What is the most effective way to get rid of a clone (someone who is mimicking a real AB member's name and/or picture) or an out and out troll? My answer shall be inside:

~~Updated with current CL list

ARISZTID'S (semi) COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO TROLLERY

~~Now all sections are on my personal blog and I have included links to each one in my overview. That way you do not have to scroll through this bloody long answer unless you want to. Just click on each link in the overview to get there quickly and easily.~~

**Answerbag TOS:
http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/15
**Contact information (if you need to reach AB Staff, or use feedback link):
admin@answerbag.com
**Please view BigDaddyBS's troll guide as well:
http://www.orangefrogproductions.com/ofp2m_faq_ab_trolls.shtml

~~Brief overview of what is to be found in this troll guide and the order in which it shall be found~~

A. ****Preliminary nattering on... misc.****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-preliminary-nattering-on.html
B. ****BEFORE I BEGIN... stop a fight before it starts****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-b-before-i-begin-stop.html
C. ****DEFINITIONS... so you know what I am talking about ****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-c-definitions-so-you.html
• 1) Troll
• 2) Clone
• 3) Spammer
• 4) (Sockpuppet... not necessarily a troll)
• 5) Penalty Box
• 6) "Nuking," "killing" an account or other similar term to that.
• 7) Community Leaders

D. ****GENERAL ALL-AROUND ADVICE to be applied to all trolls:****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-d-general-all-around.html
• 1) General flagging of questions and answers.
• 2) Flagging via feedback link
• 3) CLs (community leaders): who they are, what they do, how to contact, etc.
• 4) Reporting in the AB blog: what, why, how (see 5 for instructions).
• 5) The AB Blog: how to report the messy things, a step by step guide with screenshots.
• 6) Do not raise to the bait
• 7) Screenshotting: why you should do it if you can and how to use it. Detailed "how to" in section "K".
• 8) Unique URL on every AB page: an explanation of this highly useful feature
• 9) Complex reporting: when you are harassed in comments, answers, DR's, etc... how to report this.
• 10) Virus trolls: luckily I have only seen one.
• 11) "a_view," "q_view": what they are and how to use these very useful features.
• 12) The goal behind stopping a troll.

E. ****POINTS DOWN TROLLS... the commoners of AB****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-e-points-down-trolls.html
F. ****COMMENT THREAD TROLLS... they think they can get away with it****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-f-comment-thread-trolls.html
G. ****CLONES... the vilest and most destructive of trolls ****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-g-clones-vilest-and-most.html
H. ****A TROLL FLAGGING YOUR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS HAVING THEM REJECTED****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-h-troll-flagging-your.html
I. ****TROLLS WHO ATTACK YOU IN THEIR PROFILES****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-i-trolls-who-attack-you.html
J. ****TROLLS WHO HIDE THEIR TROLLING IN BLOODY LONG ANSWERS... sneaky guys ( inc. explanation of "answer view/question view") ****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-j-trolls-who-hide-their.html
K. ****ABOUT SCREENSHOTS (detailed instructions on how in next section)****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-k-about-screenshots.html
L. ****HOW TO SCREENSHOT****
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/ab-troll-guide-l-how-to-screenshot.html
M. ****IN CONCLUSION (finally... you thought I would never shut up)****
**no link, that was about it.


A. ****Preliminary nattering on... misc.****

~~I am not including in each section full instructions for sake of brevity. Please read my Section "D" to get full advice then go to the section that deals with your specific troll. Every lick of this advice I learned because I had to. If you do not find your troll listed here, leave a comment for me, please. Detailed instructions on how to screenshot at end of my Troll Guide.

(Artistic scribbling on screenshots to block out things like the name of my bank and Keysha's RL name. Consider that Original Arisztid Artwork. It shall be worth a mint on Ebay one day and it is uber-magicKal because I am a Gypsy, of course: http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/5043442 . I shall sell you my uber-magicKal dead batteries and dirty socks cheap because I am a nice guy.)

