I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I have noticed some trolling activity. (A troll being someone who is stirring up trouble.) I only point this out because it is perfectly reasonable people who often get caught up in arguments with trolls, because reasonable people expect others to be reasonable as well.

Most of us here are just trying to talk about our favorite show, which is a good thing. Nonetheless, threads are going way off topic as we banter back and forth with certain individuals who are increasingly uncivil to others.

I'm all for sharing opinions and even respectful disagreements. On the other hand sarcastic, patronizing and pointedly argumentative remarks have no place in a community... and are the favorite tools of people who just want to poke others with a stick to get a reaction.

Active moderators usually boot these sorts, but I have a feeling we have to fend for ourselves. To that end, I found a useful little tool under "My Controls" called "Manage Ignored Users," which allows me to blissfully skim through the threads without having to read the inflamatory remarks made by troublemakers, thereby thwarting their intention of getting a reaction. If you've gotten caught up in a disagreement with one of these disagreeable people, I recommend you use the Ignore User option.

Sure, when I see a post that says "You have chosen to ignore all posts from user ???" I get a little curious about what they might be up to now, but I let it pass. Ultimately, I don't really want to know what they think nearly as much as they want me to know what they think.

Why would anyone want to wreck our nice, little community? If you Google "trolls" you'll find lots of articles detailing the reasons, sadly none of them is particularly flattering to trolls.

Please let's stay on topic and ignore those who just want to argue. --z

PS: Anyone who thinks that I'm talking about them in particular and takes offense A) has no reason to believe such a thing and should probably put me on their ignored user list so we'll all be happier.

Nice topic, the only reason for some people to troll around here is becuz there's no active moderation like you said, and it bothers me that these people walk away with such low, ugly insults without any penalty or punishment.

I have been using the "ignore user" option for quite a while now and it works like a miracle. I recommend it to everyone who's having a hard time enduring the lowly e-trolling in this forum.

Ignore User rocks but only if you have remembered to log in. If you start browsing before you log in, you will see all of the posts again.

littlez...you hit the nail on the head! I've been meaning to start some kind of thread like this but haven't had time.

I've been using the Ignore User option for quite awhile now (I only needed apply it to one member, thankfully) and it's been pure bliss. I don't have to see their idiotic posts - except for when other posters "reply" to them. Then their drivel is quoted.

Everyone, please listen to littlez and Bubba and DON'T FEED THE TROLLS! (lmao, good one Bubba! ) We need our focus & energy to be on the Save The 4400 Campaign!!!

I'm guilty of FEEDING THE TROLL. I try not to but every once in a while I succumb to the desire to defend myself and my friends whom I cherish and hate to see abused. Thank you for redirecting my attention away from the person who does not deserve a response from our little community.

I agree 4400% with you littlez ! ! !

By the way, welcome onboard ! ! !

Me too.

If the troll would simply disagree that's one thing, but they do it in such a way that is often demeaning and offensive, they lack the communication abilities to respectfully disagree.

I totally understand the desire to engage and/or defend. Please don't anyone bother on my behalf... I am blissfully unaware of what these total strangers may have to say about me and do not want to be the source of anyone's frustration.

If the people who want to have a kind community stick together, then we'll have a nice message board. The worst thing that could happen is for people to get so turned off by the ugliness that they leave or never join. I just wish trolls got bored more quickly. --z

Elessar said "I'm guilty of FEEDING THE TROLL. I try not to but every once in a while I succumb to the desire to defend myself and my friends whom I cherish and hate to see abused. Thank you for redirecting my attention away from the person who does not deserve a response from our little community. "

Hey Elessar, do you remember a conversation about a cross between Vulcuns and Clingons we had? Is the Vulgon the one you are referring to? LOL. I still get tickled when I think back to that. Anyway, I am guilty of it too, feeding the troll that is, and I agree with Bubba, we need to stop feeding it and maybe, just maybe, if we are lucky, it will go away and find a new home with lots of other posters to feed off of, though I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I think the ignore button is the coolest feature they ever invented. But as one poster said earlier, you have to remember to log in before reading anything, or all post are visible. Glad to see you again Elessar, its been a while since I was here. Hey to everyone else, nice to know the board hasn't gone under yet. Let's hope they keep it around for a long while.

