The diary of a Freeper on DU, although a short one. (and how to catch one)

[trumad]

My nose for a freeper disruptor here on DU has been pretty dang accurate over the last couple of years but sometimes I'm wrong. I've learned that before I hit the alert button, that I should do a quick search of the suspects recent posts. I got to admit, it's kind of fun to do... I think everybody has a bit of Detective in them.

Sure enough, when I read the suspects past posts, a clear pattern emerges exposing the freeps modus operandi. Then I alert....

Here's a perfect example of what I am talking about... Do a search of this recently tombstoned freep and see what I mean.

leerj

[Puglover]

1. Trumad

Maybe Im being a moran but how can I see what Leerj wrote if all his/her posts are deleted? Id love to see what you mean but I don't know how.
Jeff

[trumad]

6. Not true.

I searched this guy today and was able to read a dozen or so of his posts. Some are deleted but most are not.

For instance, here's a thread he's in:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2443965#2444131

[Puglover]

7. Thanks for the link...this guy was quite obvious...

do you remember awhile back there was a guy who said he was a WWII vet and started a post something like "Will you spit in the Iraq vets faces when they return?" I could'nt believe how long this thread got...he was a little more subtle then this Leerj however. He posted LOTS before he was tombstoned. What gave him away to me was his syntax wasn't that of an 80 year old man.
jeff

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TahitiNut]

20. "irritated it took so long"??

We cannot expect moderators to cover all (or even the major) forums 24x7. Believe me, it's hard work (to use a Smirkism) to moderate. That's especially true of GD. Six months straight during primaries nearly burned me out. (I wouldn't think I gave it enough if it hadn't.)

If someone's being particularly egregious (e.g. running amok) and it's apparent that moderators are getting some much-needed sleep or reimmersion in "real life," there are ways of getting the attention of other mods who aren't focuse on the forum in which this is happening.

Noonetheless, if folks just STOPPED feeding the trolls (and adding to the disruption), it helps to remember IT'S JUST A FREAKING ONLINE FORUM. It's NOT someone assaulting your child. If it takes 12 hours, so be it. Just hit alert and ignore them. (Believe me. As a moderator, I was enormously grateful for DUers alerts!) Wrestling with pigs just dirties the forum and pleasures the pig.


That said, I too find myself feeling a bit impatient and looking around for the nuke button. That's when I should breathe and relax.

[Selwynn]

22. I didn't mean I actually thought anyone did anything wrong...

... I meant that, despite the moderators doing a great job, I was irritated we had to put up with the nut for so long. I recongnize that's part of life in an internet forum, but that doesn't mean I don't get to be irritated by it.

[timtom]

10. I didn't know the history of this person,

but I posted a question on that thread as to why that person got tombstoned. (I almost anticipated getting tombstoned myself for having asked the question.)

Let me relate a story from 2000. I was sitting in the workplace reading stupid * quotes demonstrating his complete stupidity and lack of ability to express a cogent thought. I was surrounded by young * supporters and I shared a few choice morsels with them. One of them said "Yeah, you could find the same kind of quotes about Gore." I said fair enough, and in the spirit of truth searched for similar Gore quotes. I think I did find a couple of gaffs, but none were in the * league.

What I DID find, however, was a wealth of information about all the candidates of that campaign. That is when I discovered more about * than I had even dared to dream. I had a tendency to marginalize him and trivialize him at the time, but I realized from my net research that we were dealing with a really evil member of a really evil family.

But my point is this: What was out of line with leerj's post in that thread? Was it not a fair question? (I realize that the answer probably lies in his other posts, which I've not read.)

[Vickers]

11. That was the least freeperish of his posts

The reason I responded like I did in the linked thread was because I suspected that he was a freeper from ANOTHER thread. My suspicions were correct, and he only made it to about 15 posts before he called me a fag .

[timtom]

12. Thanks, Vickers

I thought as much.

I hit the Alert button on one person, myself sometime ago.

[Vickers]

13. I have hit the alert button a LOT, but like Trumad, I research first

I look at *all* their posts, see if there is a pattern, see if they are trying to squeak by some RW crap, whatever.

I'd say about 90% of the time, I end up hitting the Alert button...the other 10% of the time I was taking something out of context within a particular thread, or I might've just had my panties in a wad and wasn't thinking clearly.

But, of the alerts I have sent, 100% of them got tombstoned. Good research pays off!

I was thinking about applying for a Moderator position, but I would have to tone down my opinions some, and I don't know if I'm ready for that (I am this much of a jerk in real life to RWers, too).

:P

Regards,

Vickers

[Skittles]

31. I echo Vicker's experiences

I'm sure the mods are used to receiving alerts from Skittles saying simply "f***ing troll". :thumbsup:

[Doctor_J]

21. "he only made it to about 15 posts before he called me a fag "

well, are you???

:evilgrin:

[Vickers]

23. I dunno...my kids say I'm "pretty"

Does that count?

:spank:

The exchange that brought that about was deleted, but it went something like:

Him: I am a Marine, and I have been in combat, blah blah blah.