The best way to get rid of a troll is to not give it the attention it wants. This includes asking questions about being trolled. If you ask a question like that, expect more trolling. Getting the cloning/trolling profile off of AB (if it is a bad one) and/or stopping the trolling if it is just an interpersonal fight as speedily as possible while not giving them the outrage they want is going to starve them and they shall go away.**


B. ****BEFORE I BEGIN... stop a fight before it starts****

If you are in a comment thread fight or feel the urge to lash out in an answer or comment thread, push that unsubscribe button and walk away. Deal with it via proper procedures if the person follows you. I shall be providing them in this answer. They can be applied to normal fights between AB members as well as trolls.

Please use proper AB protocol to deal with issues on AB. They ARE here for a reason and they mostly work. No, they are not perfect but it is ALWAYS better than a battleroyal. I know this from first hand experience.

My suggestion is that if you have gotten yourself into a fight with a regular AB member is to step away from the fight, calm down, then be the first to apologize for YOUR end of it... just your end. If they apologize for their part of it, that is great. Most likely, this is going to end hostilities and you might even make a friend. I have done this and have made some great friends because of it.

If you do not like someone's questions and answers, I advise either passing them on by or, if they are bad enough, flagging and reporting them as I suggest in this answer. It is always a lose/lose to get into a comment thread battle over them. The person who is trolling you can be an actual troll or just a regular AB member you are fighting with.

Also when you report a troll or just a fight between members please remember that AB Staff or the CL shall be looking at your activity as well. This includes your behavior in a comment thread battle and your downrate history. Please do not let yourself earn a PB stay because of retaliatory downrating or getting into a comment thread p*ssing match. It is not worth it.


C. ****DEFINITIONS... so you know what I am talking about ****

1) TROLL: A troll is someone who is here only to cause problems or someone you are having an argument with and is trolling you personally. This can be in the form of harassment, posting offensive material, drivebye points downing, and much more.

2) CLONE: a clone is someone who makes an account identical, or almost identical, to another members. They are almost always a MUCH lower level mimicking a higher level user. This is ALWAYS done to harm the real user. If you see an established member asking or answering badly please look at the profile before thinking it is this member. It might be a clone. If it is a clone, please report it, no matter who they are cloning.

3) SPAMMER: A spammer is someone who floods the board with repetitious material, be it repeated questions or, usually, advertisements. This can be done in questions, answers, and even comment threads.

4) (SOCKPUPPET: not necessarily a troll. Whether or not it is a troll depends on the use of the sockpuppet account. Having multiple accounts is Ok by AB TOS as long as a sockpuppet is not used to points up the various accounts, mass points down other members, or used in any attacking manner, such as using the accounts to gang up on someone in a comment thread. My "instructional CLONE" profile is actually a sockpuppet and is not considered a troll because I am not using it to do anything harmful with the account: http://www.answerbag.com/profile/?id=852032.)

5) PENALTY BOX: usually called "the PB." Basically, this is AB "jail." Someone PBed can log in but not participate until the time of the "sentence" is up. This can be a few days to forever. Usually it is a few days and is used as a cooling off time. Staff and CLs can PB someone.

• a. If you are PBed, make another account to sneak in, and are caught in it, expect the second account made to get in to be nuked (completely disabled permanently) and the PB on your original account to be extended. It is best to just wait it out. If you think that you were PBed unfairly, please use the admin@answerbag.com email to contest it.
• b. If a member is a "repeat offender," each time in the PB shall be longer and can result in the complete deactivation of the account.
• c. Sometimes AB will choose to lifetime PB rather than nuke an account (see below). They want to keep the member's contributions to the website but, for whatever reason, do not want the member there.

6) "NUKING," "KILLING" an account, or other similar term to that. This is the big "ax." If a troll is bad enough, is a spammer, is a clone, and various other of the worst offenses, AB Staff nukes the account. This means that the member's username is changed to Anonymous, they get the blue bag, their answers and comments are deleted, and their answers are nonsensed. They cannot use that account ever again. I save troll profiles to bookmarks if they are really bad and check. I can always tell a nuke because they go to Anonymous, blue bag, answers and comments gone, all questions rejected.

