Tag: advice
The term “troll” is so new that it often gets misused, and it gets used so frequently that people sometimes dismiss it unfairly. It’s not just internet lingo to throw at someone because you don’t like or agree with them, and it’s not something to dismiss simply because someone used the term. It has real meaning and legitimate usage. The trick to dealing with trolls is learning to recognize them when you see them so you can learn to avoid playing their game.
If someone says something you disagree with (even if it seriously offends you), then that’s not necessarily trolling. The whole purpose of social media is to encourage and further discussion, even about controversial subjects. Since there are as many opinions on a subject as there are people, you’re always going to run into someone who doesn’t agree with you. That’s just how these things work.
If someone says something ridiculous, then that’s not necessarily trolling, either. They may actually believe that ridiculous thing they said, and they may not care what you believe. Contrary to popular belief, just because you have an opinion or belief doesn’t mean it’s correct. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but even opinions can be dead wrong. However, the troll doesn’t care if you try to prove them wrong. They want you to prove them right.
There are different forms of trolling, but the end goal is always the same: goad people into reacting. The fallacious troll is someone who says or does something off-topic in an attempt to take control of or distract from the topic at hand. This usually comes in the form of an attack on the person, like saying “typical liberal” or “right-wing nutjob.” If you address their attack instead of continuing your point, then you have fed the troll. Just make a note of it (or ignore it) and resume what you were saying.
Another form of trolling is using controversy to instigate a flame war. They will do or say something they know will bring out an emotional reaction without attempting to make a point. So, for example, making fun of feminism in a group of socially conscious people, or telling a group of Christians that there is no God. The troll knows that will upset someone who will inevitably (and rightfully) come to the defense of what’s being attacked. But the troll doesn’t really care what you think because they already know. That’s why they posted it. They just want someone to start paying attention to them. How they feel about the topic is irrelevant. As long as you respond, you’re feeding their ego.
Believe it or not, trolls do serve an important function. They teach us how to resist the urge to react emotionally. Thoughtful and intelligent debate should be as free from emotion as possible. It’s okay to get drawn into a discussion if it’s something you care deeply about. There’s nothing wrong with being passionate and standing up for your beliefs. Just don’t get caught up in a flame war. Remember that passion is just an emotion, and even it can lead us down the wrong path.
As the old saying goes, don’t feed the trolls. It only encourages them. Just like the mythical trolls that lurk under bridges they don’t own and demanding money that isn’t due to them, an internet troll is lurking in social media and demanding attention that isn’t due to them. If you leave them starving for attention they will die off or throw a tantrum. Either option is a win for you. And there is probably no better way to deal with a troll than turning their behavior back on themselves.
“That’s why I’m vegan.”
- LOCATED IN Statuses
If you’re chatting with someone who is talking about their health issues, and your addition to the conversation is to say, “That’s why I’m vegan.” Then you should be aware that you’re also a huge douche.
I am far from a grammar Nazi, but if you’re going to tell someone they’re an idiot (or otherwise insult their intelligence), at least learn the difference between your and you’re. :oP
Q: How do I wake up in the morning without falling back to sleep? I set my alarm 5 times in the morning: 4,5,6,6:30,and 7. I feel so tierd in the morning I use to be able to get up straighten my hair do my makeup very pretty and dress good but now I just wear comfy clothes and i always have my hair up- I look like shit. How can I make my body get up without being so tierd. By the way I do get 9 hours of sleep every night.
A: Well, a major reason you’re having trouble is that alarm schedule. Your brain needs all the REM sleep it can get, and most of that takes place after you’ve been sleeping for a while. If the last three hours of your sleep are interrupted by alarms that are spread out over hours, you’re not waking yourself up…you’re making yourself more tired.
I have my alarm set to go off every ten minutes for an hour. I snooze them over and over until it finally knocks me out of sleep. That’s just one interrupted hour as opposed to three or four.
One other thing to consider is your brain “exercising” during the day. It has been shown that people who have to think about new things a lot (students, scientists, etc.) require more sleep to recover. Your brain isn’t a muscle, but it does get fatigued from overuse. So, if this is the case for you, just try to drink some caffeine and slap yourself a couple times.
Okay, maybe not slap yourself. ;o)
Hey Hey! Ho Ho! IE6 Has Got to Go!
- LOCATED IN Blog
Please, please…if you’re still using Internet Explorer 6, STOP!
Why? Microsoft wants you to. IE6 has many issues with security and display. Comedy Central wants you to. Once you upgrade to FireFox (Windows or Mac), or IE7 (Windows), you’ll get faster download times, smoother animations and better looking pages.
All of the new browsers have useful new features that IE6 doesn’t, such as tabbed browsing (multiple pages displayed conveniently in a single window).
Click on any of the links above to upgrade to the latest version of one of the browsers mentioned for FREE!
Stop using www. right now!
- LOCATED IN Blog
I grew up in a town of about 12,000. Everyone I knew had the same area code and the same prefix to their phone number. For anyone calling from, say, Kansas, my home phone number was (806) 894-4879. For anyone calling from my hometown, all I had to tell them was 4879.
Well, I have a small but annoying complaint with Internet users right now. Did you know that for almost every website, you don’t have to type www. before the domain name? Seriously, it’s a complete waste of time. If it doesn’t work, it just means that the person who set the site up didn’t do it correctly. But I digress.
When you see someone typing www. before the domain, it’s like they’re calling their next door neighbor and entering the area code (and the parentheses) before they dial the actual number that matters. If I was telling my neighbor my phone number, I used to tell them 4879. But typing www. is like me telling them my phone number is, “Open parentheses, eight zero six, close parentheses, eight nine four, four eight seven nine.” They would just roll their eyes while I told them the area code and the prefix.
All I’ve gotta say is, don’t be that person online.
© 1999-2023 Eric P. Metze