When Trolls Attack
When you make your living on social media it’s inevitable you’ll run into the worst the internet has to offer. Whether it’s people begging for freebies, stalkers, or straight-up trolls, you gotta grow a thick skin to keep from falling apart.
Now, depending on if you’re dealing with an outright troll or a pissed-off consumer, your approach may be different. If you’re getting harassed by someone who’s screaming about service issues and taking it out on you, it’s best not to strike back too quickly. Take a breath, get to the heart of the issue, and offer a solution. Just being heard may end insulting or trollish behavior, and even if they don’t stick around as a fan, at least they’ll leave you alone.
But what can you do when faced with TRUE trolling behavior?
There are a few ways to defeat trolls when they come calling.
1. Ignore them. Trolls THRIVE on attention, so cutting them off is the best way to knock them down. Be cool, and don’t engage.
2. Don’t feed them. Some trolls are more resilient than other, but if you must respond make sure you keep emotion out of the equation. There’s nothing a troll loves more than to see you riled up, so don’t give them the satisfaction and they’ll eventually starve and die off.
3. Laugh. If you have a quick wit, firing back at trolls can be fun…not for them, for you.
4. Don’t delete! Not only does that remove the evidence if things should escalate, it also lets the troll know that they’re getting to you. Keep the nasty IM’s, tweets, and any other trollish remarks. If anything, they’ll be fun to laugh at with your friends.
5. Block ’em. If all else fails OR if a troll starts getting seriously abusive, block them and call it a day. Do your friends a solid and let them know if you think the same behavior might be headed their way so they can block before an attack.
Need more help battling trolls? Check out this very excellent article on the topic!