• a. This is ONLY done by Staff. CLs do not have the ability to nuke.

7) COMMUNITY LEADERS: Basically, user moderators. They are normal AB members who have been given some moderation abilities on AB to help Staff control us unruly masses. They do not have the powers of Staff. They can PB for short times, can reject questions, delete answers, delete comments. They are under direct Staff supervision and report all actions directly to Staff.


Clones and spammers are forms of trolls. I shall refer to all trolls as trolls in the rest of this answer unless I am being specific.


D. ****GENERAL ALL-AROUND ADVICE to be applied to all trolls:****

1) General flagging of questions and answers: report the troll's questions and answers via the flagging system on each question and each answer or use the feedback link:

a. There is a place to flag on each question and answer (dropdown menu self-explanatory).
• Location of flag box on each answer:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/flagboxonanswer2b.jpg
• Location of flag box on each question:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/flagboxonquestionb.jpg
b. There is a feedback link at the bottom right of each page, from questions to everyone's profile (including yours). Here is a screenshot of where the feedback link can be found on this page (detailed instructions on how to screenshot at the end of this guide):
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/feedbacklinkb-1.jpg

Do not worry about if you flag something as nonsense when it should be spam/offensive or visa versa. AB Staff is not going to get upset with this and is going to be thankful for the help keeping the site clean. Sometimes it is hard to tell what it is (spam vs. offensive) so flag it as best as you can.

When you report via the feedback link, just click "site as a whole," "general comment," ignore the 1-10 thing, and write your piece. Please remember to make it as concise as possible and keep it polite, avoid ranting. That always goes over better with Staff than ranting and feedbacks that are difficult to understand.

2) Flagging via the feedback link: go to the troll's profile and flag it via the feedback link. The feedback link can be found at the bottom right of every page (see above screenshot). I find that the most effective way to get rid of a CLONE is to provide, in the report, a link to the real member's profile. That makes it easier for AB to ascertain that it is, indeed, a clone.
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/feedbacklinkb-1.jpg

3) CL's: report the troll to a CL (community leader) if needed. CLs are, basically, user moderators "hired" by Staff. They have the ability to nonsense questions, delete answers, delete comments, and shortly PB (penalty box... basically jail) disruptive users. This is monitored directly by Staff. If you have a problem, yourself, with a CL, contact Staff directly.

CL's:
• Galeanda
http://www.answerbag.com/profile/?id=150611
• BigDaddyBS
http://www.answerbag.com/profile/?id=174918
• LynfromNM
http://www.answerbag.com/profile/?id=46758
• Barcaluv
http://www.answerbag.com/profile/?id=121546

**at the time of this edit (Feb. 6, 2009), Andy is infrequently here and Cyndi is not here terribly often.

To report something to a CL, go to the CL's profile, finding one of the CL's answers, and being a buttinsky by leaving them a message in a comment thread to one of their answers. Do not raise to the troll's bait because AB Staff and the CL's are going to look at ALL parties in that comment thread. Do not get PBed because of some *sshole. I always give the CL's some points when I do that. :)

• a. Please report to a CL an obvious troll such as one with vile and obscene questions and answers... or take it to the blog or both. Flag as well, please. These are are the messy ones. Instructions on how to report in the blog in #9 of this section.
• b. You can report to a CL an obvious spammer who is really flooding if you want but I usually just flag, feedback, or drop them in the blog. Please report a vile spammer to a CL. I am referring to spam that is above and beyond advertisements.
• c. Please report to a CL a fight if the fight will not stop or the person follows you from answer to answer, comment thread to comment thread. Usually the CL can calm the situation down and will PB (penalty box) if needed.
• d. Use your discretion if it is a jab or two from another member. I, usually, if it is minor, let it go or, if it is somewhere in between, feedback it and report it to a CL if it gets messy. Unsubscribe works great and usually that is all it takes.
• e. The CLs and Staff are busy and making their jobs as easy as possible helps all of us. The CLs are also regular members trying to 'bag away.

