I had the pleasure recently of acquiring my first Facebook troll – yay! It was only a matter of time…
What’s a troll anyway?
Here’s the Wiki definition…
In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion, often for the troll’s amusement. Text courtesy of Wikepedia.
Here’s what happened…
I shared a video of myself on my Facebook page talking about keeping a positive mindset.
The video had a great response, so I decided to promote the post…
Then one Sunday morning I had a notification someone had commented on my video. Feeling curious, I went to the page and saw this comment on my video…
Wow. That lady looks glakit!
I got all excited and thought it must be a new word for being really cool and down with the kids (all the lolz), but it actually meant something pretty mean (all the sobz). Here’s the definition…
A person that looks stupid as well as ugly.
It was the first time I’d been trolled on Facebook. I’ve had a YouTube troll before, but he just typed “F*&$ off” on one of my videos, no biggie. This felt much more personal.
If I’m really honest I HAD been expecting it but it still made me wobble for a few minutes…I knew I had to just deal with it and put it out of my mind.
And of course, on the plus side I’ve learnt a new word and it gave me the idea to write this blog!
I wanted to share this with you because if you have a Facebook page, are admin of a group or post a lot of stuff publicly on your profile, there’s a chance that you might someday be in the unfortunate situation of being trolled …
Therefore, read my tips below.
How to deal with Facebook Trolls…
Expect it
Have a plan of action ready. You are putting yourself out there and unfortunately will be vulnerable to trolling. There’s no need to be worried or afraid; most trolls are keyboard warriors hiding behind false Facebook profiles. Know exactly how you are going to deal with a troll should the time come (hopefully it never will!)
Don’t take it personally
One of my members said I should feel flattered that I was trolled as it surely meant I have reached a level of success worthy of trolling! Remember it’s not about you. If they hadn’t seen your post or profile they would have gone onto someone elses.
Don’t engage
The minute you respond, you are feeding the troll. DON’T. If you begin to converse with the troll, you fuel them to come back with another response. A heated conversation with a troll on your public account or page looks really unprofessional too. Arguing with a troll will get you nowhere fast.
Block and ban
If the comment was particularly offensive, you can hide it and/or ban the troll. On your page, click on the down arrow top right where their comment is, select hide comment, and then ban them if you feel it’s necessary. If they have messaged you directly and you wish to block them, go to their profile, click the 3 little dots and select block.
Don’t waste your time
Your time as a business owner is precious. Don’t let a troll eat into the time you could be spending growing your business.
Finally, please don’t suffer if you feel like you are being bullied online. One-off trolls usually go away when they are ignored but if you have a persistent troll, report them to Facebook straightaway. Cyber bullying can be considered a criminal offence under legislation such as the Protection from Harassment Act and the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act.
Hope these tips help you! If you’ve been the victim of an online troll, share your story below.
P.S. Please be sure that you are dealing with a troll, rather than a disgruntled customer. The way you deal with your customers is not the same way you’d deal with a troll. Read this fab blog on Hootsuite for more tips: hootsuite.com/how-to-deal-with-trolls-on-social-media
