THE TROLL DIARY
April 9, 2009: From what I hear, the trolls are back. So, the Sysops seem to have learned nothing. Will they continue to delete any evidence of the trolls' slanderous behavior, by responding in a knee-jerk fashion to 'Notify Moderator' clicks? If Zoetrope members resist the temptation to use that button, and instead copy trollish postings into the private offices, perhaps more people will become aware of the magnitude of this problem. Otherwise, Zoetrope will turn into a toilet that is periodically "sanitized" by its Sysops.
April 8, 2009: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." --Edmund Burke
OK, my account has been "reactivated." Thanks to everyone who wrote supportive messages. But remember, we've got to remain vigilant. Trolls generally have a full portfolio of alternate usernames, and they will probably switch soon. If you spot repeated trollish behavior from an unfamiliar username, don't click the 'Notify Moderator' button - copy the postings into a well-populated private office, so other members will become familiar with the offender. And, as I just wrote to the Sysops: "Thanks, but you've solved only half the problem. Remember, the trolls are still at Zoetrope, and they're still clicking 'Notify Moderator' buttons under several alternate usernames. So please think twice before you delete postings, and consider disabling the usernames (perhaps by checking for duplicate IP addresses) that continue to complain needlessly."
April 3, 2009: I just logged in, and I'm still in the doghouse. On the plus side, Anikó has been unbanned, and it looks like two trolls have been banned. Permanently, I hope. It's a shame that my wife and I are forced to suffer this kind of humiliating character assassination, just to keep the vicious attackers out of the Virtual Studio. I hope AZ's Sysops can come up with a better procedure, before I return in September to help keep Zoetrope's reputation shiny...
April 1, 2009: Thank gawd it's over. But there IS a nice view of Jerusalem up here. ;-) A couple of reports from the trenches --
1) I was sorry to hear that FFC's thread had been removed, due to troll attacks. It would have been nice to be able to read it.
2) I also heard that many other threads were nuked for similar reasons, during the last four months.
If the Sysops are oblivious enough to erase all evidence of troll viciousness, it's easy for the born-again
"As ye sow, so shall ye reap." It's sad, but if FFC allows his Sysops to be duped by trolls, FFC will get the kind of workshop he deserves.
March 31, 2009: More updates, no response from the Sysops. I remember what Zoetrope used to be, and I long for that idyllic time. I know it wasn't as great as the idealized version in my memory, but it was surely better than this. And I was hoping my visit would go smoothly. I desperately wanted to believe that the situation would improve, in my absence. I was even prepared to accept that I was part of the problem, and that if I limited my presence here, the idyllic Zoetrope of yore would regenerate itself so that others could enjoy it. Worst of all, I was stupidly hoping that the Sysops might be grateful for the promotional work I was doing, and for the non-confrontational way in which I was presenting myself during these three days: "Just here to fix the roof, M'am. You won't even notice me." But instead, I was muzzled. Worse, they muzzled my wife. Maybe I brought this down on myself, but Anikó didn't deserve it. She's an innocent.
March 30, 2009: More hours, more updates. Anikó found that her announcement in Screenplays had been deleted, so she reposted it. A couple hours later, it was deleted again. Then she was denied access to the public boards. ("Can you cross your feet? I only have three nails.") You'd think we were trying to murder somebody, instead of attempting to showcase Zoetrope's best and brightest. Wrote a plea for clemency to the Sysops. Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.
March 29, 2009: I got up early and put in several hours of revising FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHT Amazon links, deleting the alternate identities page, etc. When I finally logged in to Zoetrope and uploaded ZoBooks, I found that I had been denied access to the public boards. Nail 1. So I asked Anikó to post some announcements. One Screenplays member demanded that Anikó explain why she was doing my "dirty work." Nail 2. Later in the day, I spent several hours uploading more updates.
March 28, 2009: I've been getting frantic emails for several days, saying that the trolls were making outrageous claims about the enormous amount of money I've been earning from ZoBooks (in actuality, an average of $1.73/yr). Evidently they were also accusing me of "stalking" them, because I posted a page listing their alternate identities (4/1 UPDATE: now moved here). Most people felt that I had performed a public service by lifting this rock to reveal the worms underneath. Can't wait to visit Zoetrope tomorrow.
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