---if there are any CL changes (new ones or ones who resign) please leave me a comment so I can add them to the list.

4) Reporting trolls and spammers in the AB Blog: you can also report the troll or spammer in the current AB blog. Please do not report personal grievances such as being harassed in a comment thread. The blog is for the larger, messier problems that clutter up the board, trolls that attack in questions, and most of my advice in this post is for the "smaller" ones like interpersonal problems and personal trolling. Most people already know about the flag feature but many newcomers do not know how to handle the smaller stuff.

5) How to report a messy issue in the AB Blog... a step by step. Again personal trolling is not blog "material." Blog material is the messy stuff.

• a. Go to the main AB page by clicking on the main logo.
• b. You shall see this and click where I direct you. That shall take you to the most current AB Blog.
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/blog1.jpg
• c. Go to the end page or just click "add comment."
• d. State your peace as shortly and succinctly as possible. Use minimum data, no ranting. Here is an example of a current report:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/blog2.jpg
--- please note it is simple and short. You can report more than one issue per report, say, a flood of spammers and trolls. Keep it unemotional. A CL or Staff member checks frequently.

6) MOST importantly, do not raise to the troll's bait. That is what they want. That what they thrive from. Do not feed them.

7) Screenshotting is your friend (detailed instructions in Section "L"). Screenshot downrate trolls on your profile, screenshot personal attacks, screenshot profiles where trolls have featured you. If you can do this, host these on Photobucket or some other hosting service and send them with your report. Screenshotting is essential in reporting clones and attacks in another user's profile. I have included a section about screenshotting as well.
• a. If you do not know how to screenshot and or do not have the time to do it, please submit your feedback anyway. Screenshotting is a VERY good tool but, as I said, send your feedback in without it if needed.

8) Unique URL's. Each page on this board has one, including our profiles. This is the same with every webpage on the net. Here is how it applies to AB and is something many do not think about:

• a. We are assigned a URL to accompany our accounts when we first make them. No matter what we do, no matter how many times we change our username or avatar, no matter our level or points, we ALWAYS shall have this URL. This is our Answerbag "fingerprint." This is essential in some kinds of reports (clones and profile attack reporting).
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/uniqueurlb.jpg
• b. Each question and answer has a unique URL, separate of each other. An explanation of how to get the unique URL for an ANSWER rather than just a QUESTION in Section "J."

9) Complex reporting: if you are being badgered in a number of comment threads and harassing answers, set a pattern with your feedback. Get a notepad and jot down the URLs of the other comment threads and answers in which you are being harassed and include this in your feedback report. If you have a DR troll screenshot, put that in there. Tell AB Staff that you are being badgered this way. This lets AB Staff know that this is a serious problem rather than a one time drivebye thing.

10) Virus trolls. I have only seen this once but once was enough to get it in my Troll Guide. My Lady, myself, and a number of people stayed up for hours until a CL/Staff member came on to stop this. A spammer came in who put links to viruses in his questions, profile, and flooded comments with them. We took turns keeping a question alive until CL/Staff came on to nuke it. I do not know if Staff or a CL nuked it because we had gone to bed and other ABers were keeping the question alive.

• a. LESSON FROM THIS: general internet logic. Run your AV all the time and DO NOT CLICK if you doubt a link.
• b. REPORT REPORT this every way you can:
~~BLOG (extremely important to report in blog for this),
~~feedback link the profile and all comment threads,
~~grab any CL you can find (leave messages for any who even might be on),
~~flag it via the flagging system for every question and answer.
~~If a question has been asked about it, help make certain that it stays on the front page or two... the other ABers shall be helping. If you are the one to ask the question and holler VIRUS in the question. Do not be afraid to "bump" it and do anything you need to get attention to it: this can save yours and your fellow ABers computers.

11) A_view, q_view: you can also view and/or report an individual answer via the use of "a_view" (answer view) instead of "q_view" (question view). This allows more specific viewing and reporting. Please see Section "J" for an in depth description of "a_view" vs. "q_view," what it is and how to get there. I tell, with screenshots, how to get into "a_view." Also brief mention of this in Section "F."

