What to do about trolling?
January 22, 2012 6:49 PM Subscribe
I'm being trolled. I think that it is going too far. What can I do?
I'm a professor. Let's say that I study cat behavior.
I recently published a cat behavior study. There is a community of people on the Internet that write/blog about cat behavior. One of those people wrote a blog post reaction about my study (based on reading the abstract). I didn't see it myself, as I don't read his (not very popular) blog.
He tweeted at me with a question about my study. I replied via Twitter. I was polite. I then clicked through his profile and read the blog post, which was pretty critical but only based on the abstract. I didn't know who he was, but learned from his webpage that he is a columnist for a popular cat behavior magazine (and thus his name carries weight.) He responded to my reply Tweet with another question and some evidence from a questionable source. I politely replied with something along the lines of - I don't know enough about that data to draw any inferences about it.
Since then this guy has been trolling me. He's written multiple blog posts about me which are entirely untrue, tweeted at the official twitter account of the university where I am a professor, and has started researching my past looking for anyone with whom I've ever had a tiny internet debate or conversation about cat behavior with -- going back 10-15 years. He is now writing blogs about these old debates and tweeting at people involved in them to try to get them to give her fodder. I get many tweets a day from him trying to get my attention. This has been for a few weeks now. I have not replied since the original conversation.
Moreover, he is also trolling other cat behavior scholars - many of whom I'm affiliated with - with similar tactics.
I know DON'T FEED THE TROLLS and as soon as I realized how bad he was, I stopped engaging. I'm also emailing with the other scholars and we are actively avoiding him.
At this point what I am concerned about are: 1) the googleability of this all - people google my name + cat behavior all the time and I don't want this showing up in the results; 2) the messages to my employer; and 3) the digging into my past (I have nothing to hide, but ugh...)
So what can I do to handle this? I need more than "don't feed." I realize that blocking him is the best thing, but this has been going on for weeks and I am worried about it escalating, so I continue to monitor it so that I can do damage control with my employer if need be. (And FWIW, I'm not obsessively refreshing. I check every few days and/or get emails from the other troll-ees who are monitoring more closely.)
- Some of the other (more senior than me) scholars have contacted the magazine that he writes for and told them that his behavior is a bad reflection on the magazine. But the magazine's editors aren't sure what to do?
- Should I do something legal-y? (This is in the U.S.)
If you MUST see the blog posts/tweets for yourself in order to comment, email kittycattroll at gmail.
I'm a professor. Let's say that I study cat behavior.
I recently published a cat behavior study. There is a community of people on the Internet that write/blog about cat behavior. One of those people wrote a blog post reaction about my study (based on reading the abstract). I didn't see it myself, as I don't read his (not very popular) blog.
He tweeted at me with a question about my study. I replied via Twitter. I was polite. I then clicked through his profile and read the blog post, which was pretty critical but only based on the abstract. I didn't know who he was, but learned from his webpage that he is a columnist for a popular cat behavior magazine (and thus his name carries weight.) He responded to my reply Tweet with another question and some evidence from a questionable source. I politely replied with something along the lines of - I don't know enough about that data to draw any inferences about it.
Since then this guy has been trolling me. He's written multiple blog posts about me which are entirely untrue, tweeted at the official twitter account of the university where I am a professor, and has started researching my past looking for anyone with whom I've ever had a tiny internet debate or conversation about cat behavior with -- going back 10-15 years. He is now writing blogs about these old debates and tweeting at people involved in them to try to get them to give her fodder. I get many tweets a day from him trying to get my attention. This has been for a few weeks now. I have not replied since the original conversation.
Moreover, he is also trolling other cat behavior scholars - many of whom I'm affiliated with - with similar tactics.
I know DON'T FEED THE TROLLS and as soon as I realized how bad he was, I stopped engaging. I'm also emailing with the other scholars and we are actively avoiding him.
At this point what I am concerned about are: 1) the googleability of this all - people google my name + cat behavior all the time and I don't want this showing up in the results; 2) the messages to my employer; and 3) the digging into my past (I have nothing to hide, but ugh...)
