Trolls

     To summarize the article, I found that Cory’s article on trolls was quite interesting yet knowledgeable as well. He gives a good description of what trolls are and how they work in online communities.  A “troll” is someone who has motives to cause fights in online communities and they are either acknowledged or not acknowledged at all. He gives good examples of trolls in online communities using specific blogs as examples. Cory then explains ways to control your discussion groups and the trolls that may enter them. However, as he says, none of the strategies can really solve the problem, but can only help. I appreciate how he described the psychological effects of trolling and how one can react. He admits himself that he has reacted a few times before. Finally, to sum up his article, he discusses “troll whisperers”. He knows one himself, and shares some tricks and tips.

    The online community I am currently following is YouTube, but more specifically, the beauty community. The talented girls on there definitely receive a lot of criticism online for their videos and to be honest, I can’t imagine having that thick of a skin. As far as I know, Youtube does not regulate trolls themselves, but gives an account holder the option withdraw commenting on their videos or can flag or spam comments. Some choose to acknowledge trolls by responding to the comments or by mentioning them as a whole in their videos.