12) The goal behind stopping a troll should not be retribution. This advice is not to "get back at" someone who has wronged you. This advice is to stop the trolling and make your AB experience pleasant. When whoever has been trolling you either stops or returns from the PB, if it is needed, please do not continue the fight. If the person starts it again with you, report any new trolling through the proper means... AB.


E. ****POINTS DOWN TROLLS... the commoners of AB****

First, AB does not usually consider you to have a DR troll unless you have 8 or more DRs. 3-4 DRs does not a trolling make. A member who hits you with a DR or two a day is not considered a DR troll. However, this can vary. I shall explain in this section. Now, how to handle a DR troll:

1) go to your profile page
2) look down for the feedback link
3) report, from your profile page, that you have a points down troll and ask AB to ask the person to please stop. Being DR trolled is annoying but harmless. Explanation of the purpose for DRs and what they do to both you and the person who DRs you: http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/5108001
4) provide a screenshot of the trollery if you can. Save your screenshots in case the trollery is repeated. This gives AB an easy backup and reminder. Screenshotting will keep the DR troll from reversing the negs to avoid detection. It isa permanent record and AB can look at those screenshots and see the original negs.

Voila! AB can see everyone who has downrated or uprated anyone and they WILL make a DR troll stop, up to and including the Penalty Box. Be aware that your uprate and downrate history is also going to be scrutinized.

AB shall look, as I said, and determine if this is a troll. Amount of DRs that constitute trollery is also determinant on other acts of trollery if you know who your troll is. If you are trolled in other ways (comment threads for example) and get fewer than the customary amount of DRs that constitute trollery, send it anyway along with a link to where you have been trolled by that individual. You can often tell where it starts because you get in an argument in a comment thread or give a controversial answer and red negs flood your page right after.

If you can, screenshot your page with nothing but the points visible (close answers and questions, fullscreen it if needed, use more than one screeshhot if needed). Host that on something like photobucket and send it to AB with your report.

If you know where you picked up your troll, provide the question in which the fight originally started. Remember that AB can look at all of our uprates and downrates. They SHALL see it. If this is a continuing problem from, say, a comment thread, they shall take that into consideration.

Downrate trolls might try to fool you by changing the points taken, say, from -1 to -2 to -3, etc. Do not let that fool you. Anyone can choose how many points they give or take.

This is a set of two screenshots of a recent trolling of myself as an example, provided to AB along with my report via feedback link.
• http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/TooGrwon4ThisIshtrollingme1.jpg
• http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/TooGrwon4ThisIshtrollingme2.jpg

~~I wish to emphasize again that that is not, say, 4-5 DRs. 4-5 DRs is not trolling. Personally, I try to avoid flooding AB with reports unless I am pretty certain that I was trolled because they get ALL of us reporting trolls to them.


F. ****COMMENT THREAD TROLLS... they think they can get away with it****

These are trolls who do their trolling in comment threads only. They do this to avoid being reported. This is easy to solve.

1) report the comment thread via the feedback link at the bottom of the page of the QUESTION in which the troll is trolling. Tell AB which answer it is in and the name of the comment thread troll. If you are being comment thread trolled in more than one comment thread, provide in the feedback a link to other places the troll is at you.

2) Provide AB with the username of answerer who has the troll in their comment thread, be it in your answer or someone elses' answer. AB is not going to know where to look otherwise. Copy and paste a small section of the trolling comments into your feedback report in case the troll decides to change its name. Do not include more than a small sample so AB does not have to wade through a long feedback report.

• a. You can report the question as stated above or you can report the individual answer. See section "K" on how to do this via q_view vs. a_view.

3) report it to a CL as I described above, screenshot it if you want (detailed instructions on how to screenshot at the end of this guide... section L), etc. I am not going to repeat the whole thing so please read my first section.