So what can I do to handle this? I need more than "don't feed." I realize that blocking him is the best thing, but this has been going on for weeks and I am worried about it escalating, so I continue to monitor it so that I can do damage control with my employer if need be. (And FWIW, I'm not obsessively refreshing. I check every few days and/or get emails from the other troll-ees who are monitoring more closely.)
- Some of the other (more senior than me) scholars have contacted the magazine that he writes for and told them that his behavior is a bad reflection on the magazine. But the magazine's editors aren't sure what to do?
- Should I do something legal-y? (This is in the U.S.)
If you MUST see the blog posts/tweets for yourself in order to comment, email kittycattroll at gmail.
This sounds similar to a situation David Carr recently wrote about. The story isn't exactly encouraging, but it may give you some hints about how to successfully deal with this, especially if it escalates. You might try contacting some of the lawyers involved in that case for advice.
posted by wam at 7:15 PM on January 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by wam at 7:15 PM on January 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
Since you're a professor you msy find this helpful:
University of Chicago law and philosophy professor Brian Leiter was relentlessly harassed online, for years, by a University of Texas at Arlington professor named Keith Burgess-Jackson. You can read about how Leiter dealt with it here.
posted by jayder at 7:44 PM on January 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
University of Chicago law and philosophy professor Brian Leiter was relentlessly harassed online, for years, by a University of Texas at Arlington professor named Keith Burgess-Jackson. You can read about how Leiter dealt with it here.
posted by jayder at 7:44 PM on January 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
Contact the magazine he works for?
i'm not sure what you'd say other than "cyber stalking and harassment" "defamation of character" "libel" and whatever other buzzwords might draw their attention, citing links to his blog posts and his twitter, and others he has done the same to... asking whether they support their employee's behavior... maybe they'll crack down?
posted by myShanon at 8:10 PM on January 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
i'm not sure what you'd say other than "cyber stalking and harassment" "defamation of character" "libel" and whatever other buzzwords might draw their attention, citing links to his blog posts and his twitter, and others he has done the same to... asking whether they support their employee's behavior... maybe they'll crack down?
posted by myShanon at 8:10 PM on January 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Make sure you're documenting everything you find. If it comes down to a legal issue, you'll want to have as much evidence of his harassment as you can.
posted by Gilbert at 8:15 PM on January 22, 2012
posted by Gilbert at 8:15 PM on January 22, 2012
A) Document everything right now. Write down an entire history with dates and full texts of what was said.
B) Contact a dean at your university. If you are at a decent-sized school with a decent-sized reputation, they'll have someone to help you. At the very least the higher-ups need to be aware of this.
I really don't want to go into specifics here, but a group of professors at my university were harassed for years by a professor at another university, in a completely different field. Our school wanted copies of all of the interactions, blogs in question, etc., to keep on file. It was treated as harassment, not merely trolling.
Get in touch with a dean now to see if they can help you, and work through the system.
posted by barnone at 8:18 PM on January 22, 2012 [10 favorites]
B) Contact a dean at your university. If you are at a decent-sized school with a decent-sized reputation, they'll have someone to help you. At the very least the higher-ups need to be aware of this.
I really don't want to go into specifics here, but a group of professors at my university were harassed for years by a professor at another university, in a completely different field. Our school wanted copies of all of the interactions, blogs in question, etc., to keep on file. It was treated as harassment, not merely trolling.
Get in touch with a dean now to see if they can help you, and work through the system.
posted by barnone at 8:18 PM on January 22, 2012 [10 favorites]
Your university has a lawyer. Set up a meeting with the university's lawyer and ask for their advice.
posted by cushie at 8:40 PM on January 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by cushie at 8:40 PM on January 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
For one, not engaging.
Second, documenting and getting legal help via your university.
Third, contact the magazine he works for. IF he is publishing anything that is libel, you can sue him for libel. If he is publishing anything untrue via the magazine, you can sue the magazine for libel. This is probably the strongest avenue you have, since he appears to be publishing knowingly untrue statements about you.
posted by DoubleLune at 9:08 PM on January 22, 2012
Second, documenting and getting legal help via your university.