Good to see you back around the forum again JordanFan!!!

Hey guys, Glad to see you haven't let the excitement die down around here. I hope to be here more often, I am not giving up hope, no matter what anyone says, I know we may never get renewed for another season, but there is always hope we could get a movie or something similar, so never give up hope.

Hi Jordanfan,

Glad to see you again. I remember that conversation. LOL I do believe it is the same one.

With the exception of that one little hiccup, things have been very pleasant around here. The 4400 fans are an amazing group of people. Their dedication is awesome and their comradery cannot be equaled.

So, Anyone says anything that you don't agree with, and you want to banish them into the "lost Room". Ha! Come on guys and gails, lets get real. You never know when the descenting voice might become an idea for the solution. It is opposing viewpoints that create new ideas and change. So don't be so quick to "block" somebody out. I'm not one for the profanity which I've seen hidden in some messages. And I don't like somebody reacting in a mean tone but people are intitled to there differences. So lets play fair and be open minded. None of this childish stuff please.

I'm all for friendly debates and I know everyone isn't going to agree on everything, but we're a pretty friendly board here with an exception or two. This thread isn't referring to anyone who disagrees, just certain people who like to be confrontational and insulting towards everyone. Some people don't just disagree, they have to turn everything around that anyone says and call people names because they don't agree with them.

^ I second that, not to mention derailing discourses via posting under irrelevant topics, and quoting for personal gain, and using caps, and replying with size 5 letters, and insulting people directly causing disorder in a civil and friendly community.

I'd always desire to have as many opinions as possible on the table, personally, but the manners and respect, that's something else.

I agree with all of you guys. Let's starve the troll!!

You know, I think you have completely taken what we are talking about out of context. This is not about disagreeing or having a different POV. We all do that at times. As both Marcofan and Kryth have said, it's about people who use insults and sarcasm and rude behavior towards those they disagree with. How is our saying we should ignore such a person childish? It isn't. You see, we are being real! These people are not civil. They have no people skills. And any valid point they may have gets lost behind the cloud of insults. The only real solution is to ignore them. And as far as being quick to block, well I still have not placed the particular person I'm thinking of on ignore and they have been a PITA since their first rude post back in June 2007. Again, this is about board ethics and respect.

I completely agree with you Elessar!!!

All the trolls want is attention. Even though we're not talking 'to' them right now, we are talking 'about' them

Has anyone else noticed that when the troll is around, there is one 'anonomyus user' logged in? I have Coward.

Point taken!

What we are talking about here is a phenomenon that is largely unique to the internet in which some people bully others. These people make message boards unpleasant, drive away newcomers, hijack thread discussions with off-topic ad hominum attacks and beat down any reasonable and open discourse. A troll gone out of control can effectively shut down all disagreement on the board, because people are either so frustrated that they leave or afraid to risk upsetting the troll by disagreeing.

I have learned a great deal from people with whom I have had disagreements, because sometimes they are right. I definitely don't have anything against disagreement or debate in general. I do have something against incivility, bullying and baiting.

Trolls sew the seeds of incivility by being uncivil, which often (sadly) invites uncivil remarks in return. It doesn't make for a good community, when people feel they have license to be nasty to one another. In isolated incidents, it doesn't matter who started the nastiness, but when there's a pattern in which one person is always starting the nastiness that's a problem.

I understand that occassionally anyone can get caught up in the passion of the moment. And anyone who has ever gotten carried away in an argument on a message board (or in private life) is not necessarily who I am talking about. I'm talking about people who are always taking the argument too far.