G. **** CLONES... the vilest and most destructive of trolls ****

First, I have a question for you: if you were cloned, would you want it stopped? If you answer "yes," then report ALL clones no matter who they are cloning. A clone can ruin your reputation, turn your friends against you, and, if not taken care of by AB, make your life so miserable that you are driven off of the site. Here is why you want to get rid of clones. This is what a clone can do to you:
http://proudromani.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-yahoo-answers-horror-story.html

Please do not let that happen to yourself or any other member.

I wish to state again: if you see an established member acting out of character (be it attacking other members in questions or answers, asking trollish questions, and other obnoxious uncharacteristic behaviour), check the profile. It might be a clone. You can always tell a clone because they are never the same level as the original member. Even if, by magic, the level is the same (I have NEVER seen this), the unique URL of the profile NEVER is the same:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/uniqueurlb.jpg

~~Here is where screenshotting is the MOST important. There are detailed instructions on how to screenshot in section "L". Screenshotting is VERY important here because clones like to hide their trollery by cloning a member, slandering them via various methods including attacking other members in the targeted member's name, and quickly changing their names to avoid being caught~~

I have cloned myself for instructional purposes to use in this troll guide. Here is my real profile:
• http://www.answerbag.com/profile/?id=146219

Here is the account I just created to clone myself (pull them up side by side to compare)
• http://www.answerbag.com/profile/?id=852032

Here is the screenshot I took of the clone account before I changed the name on it:
• http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/cloningmyselfc.jpg (please pull this up too)

Notice the UNIQUE URL. My real account ends with "146219" and my clone account ends with "852032." Both the screenshot and the clone account have the SAME URL. No matter what I do those numbers are not going to change. We get those numbers when we create our accounts. This is why screenshotting is essential for dealing with a clone.

Differences between my clone and real account. My clone versus real:
• a level 1 account, I am currently a level 75. This is the main identifier of a clone,
• it was created Feb 1, 2009, my account was created Apr 11, 2007,
• my points on the clone account are "Points: 25", my real account is "Points: 101023,"
• the only activity on the clone account is an accidental comment. Activity is ALWAYS different on a clone account.
• no matter what, the percentages (ratings given, answers, questions) on a clone account are never the same as that on a target account.

Similarities:
• I copied and pasted my "website" url easily onto the clone account (that is my IMVU),
• Copied and pasted my username
• Uploaded my avatar but a screenshot can steal anyone's avatar
• Copied my location

Here is how to get rid of a clone, in this case I am using my clone account as an example:

1) go to the CLONE'S profile page and down to the feedback link, which can be found here:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/feedbacklinkb-1.jpg

2) report the clone from the feedback link on the clone's profile page. Include the following information.

• a. "This is a clone of [enter name here]."
• b. Provide a link to profile of the real member being cloned:
• c. Provide the screenshot of the clone when it had the original member's name. This way AB has proof that the person, regardless of the name currently used, was cloning the original member:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/cloningmyselfc.jpg

3) point out in your feedback report that the URL in both the clone account, regardless of the name, and the screenshot is the same. Each URL is unique and, no matter what name the person uses. This shows it:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/uniqueurlb.jpg .



H. ****A TROLL FLAGGING YOUR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS HAVING THEM REJECTED****

You might have questions flagged and rejected as nonsense. Usually this is an error or just a drive-by *sshole. If you have a persistent troll and many of your questions and answers are rejected, do the following:

Go to the rejected question page (it shall still be visible in your profile), down to the feedback link, say that it was flagged unfairly by a troll who is going through your q & a. If you know the name of the troll, provide it. AB can tell who flagged what. If there is a question in which the argument started, provide that.

If you are having mass flaggings and both your Q & A are vanishing (or just answers or just questions), go to your profile page and do what I suggested. Provide links to the questions that have been rejected in the feedback report.

You can also write to admin@answerbag.com. For larger issues with more links this might be easier.