Third, contact the magazine he works for. IF he is publishing anything that is libel, you can sue him for libel. If he is publishing anything untrue via the magazine, you can sue the magazine for libel. This is probably the strongest avenue you have, since he appears to be publishing knowingly untrue statements about you.
posted by DoubleLune at 9:08 PM on January 22, 2012
A blow-by-blow journal documenting everything as it happens has incredibly powerful evidentiary value.
posted by bz at 9:49 PM on January 22, 2012
posted by bz at 9:49 PM on January 22, 2012
he is a columnist for a popular cat behavior magazine
Contact the magazine, and contact your university's legal department. Chances are, though, this falls under freedom of the press.
posted by Ardiril at 9:58 PM on January 22, 2012
Contact the magazine, and contact your university's legal department. Chances are, though, this falls under freedom of the press.
posted by Ardiril at 9:58 PM on January 22, 2012
nthing Build up your own reputation.
Do you have an unpopular, infrequently updated blog on Cat behavior? Why not?
Do you write bi-monthly columns for Cat Behavior magazines evaluating the latest research? Why not?
You're the one with the doctorate. You're the professor. You're the expert. I imagine threatening to sue a journalist at a magazine for libel probably won't turn out that great unless it's extremely blatant. Probably not worth it. But what about offering to write a well bullet-proof but measured counterpoint response in the magazine? (I know, don't feed the trolls.. but here you're sort of attacking them on their own turf instead of trying to defend yours.)
Something like, "Unfortunately, Mr Troll has misinterpreted the outcome of my research as well as the research done by Mr Bob and Miss Sue. While those studies have some interesting results, I feel aspects A B and C were not well controlled for in those studies. Additionally, they contradict better more prestigious studies done by Mr Ed and Mrs Julie. Finally, My own studies at prestigious institution show results D, E and F not G H I as claimed by Mr Troll. Thank you to the Editors of Cat Magazine for allowing me to respond in print to clarify this unfortunate misunderstanding."
Troll may respond again, but i would just leave it at that. Basically make him out to be the misinformed troll he is.
The "Don't feed the trolls" adage is useful advice when the trolls are just random internet bloggers or commenters. However, if the Troll has a megaphone of the pseudo-legitimacy of Cat Magazine journalist... I think it's important to at least offer one response in that Magazine. Not responding makes it look like you are wrong and everything he said is true. At least come out and give one thorough counterpoint in the public sphere of the magazine.
I'm certain Cat Magazine will fall over backwards to have prestigious university professor responding in an editorial letter in their magazine and if you asked would instantly welcome you as an occasional contributor talking about new research advances in Cat behavior.
Your blog/magazine articles would better establish your public reputation beyond the academic one you've already built, and as a byproduct act as a google defense against trolls. Of course having a more public reputation may bring you more trolls but I think you'll still be better off in the end.
My suggested action plan:
Get a blog. Post a paragraph or a couple of sentences every Friday along with a Cat photo.
Write a short article for Cat Magazine every other month, I know you're busy but it's not like it has to be War and Peace. You're a professor, I'm sure you can knock out 5 or 6 paragraphs on topic du jour 6 times a year. EZPZ.
Counterpoint on Trolls turf. Use the Trolls own megaphone against him. Don't respond to his emails or twitters. "Sorry, I've been very busy. However, you can read my thoughts about topic X in my new regular column at Cat Magazine. Thanks!"
posted by j03 at 11:06 PM on January 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
Do you have an unpopular, infrequently updated blog on Cat behavior? Why not?
Do you write bi-monthly columns for Cat Behavior magazines evaluating the latest research? Why not?
You're the one with the doctorate. You're the professor. You're the expert. I imagine threatening to sue a journalist at a magazine for libel probably won't turn out that great unless it's extremely blatant. Probably not worth it. But what about offering to write a well bullet-proof but measured counterpoint response in the magazine? (I know, don't feed the trolls.. but here you're sort of attacking them on their own turf instead of trying to defend yours.)
