On 16 Oct 2007 at 12:01:39 -0700, Will Beback will.beback.1@gmail.com wrote:
What form of dealing with it do you recommend?
The vast majority of the time, "just ignore it" is the best course of action. Trolls thrive on attention and are eager to provoke overreactions on the part of their targets; when you go ballistic about them, you're only giving them what they want. If you ignore them and go about your business like they're not there, they'll usually get bored and go away. On the other hand, sometimes you may be mistaken in perceiving trolling or harrassment in an activity that has a reasonable purpose, and you'll only antagonize otherwise productive editors by fighting them. Either way, looking the other way will work out best for both you, the others involved, and the community and encyclopedia as a whole.
In the handful of cases where stronger action is needed, you're best off doing it intelligently; make a calm, discreet report to whatever authorities are applicable who can deal with a possible threat in a similarly calm, rational way. As the Hitchhiker's Guide says, don't panic.