DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!

Abstract

“Trolling” and other negative behaviour on magazine websites is widespread, ranging from subtly provocative behaviour to outright abuse. Publishers have sought to develop lively online communities, with high levels of user-generated content. Methods of building sites have developed quickly, but methods of managing them have lagged behind. Some publishers have then felt overwhelmed by the size and behaviour of the communities they have created. This paper considers the reasons behind trolling and the tools digital editors have developed to manage their communities, taking up the role of Zygmunt Bauman's gardeners in what they sometimes refer to as “walled gardens” within the Internet's wild domains. Interviews were conducted with online editors at the front line of site management at Bauer, Giraffe, IPC, Natmags, RBI and the Times. This article shows how publishers are designing sites that encourage constructive posting, and taking a more active part in site management. Web 2.0 and the spread of broadband, which have made management of fast-growing communities difficult, may themselves bring positive change. As uploading material becomes technically easier, “ordinary” citizens can outnumber those who, lacking social skills or with little regard for social norms, originally made the Internet their natural habitat.

Keywords:

• community management
• digital editors
• online community
• trolls
• website

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks to the interviewees who generously gave their time to speak to me: Natalie Bennet, editor, The Guardian Weekly, July 2010; Tom Cambio, digital editor, Motorcycle News, 15 May 2011; Joanna Geary, Web development editor, The Times, 10 June 2011; James Payne, online manager, Wedding Ideas, Giraffe Media, 17 May 2011; Carol Phillips, website editor, Horse & Hound, IPC Media, 19 May 2011; Samuel Pinney, editor of heatworld.com, Bauer Media, 5 May 2011; Dan Thornton, digital marketing and community specialist, freelance, 7 June 2011; Adam Tinworth, editorial development manager, Reed Business Information, 25 May 2011; Keith Walker, editor of nuts.co.uk, IPC Media, 19 May 2011; Charlie Watson, head of digital content and marketing, Bauer Media, 26 April 2011; Helen Young, Web editor, You and Your Wedding, Natmags, 12 May 2011.

Notes

1. See “Troll Wars”, http://insurgen.cc/index.php?title=Troll_Wars, accessed 26 May 2011.

2. Interviews, with the exception of Bennet, were semi-structured and conducted by telephone in conversations of between 15 and 30 minutes duration. Shorthand was used to record them. Bennet was interviewed at The Guardian and this less-structured interview lasted an hour. The interviewees, with the exceptions of Bennet and Geary, were chosen to provide a range of experience of managing websites linked to consumer magazines varying in audience demographics. People from several major publishing houses were interviewed to provide a snapshot of the industry as a whole, rather than a single publisher. Bennet and Geary, although working in newspaper, were chosen because of their considerable and relevant experience.

3. A history of how Slashdot implemented their system is available at slashdot.org/faqs, click “Comments and Moderation”, click “How did the moderation system develop?”

4. Joanna Geary's video interviews with the anonymous commenter are available at http://www.joannageary.com/2009/03/03/n-interview-with-an-anonymous-blog-commenter/.