Something like, "Unfortunately, Mr Troll has misinterpreted the outcome of my research as well as the research done by Mr Bob and Miss Sue. While those studies have some interesting results, I feel aspects A B and C were not well controlled for in those studies. Additionally, they contradict better more prestigious studies done by Mr Ed and Mrs Julie. Finally, My own studies at prestigious institution show results D, E and F not G H I as claimed by Mr Troll. Thank you to the Editors of Cat Magazine for allowing me to respond in print to clarify this unfortunate misunderstanding."
Troll may respond again, but i would just leave it at that. Basically make him out to be the misinformed troll he is.
The "Don't feed the trolls" adage is useful advice when the trolls are just random internet bloggers or commenters. However, if the Troll has a megaphone of the pseudo-legitimacy of Cat Magazine journalist... I think it's important to at least offer one response in that Magazine. Not responding makes it look like you are wrong and everything he said is true. At least come out and give one thorough counterpoint in the public sphere of the magazine.
I'm certain Cat Magazine will fall over backwards to have prestigious university professor responding in an editorial letter in their magazine and if you asked would instantly welcome you as an occasional contributor talking about new research advances in Cat behavior.
Your blog/magazine articles would better establish your public reputation beyond the academic one you've already built, and as a byproduct act as a google defense against trolls. Of course having a more public reputation may bring you more trolls but I think you'll still be better off in the end.
My suggested action plan:
Get a blog. Post a paragraph or a couple of sentences every Friday along with a Cat photo.
Write a short article for Cat Magazine every other month, I know you're busy but it's not like it has to be War and Peace. You're a professor, I'm sure you can knock out 5 or 6 paragraphs on topic du jour 6 times a year. EZPZ.
Counterpoint on Trolls turf. Use the Trolls own megaphone against him. Don't respond to his emails or twitters. "Sorry, I've been very busy. However, you can read my thoughts about topic X in my new regular column at Cat Magazine. Thanks!"
posted by j03 at 11:06 PM on January 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
Oh god, don't threaten to sue him unless you're willing to go through with it. Otherwise that's just more fodder for his blog.
Just ignore him. Nobody is going to care. He's a nobody, you're in academia doing real work.
posted by empath at 12:04 AM on January 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
Just ignore him. Nobody is going to care. He's a nobody, you're in academia doing real work.
posted by empath at 12:04 AM on January 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
Making sure your job is secure is the big first thing. Go to your department head and lay out the issue. If he is doing this to other professors at other universities, those department heads should get together and jointly contact the magazine, indicating they'll issue a statement concerning the behavior if it doesn't stop.
This impacts the University's name, by affiliation, and they are way more equipt to deal with something like this than you are on your own.
posted by rich at 7:16 AM on January 23, 2012
This impacts the University's name, by affiliation, and they are way more equipt to deal with something like this than you are on your own.
posted by rich at 7:16 AM on January 23, 2012
Do you have an unpopular, infrequently updated blog on Cat behavior? Why not?
Do you write bi-monthly columns for Cat Behavior magazines evaluating the latest research? Why not?
Because it's a ton of work to do successfully, and it doesn't count for tenure, and can actually hurt in tenure/reappointment cases. So it's really not a great use of time for over-stressed, over-worked junior faculty. If the OP already has tenure, there is a bit more leeway, but there is still an increasing pressure to publish more in the midst of decreasing opportunities, take on oodles more students in a crushing & broken university system, teach larger classes with less support, etc. A number of other hidden obligations come with each of those points.
OP, you're already spending some time on this and worrying about it, so it's not a bad idea to get your name higher up in google - there are techniques out there on how to do it, and it doesn't take a ton of effort. But the real solution is to stop the harassment, and the first step is to a) document and b) send documents to university lawyers or deans.
Good luck. Hang in there. It really, truly sucks.
posted by barnone at 11:05 AM on January 23, 2012
Do you write bi-monthly columns for Cat Behavior magazines evaluating the latest research? Why not?
Because it's a ton of work to do successfully, and it doesn't count for tenure, and can actually hurt in tenure/reappointment cases. So it's really not a great use of time for over-stressed, over-worked junior faculty. If the OP already has tenure, there is a bit more leeway, but there is still an increasing pressure to publish more in the midst of decreasing opportunities, take on oodles more students in a crushing & broken university system, teach larger classes with less support, etc. A number of other hidden obligations come with each of those points.