When writing to Staff, via the feedback or admin@answerbag.com email, include the following:

• a. The links of the questions and empty answer pages (if you have those)... all of them.
• b. Tell them that you have a malicious flagger.
• c. If you suspect that you know your malicious flagger, tell them the name and provide the profile of the flagger.
• d. If you know where the fight with the flagger started, provide that.
• e. If you are threatened with malicious flagging, screenshot it immediately. That just happened to me, I screenshotted it, and my questions started vanishing. I reported it, provided the screenshot to the threat, which had been deleted by a CL, and not only got my questions back but the flagger "vanished."

More than one person could have flagged each answer and question. However, AB shall have a record of everyone who has flagged each question and answer. Give them a hand, if you know who it is, and tell them so they can look. If you have been hit by more than one of them, they shall see that as well.

I am still, myself, trying to find a way to track malicious flagging of answers. When I find out how I shall include it.



I. ****TROLLS WHO ATTACK YOU IN THEIR PROFILES****

1) Trolls who leave the attack up there: screenshot it and sent it to AB via the feedback link (detailed instructions on how to screenshot at the end of this guide). That is rather elementary.

2) Trolls who change their names and avatars, swapping out attacking material for new stuff. Trolls can change their names and avatars to try to fool you, thinking that you cannot report them. This is not so. Each profile has a unique URL that is ALWAYS the same. No matter what they do, they cannot change this. Here is mine:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/uniqueurlb.jpg

I could change my name to Joe Blow or Charlie the Choo Choo, change my avatar to a dog or a pineapple, and the section I circled artistically is not going to change. If you are being trolled and they are targeting you in their profile but changing it so you think you cannot report... wrong. Screenshot each attacking profile and save it. That URL does not change.

When you report this AB shall see the history of it and the report shall be taken more seriously.

Another thing you can do is keep your troll's profile in your personal bookmarks. Again, the link does not change. Just denote in your bookmark why you are saving it, such as this: "Anonymous racist troll." That way I know, no matter what name they are using, which troll is which when I check.


J. ****TROLLS WHO HIDE THEIR TROLLING IN BLOODY LONG ANSWERS... sneaky guys (inc. explanation of "answer view/question view")****

Some trolls hide their trolling in bloody long answers (like this one) where, while you might pick it up and flag it, AB Staff (a rather busy lot) might miss it if you just flag it. Trolls will not get away with this because of "a_view" (answer view?) and "q_view" (question view?). This makes each ANSWER feedback reportable individually.

If there is a lot of trolling in this long, cumbersome answer, such as racism padded within whatever or an attack on you placed in such an answer (just happened to me last night), copy and paste the trolling into the feedback. If there is a LOT of racism, please do not give ALL of it to AB Staff to review. Pick the choice bits and tell Staff that there is more. Remember that Staff IS busy and this is one report.

You can report a specific answer, not just the question. The question's URL always has "q_view" (question view?) in the URL. Each answer when accessed by a permalink has "a_view" (answer view?) in the URL. Each answer and question page has a feedback link associated with it in the lower right side of your page. This "a_view" is handy if it is a bloody long answer with the trolling hidden in it so when you flag it AB is likely to miss it. That is a good way for a troll to hide.

Feedback report it as well as flag, copy and paste a section of the trolling into the feedback and say why you are flagging it. Here is how you get the "a_view" permalink (the unique URL for an answer, not a question):

• a. Click the permalink tab on the answer. Here is the location of the permalink tab. Please note the URL in the screenshot. It has "q_view" in it.
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/permalink1b.jpg
• b. This is what shall result after you click. Please note the URL in the screenshot. It now has "a_view" in it:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/permalink2b.jpg

That is the unique URL for this particular answer.



K. ****ABOUT SCREENSHOTS (detailed instructions on how in next section)****

It is always good to screenshot acts of trollery... this includes pages of downrates (screenshot your own profile page with as many as you need) as well as trolling in answers and comment threads. I have a folder for these neatly tucked away and have, indeed, found it useful.

This way you have a permanent record. If AB acts slowly in dealing with the trollery or the troll commits another act of trollery against you, you can hand AB the screenshots. It is a permanent record. The troll cannot just run in and change something.

