As everyone is aware, we have had a BE member/Troll stirring up trouble last week.

I suspect this person Fluffyduck (impotent Aussie) has been around as a troll for some time.

They freely admitted it was their intention to get selected and well liked BE members banned.

This they did by complaining and using 'imaginary' children, saying avatars offended them.

They also admitted to having lots of IP addresses and user names just waiting to be put into action and how the next plan would be more sophisticated.

Sue, Paul, JAJ, Scott, PTlabs - what concerns me about this, is the fact that if a Troll with several guises, decides to make several complaints using different names and IP addresses about a members avatar, postings etc, this results in a warning, ban or whatever.

Yes, people are told to take down their avatar, or the offending post removed. But where does it end?

I love writing my stories as you know and I hope they don't upset anyone and I have only ever received positive feedback for what I write.

So what would happen if an experienced troll decided that my stories upset 'their family'?

How far would they have to go to get a member banned?

I'm not starting this thread to cause trouble as I pretty much stay out of it, but I am scared that by mods pandering to the needs of trolls like Sherkan/fluffyduck/impotent Aussie as I call him, they are giving them more control than ever, thus damaging a very good site.

I just ask you in the politest possible manner, that please can you check out complaints with banned members and IP addresses before action is taken?

Because it is not fair that an established, respected member WHOEVER they might be, pays the price of a sad, lonely person who makes it their business to start trouble on a friendly forum and with people that have never hurt him.

Don't you find it funny that these trolls that go in the Aussie forum, never go to the lounge or TIO? That is because the likes of Brit, Leslie and Ray would make mincemeat out of them. Funny that.

I know that as a BE member, I for one, am scared to find myself banned merely for posting my stories or because some troll has it in for me.

As I say, Sue, I love this site and its kept me going whilst Ive been off work, but please do not give the trolls any more control than what they have.

Because it would be a great shame to ruin a great site.

Samantha.

Go girl!

I agree!

I tend not to worry about trolls nor rise to their bait but as you say it is not right that they can have others banned from the site.

I was the victim of a troll stealing my identity once. Can you imagine how sick and twisted someone is who takes the bother to try and guess your password and then when successful, posts things purporting to be by me! Hint #1 folks - regularly change your password and don't make it obvious (which mine was when I first joined the forum).

OzTennis

I dont know what has gone on here but I post on another forum with a similar membership to this one, lots of members who have been around a long time and know each other very well. We have had people come on there in all sorts of guises and disrupt the forum by sending nasty messages and dividing people, causing arguments and the like. Personally I think it is a bad idea to post threads like this one as they pander to the trolls egos and only rehash the problem and keep people talking about it.

I do think from looking around the forum the last few days that the troll had one good effect and that is he got lots of members using mammarys as their avatars.

I only found this forum because I was looking on the web for some information on Brisbane, I should of found this site two years ago when we were setting our new life up.

i 3rd this. well said sam. im getting worried that some of the mods no longer have the choice to have a SOH now.
i wont say anymore, cos i know if i really say what i think, ill be banned

All posters are equal but some posters are more equal than others.

your right, but this needs to be brought up. if you have no right of answer and are told to read the rules
things need to be better than that

me

Andy Roddick?

I can't see, your avatar is too small. Or gay tennis player on a plane, though thats a rather long password.

Another hint to other posters, don't use your email password as your password to this forum.

ADL

Well said Sam - it is about time that someone put down in black and white what - I guess - many people have thought.

You are a star

Cas

Ya fibber.......you were looking for mammaries

Good Post

The concerns regarding IP identity are very broad, and protracted. Most users, with a bent on misleading others within say an forum environment, do so using proxy ip.

Transparent IP Proxy is nothing new.

There is a small proggy forum managers can use, called proxy ping back.

Basically aping should reach destination server in so many milliseconds. Going thru a proxy delays this, and therefore reverse pingback when a post is made, can identify those behind a proxy.

The other factor is static and floating IP.s

A static IP is pretty rare for most people unless they run a server or have a demon acct from way back. Demon are probs the only company in the world who ever owned there own IP addresses.
Therefore, its most likely that said perpetrators are using a PROXY and there ISP IP is floating. This means a forum can police well, and BAN the floating IP, which inevitably pisses the pricks doin misdeads off, because goin thru proxy can be painfully slow.

Steve ~ as i said GOOD POST !

I agree with Cas, well said Sam, and you always manage to write it in a way as not to upset someone.

Mandi x

yip cas it had to be said. get the feeling it will be moved though, shame cos most of this was started on the Oz forum

If anyone suspects a troll please PM me and I'll come and have a sniff