OP, you're already spending some time on this and worrying about it, so it's not a bad idea to get your name higher up in google - there are techniques out there on how to do it, and it doesn't take a ton of effort. But the real solution is to stop the harassment, and the first step is to a) document and b) send documents to university lawyers or deans.
Good luck. Hang in there. It really, truly sucks.
posted by barnone at 11:05 AM on January 23, 2012
barnone: It's not about having a *successful* blog.. it's about google juice. It's about having your name established in the public sphere as opposed to the private academic sphere.
Ideally, for purposes of protecting your online reputation, you want enough online content under your own name to fill up the first page of google results. So just having a mediocre blog that almost nobody goes to is better than no blog at all. In fact, have he should have two blogs.
You'll have to explain how having a blog of cat pictures and random posts like "Super excited for the big Cat behavior confrence this weekend!" can *hurt* tenure, that risk seems overblown to me. To me, the thing that would hurt tenure more is having the first thing that shows up in google under your name be an article by someone else trashing your research.
posted by j03 at 12:42 AM on January 24, 2012
Ideally, for purposes of protecting your online reputation, you want enough online content under your own name to fill up the first page of google results. So just having a mediocre blog that almost nobody goes to is better than no blog at all. In fact, have he should have two blogs.
You'll have to explain how having a blog of cat pictures and random posts like "Super excited for the big Cat behavior confrence this weekend!" can *hurt* tenure, that risk seems overblown to me. To me, the thing that would hurt tenure more is having the first thing that shows up in google under your name be an article by someone else trashing your research.
posted by j03 at 12:42 AM on January 24, 2012
I agree that having a very extensive blog full of new material would not be good for one's tenure case.
My academic blog consists of lay abstracts and quick public-friendly snippets from my work.
posted by k8t at 6:38 AM on January 24, 2012
My academic blog consists of lay abstracts and quick public-friendly snippets from my work.
posted by k8t at 6:38 AM on January 24, 2012
So just having a mediocre blog that almost nobody goes to is better than no blog at all. In fact, have he should have two blogs.
Those in academia will surely weigh in, but cluttering one's own Google results with mediocre personal blogs seems like a very sub-optimal solution here. That would surely not be good for one's reputation as a scholar.
posted by jayder at 10:01 AM on January 24, 2012
Those in academia will surely weigh in, but cluttering one's own Google results with mediocre personal blogs seems like a very sub-optimal solution here. That would surely not be good for one's reputation as a scholar.
posted by jayder at 10:01 AM on January 24, 2012
jayder, because having your Google results cluttered with blog posts from other people trashing your research is more optimal?
In an Ideal World(tm) of course your Google results would only show people praising what a genius you are. But this person has a Real World(tm) problem.
Is having a mediocre personal blog in your Google results "optimal" in the Ideal World? Perhaps not. Is it better than Google results showing a bunch of blog posts calling you an idiot and misrepresenting your work? Certainly.
k8t has the right idea. Simple execution without interfering with tenure while still juicing her Google results and therefore bumping any secondary references lower.
posted by j03 at 1:23 AM on January 25, 2012
In an Ideal World(tm) of course your Google results would only show people praising what a genius you are. But this person has a Real World(tm) problem.
Is having a mediocre personal blog in your Google results "optimal" in the Ideal World? Perhaps not. Is it better than Google results showing a bunch of blog posts calling you an idiot and misrepresenting your work? Certainly.
k8t has the right idea. Simple execution without interfering with tenure while still juicing her Google results and therefore bumping any secondary references lower.
posted by j03 at 1:23 AM on January 25, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
For what it's worth, I've got a guy on Facebook who constantly trolls and attacks stuff I post there. The worst that has come of it is emails from amused friends of mine saying "What the hell is X's problem with you?!"
I'm not a professor and I've no professional relationship with this person so perhaps my attitude is a little more blasé than yours. Nonetheless, some people develop obsessions, and there's not much you can do about other people's behavior and foibles.
posted by dfriedman at 6:59 PM on January 22, 2012 [1 favorite]