I have used screenshotting to my advantage many times.

I have said it before in another section. Each profile's URL is unique and will not change no matter what name or avatar they us. So, trolls who try to hide by swapping names and avatars cannot do this. Here is my profile with my unique URL artistically circled:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/Arisztid/uniqueurlb.jpg



L. ****HOW TO SCREENSHOT****

1) Look and find the PrtScrn button on your keyboard (location in my 3rd step in this section). Not all computers have the same screenshot setup but ALL computers have this capacity. If you do not know how to screenshot after reading this guide, please leave me a comment or email me with your computer make and operating system. I shall try to help.

2) Have whatever you want to screenshot up on your screen. If it is something like a clone or a member attacking you in their profile, please do not full screen it (that hides the address bar at the top) because AB is going to need to see the URL of the profile in order to take action.

3) Press the PrtScrn ("printscreen") button alone or the ctrl + PrtScrn (or Fn + PrtScrn, or Alt + PrtScrn) buttons together. Which key, or combination, depends upon YOUR computer.

• a. The "Ctrl," "Alt," and "Fn" button can almost always be found on the lower left of your keyboard.
• b. Most PrtScrn function keys can be found on the upper right of your keyboard and are almost always included in another button (that is why you usually have to use a button on the lower left, be it Ctrl, Alt, or Fn).

On the computer I am now using it is my Insert/PrtSc + Fn buttons to print screen while Keysha has to push just her PrtScrn/SysReq button on her keyboard. It varies but it always says "PrtScrn," "PrtSc," or something else as easily identifiable. If one does not work for you (you do not get a "paste" option in Paint) try the others. Most laptops usually use the Fn button + PrtSc.

4) Open your Paint program or other such program. All computers have a Paint program. Go to your "start" menu (usually lower left of your screen), to "accessories," and look for "Paint."

5) In Paint: go to "edit," push "paste." That shall copy your screenshot to Paint. Then go to "file" and "save as." Save it as a JPEG and name it. Be sure you know where you are saving it to, be it "Pictures" or somewhere else. I always save them to "desktop."

6) Host the image on any hosting service. There are many free ones. I use Photobucket but there are many more:
• http://photobucket.com/

Voila! Screenshot. I have enumerated in this troll guide the importance of screenshotting and, by now, this process takes me a matter of minutes unless I have a LOT of them to do.

Here is an excellent website that explains how to screenshot for the Windows operating system... with pictures.
• http://www.wikihow.com/Take-a-Screenshot-in-Microsoft-Windows
Here is a page explaining how to screenshot for the Mac OS:
• http://www.wikihow.com/Take-a-Screenshot-in-Mac-OS-X


M. ****IN CONCLUSION (finally... you thought I would never shut up)****

You do not have to put up with trolls. AB is not perfect but what I suggested really does work most of the time.

Why would you want to get rid of a troll? I think it's flattering to have some sad individual with nothing better to do than stalk your online efforts. A human being is taking time out of their day with the intent of affecting your life. I love it and don't see why anyone would not appreciate the effort.

sems as they you pretty much summed it up here and Im glad because Im not sure I have a clue what is going on in the clone/troll sorld.

I agree with your deductions and general information about internet trolls, however, your methods for combating trolls is something that I do not fully condone. Sure, in Guerrilla warfare, you "fight fire with fire", but it is different with trolls. From firsthand experience, trolls are the way they are because they feed off the anger and sadness that comes from the people that they troll. A troll, in order to survive, requires sustenance in the form of being hated. To hate a troll is not only decremental to our images, but it is also encouraging the troll to try harder to piss us off. In some ways, trolls can be related to e-thugs or 10 year old boys (aka: n00bs), for their incapability of socializing is unmatched, even throughout the entire internet. I love how you've recently set up an anti-troll group (COAT, I think?) to attempt to take a stand to trolls, but in actuality, by doing what you are doing, you are only adding fuel to the fire, for there are only two real troll's bane known to man:

1.Love
2.The BanHammer