Me: You? A Marine? Hey guess what! I'm a bellydancer! I'm a lion tamer! See, you can claim to be ANYTHING on the intardnet!

Him: A bellydancer? I suppose you're a fag, too?

Har!

[TexasSissy]

15. I read several of the leerj posts. Obvious Freeper, with capital "F."

[Vickers]

2. Dude, I had him pegged with his VERY FIRST POST!

Then I just kept asking him questions, he kept revealing more and more of his true nature, and he finally called me a fag (I was flattered!).

A Marine.....riiiiiiiiight.

[greekspeak]

3. Most are so stupid that they don't bother to hide their true loyalties

They just come over here and start disrupting. They might get about 10 posts in by the time the alert-ban-tombstone avatar process is complete. I just laugh at and mock them for being so stupid as to think that 1) anyone over here really cares what they have to say and 2) that somehow they would last more than about 15 or 20 minutes after calling DUers things like "fags."

I have not hit "alert" on any of them though. There is a reason for that. I think that we DUers at times need to see what we are up against. A bunch of paper tigers who cannot argue their way out of a wet paper bag. Mouth breathers that think we "librul elitists" cannot unmask their "informed dialogue," aka AM radio talking points de jour. We need a laugh, and to see what a bunch of mental pantywastes we are up against.

[yardwork]

29. There's another kind of disruptor here that is more dangerous

They fly under the radar and frequently attain a large number of posts, sometimes the magic 1,000+. They never say anything overtly freeperish.

They are paid operatives whose job is to stir up fear, uncertainty, and doubt among Democrats.

It takes a while to figure them out. Gradually the pattern emerges. It's easy to mistake them for real liberals who are simply raising legitimate concerns. Eventually they slip up and use a Republican talking-point or just sound so artificial that they are unmasked.

[Skittles]

32. it doesn't take me long to figure them out

I put them on Ignore

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. Has anyone else notice that since the debate

there have been very few freepers popping up around here? I thought they would be swarming the place. Hopefully they're all digging into their hidey holes for the next 8 years.

[leftchick]

5. I noticed it on Friday.....

Very nice experience too!

btw DYEW..... I LOVE YOUR NEW Sig line!!!! The Best Yet!!

:)

[Nimrod]

9. I take that as a sign

That even THEY know the EoP made a joke of himself up there. Admit, never. But they know it.

[Demonaut]

8. I think we can expect more disruptors, their boy-king is in serious

trouble and we're an easy target for thier frustrations.....lol

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Forkboy]

17. LMAO

:)

[Vickers]

19. Yes, so very true

:hi:

[trumad]

24. The best defense against posts of which one disapproves is ignoring them..

I'm not sure if you disapprove of my post?

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TahitiNut]

18. I named that tune in THREE, Alex.

:silly: (In this thread.)

When you look and see that it's someone who's among the 10 or 20 most-recently joined, see the specific thread topics chosen (bees and honey, flies and shit), and see that they often don't express a personal stance on principles and, instead, poke and provoke ... it becomes very obvious.

On post #11 or thereabouts, dogged by Vickers (who had that one's number), that one hurled the "f*g" epithet at him. That'll result in an instantaneous Boot Hill implantation damned near every time.

I don't, in any sense, advocate being inhospitable to newbies or feeding trolls. Alert? Yes. Stalking? No.

[patdem]

26. How do you search by 'person'? Just put their name in the search field?

This AM when I read this post before anyone else had commented, I went to the search engine and saw only one post brought up when I put in leerj and it was about cheney. I did not bother to look, cause I thought there would be more posts.

Anyway, is there a 'specific' way to search for posters?? :shrug:

[patdem]

27. oops dupe

[mitchtv]

28. I caught one yesterday

I did a search on Roccia e segale before I hit the A button. I was suspicious, cause I'd already seen ine of his posts. I baited him in a few posts before he was TS'd. (he used "our Party" - a questionable phrase.

[DrBB]

30. My favorite tell-tale: "We Democrats must...."

They tend to use "We DUers..." or "We Democrats..." in a way that always seems a bit forced, as if they feel they have to work at reminding you they're on "Our" side. Saw a lot of those during the primaries, when we were getting an awful lot of friendly advice about how "we Democrats must not look like we're undermining the President!" and such.

I see a "We Democrats" attached to a suspiciously Reptilican opinion with low post numbers, I do the same as you: check the person's other postings. That usually smokes 'em out. Sometimes not, of course. And I'd just as soon not be witchhunting every nitwit poster who comes along. But I've got a pretty good nose for 'em.

The Witchsmeller Pursuivant!

[kaitykaity]

33. What's fun is when you find one who has

taken the ******* school of DU disruption - go to
the Lounge and post like crazy to get their post
count up, and then come in here like they're safe,
because the first thing people look at is the post
count.

Another favorite of mine is the ones who pretend
to just love Clinton, but they just hate his
mistake with Monica.

[Moderator]

34. I'm locking this thread

While we moderators appreciate Members help
in alerting us to questionable posts by using
the alert button , threads like this can lead
to paranoia .

Thanks again and please keep using the alert button
on posts you feel the moderators should be aware of .