I also abhor the concept of excluding someone just because they disagree or because they lack people skills. We all have to live in the world, and there are some people out there whom we don't feel kinship, and we have to deal with them anyway. In online communities however, we have a great deal of control over that one simple thing. I don't use the Ignore User lightly, (two people EVER in the many years I've been involved in message boards) but I will use it if I see a pattern of one person baiting and insulting others. I don't have to deal with it and I won't.

I encourage others to be vigilant of this kind of behavior and to take the steps to discourage trolling by the best means, which is not engaging them. If you're strong enough to read the posts and not respond to a troll, more power to you. If you're like me and rather not know, then by all means use the Ignore User function. Please don't feed trolls.

Trolls do seem to crave attention, and talking about them is one way of giving it to them. Nonetheless, there was a time when I was new to message boards and had no idea what a troll was. It blew my mind the first time I ran across one, and I had no idea what hit me. I started this thread mostly for newcomers so they'd learn something about what a troll is and be warned that one lives here.

I only ask that people be aware of their own and other's behavior, make their own judgments and try not to engage people who show a pattern of stirring things up. --z

Very well said, littlez, well said indeed. I wasn't knocking you for starting this thread, I was semi-joking. I also welcome a healthy debate and have no issue at all when someone disagrees with me. What I take exception to is someone who first of all doesn't even have the intestinal fortitude to log in under his/her username so they 'lurk' anonymously in order to start trouble. Popping up in almost every thread causing nothing but discourse and often making posts that are repetitive and stray from the topic at hand just enough to throw the entire discussion off base. It seems that the more you fight back with these people, the more they thrive. They live for confrontation and to make other people frustrated. I can't grasp that kind of psychotic behavior (thank goodness!).

The majority of posters on this board are very intelligent people who know how to act like adults in social settings. We have fun, we have debates, and most importantly right now we have a real fight on our hands. I hate that so many that I consider 'friends' are being distracted and downright tortured by this nonsense. I also use the Ignore User feature lightly (only one person has ever been and remains on my list) and I implore all of you to do the same. It makes life much, much more peaceful without the distraction of nonsense.

amerirish, Don't worry. I wasn't personally offended and thought it was a valid point. You've posted responses to me in the past and been kind enough in doing so that I didn't think you were being pointed. I just wanted to make sure that there was an answer to the next logical question... "why did littlez bring it up in the first place?"

Eventually, this discussion may go where all good threads go to die (somewhere on page 3, I think), and hopefully by then we won't need signs that say "No Trolling" and "Don't Feed the Trolls."

You're also absolutely right in your post above. We have many important things to accomplish in this forum and no use for the distractions.

Hang in there fans! --z

Bumped because the newcomers need to beware of the continuing troll problem. Read the previous posts in this thread because what a troll is and how to avoid them are explained at length.

Please don't feed the trolls. Thank you.

Thanks for the bump Anime!

dont feed alex then cuz hes one of those trolls

Very nice posts littlez and amerirish, kudos to both of u. I really like being in a board with people such as yourselves and fighting right beside you.

Just a reminder to our newest members; responding to 'trolls' is what feeds them. The only way to get rid of them is to completely ignore them. I highly reccommend using the Ignore User feature, it's a little miracle!

Bumped because our resident Pain In The Azz Troll is at it again

lol, yeah. Thanks for the ignore tip btw!

No problem at all. Not only is it extremely peaceful, it's hysterical that the moron is probably responding to my posts even though I'm not able to view them!

*sits back & waits to see the blank post from alex responding to this post*

Or Trollettes.

Bump!!  Reminder for our new freinds.  Don't feed the trolls!

Another bump for such a good thread.

I am troll bait!!!! Ha! Don't forget the one phrase that has kept me safe for decades. "I'm rubber, you're glue, bounces of me and sticks to you"!

Perfect!

I think this thread could use a bump.