while but quickly turn feral over a small incident. Time you spend managing them is time spent away from your community! Be open and honest about the fact that you are removing them and why — it will show your community that you are really serious about creating a great space for people to share ideas and help to build trust.
8. View your trolls as a great opportunity for real engagement rather than just a bunch of people “preaching to the converted”. Change is scary and it is really hard for people to hear ideas that go against what they believe in but social change comes when people shift their beliefs — your trolls could even switch sides one day! Respond with as much compassion as you can muster and try to see their perspective: usually hidden beneath the personal comments and angry tirades is simply a different point of view.
The tips above have worked for me in some really heated situations. I usually meditate for a few moments before responding and think about the values of the organisation that I’m representing — how can I role model those values in my response? If you are role-modelling your values, you can’t go wrong and you’ll be making positive change at every step.
What other tricks or tips do you have that could help? Add them to the comments & I’ll incorporate the best ones into the article…
This article originally appeared on Just Good Marketing blog.
