Board Thread:Wiki General Discussion/@comment-26877467-20160916042040

We all know what a troll is. Most of us have seen several in chat. And, when there aren't any moderators around, trolls can be a problem. All problems, no matter how impossible they seem, can, in fact, be solved.

This thread is a list of things people could do to get a troll to stop, well, trolling, in chat. Not all of these will work, and if too many of different combinations are tried at once, the troll may figure out what's going on.

Not all of these formations will apply to every situation. There are several ways to troll.

Keep in mind that several of these Formations have been untested, so the information may be incorrect.

And when doing these always remember the golden rule of dealing with trolls:

DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS.

This rule means that you should not express any anger, frustration, or annoyance at all. If anyone feeds the troll just a tiny bit, it could compromise the entire attack formation others in chat may be trying to do. Keep in mind that asking the troll to stop in any form would be interpreted as annoyance or frustration.

Keep in mind that I used the word "express." You can still actually be angry, frustrated, or annoyed, just as long as you don't convey that through the chat. Take advantage of the tone that is lost through text.

 *Formations marked with a star ( ★) require many or all of the people in chat to use teamwork to effectively perform.

Attack Formation Alpha
This is your standard "Ignore the troll" course of action. While it may work, trolls can pick up on it well, and they'll interpret your ignoring them as annoyance, feeding them. While not interacting with the troll seems like a good idea in theory, it may take a long time to actually work.

Attack Formation Beta
This is another standard one. Get a moderator in chat and have them deal with the troll. While this is effective, it's not always an availible option.

★ Attack Formation Gamma
Have everyone (who's not AFK) leave the chat. You can't really troll nobody. While this is a very effective method, it's difficult to get everyone in the chat on board with it. This should probably be used as a last resort if all else fails.

★ Attack Formation Delta
Have everyone fake being AFK. Everyone will have to click the "AFK" button and wait for the troll to leave. Don't have everyone click it all at once, because that could be obvious. This will take a few minutes to get the troll to leave (or at least go AFK themselves). Remember to not say anything after hitting that AFK button until the troll leaves, and try to avoid actually going AFK.

Attack Formation Epsilon
Begin complimenting the troll. But not too much. While this one is easy to catch onto, if it actually does work, it can save the troll from themselves. They might even end up becoming a part of the community. See if you can start a good conversation after complimenting them.

Attack Formation Zeta
Say something horrendously NSFW. While this may result in you yourself getting punished, this may REALLY catch the troll off guard. This is probably not the best way to go. The troll may get the impression that this community allows that kind of thing. Plus, it may only throw the troll off for a few seconds before they resume what they were doing.

Attack Formation Eta
Get the troll's attention, and ask them about video games or something. Ask good questions that would probably end up in you finding some common ground. Trolls are people too, and you might just be able to give them a good conversation. They may even end up as a member of our community.

Attack Formation Theta
Reverse phycology. This hardly ever works, but give it a go if you feel like it.

★ Attack Formation Iota
Have everyone act super nice. Borderline to low levels of creepy-nice should do the trick. The troll will either get creeped out or feel guilty. It's hard to perform this one successfully.

Attack Formation Kappa
Crack a hilarious joke. It's gotta be a REALLY good one, and a short one too. Maybe have some hilarious jokes prepared just in case. Like hilarious_jokes.txt or something.

== ★ Attack Formation Iambda=

Everyone should act ultra innocent. Claim to be several years younger than you actually are if you have to. If done perfectly, it should make the troll feel guilty. However, this one is hard to pull off successfully.

★ Attack Formation Mu
Transfer everyone into another chat. While this is good in theory, it can actually be difficult to get people on board with it.

==Attack Formation Nu=

Use severe sarcasm to show how little ****s you give. While this one doesn't work all that often, it's REALLY satisfying if it does. However, sarcasm can be interpreted as annoyance, so this should probably be one you avoid.

★ Attack Formation Xi
Agree with the troll. They'll probably feel thrown off or disappointed, or they'll try harder until they give up. Just don't actually start spamming or violating rules yourself. While this may actually work, agreeing with them can be easily picked up as sarcasm, so maybe make it so that not everyone is on board with them, and use things such as "That's what I've been trying to tell them!"

Attack Formation Omicron
Confuse the troll. Ciphers, mind puzzles, and paradoxes are usually good at doing this one. While it may not always work, I've seen it successfully happen before.

Attack Formation Pi
Throw like, all the other attack formations at them. All at once. That's gotta do something.

=Types of Trolls= Spammer- These are probably the easier to get to stop, but the harder to get the attention of.

That guy- These usually try to integrate their troll-things into the conversation. They're harder to get to stop, but easier to get the attention of.

Rule-Breakers- These usually are actually engaged in the conversation, but they tend to use unicode, vulgarity, or even harassment. These are harder to get to stop, but easy to get the attention of.

Sockpuppets- These are harder to find, but easier to get the attention of and to get to stop.

Professional- Good luck with this one. They've probably assigned themselves one goal: to troll this chat, and nothing's going to get in their way.

Prankster Gangster- Mild trolling. Probably doesn't require an Attack Formation or punishment. 