daughter_of_amid_chaos said:
When you see a troll or spammer on the board, report the post to the moderators. We will get it when we get it, however all of us are in school so we cannot monitor 24/7.
Once you have resported do not egg on the troll by posting on the thread...Dont post anything!
Thanks
Norah
Excellent advice. I have extended experience in dealing with internet trolls and stalkers. In the past, I was a former moderator of a few sports message boards and dealt with their ilk first-hand. As a result, they became a "hobby" of mine and I've done a lot of research on the subject.
Trolls/spammers seek out news groups, message boards, and internet communities to disrupt them as a means of satisfying their own personal inadequacies in common social skills. These are usually people with huge self-esteem issues, and it gives them a false illusion of control and superiority to disrupt internet communities.
To engage them only feeds their mania for creating dissention. They enjoy pitting people againste ach other, "shock-posting" for quick attention, and will use any kind of outlandish rhetoric or behavior which will gain them the attention they're desparate for.
They're also famous for playing this game behind multiple screen-names to incite even more mayhem. The more disruption they cause, the more reactions they incur, the more empowered they feel, which, in turn, gives them more incentive to continue.
Ignoring them is probably the
best and most efficient deterrent to use against them.
Thanks Norah! I HOPE to be joining you "Mods" sometime soon. 
