Dancing with the Trolls

Ok, I admit it. As a pre-teen, I used to play Dungeons & Dragons. nike air max There I said it. And…I spent many a late night hour huddled around a piece of graph paper rolling multi-sided plastic dice in the hopes that maybe a girl might find me worthy and scoop me away from this sordid and depraved life. (And spoiler alert — that did happen..once I learned how to play the bass and sing in a high school rock band, but that is another story for another time.) Back to D&D. One of the most fearsome creatures of the entirely made-up D&D world is the troll. Ugly, mean as hell, and as I recall can really take a beating with a +10 broadsword before finally dying. These days, there are new trolls to battle in the social media world (which can be just as geeky) and wikipedia says we’re looking for a human 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 deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.” Yep. Trolls are bastards. But if you want to remain the hero of the story, there are some ways to manage trolls in this imaginary world. adidas nmd femme And they are: Start with the mindset that all opinions are welcome and valued. Even if someone is intentionally trying to sabotage your brand, a little digital respect goes a long way. nike air max 2016 soldes Have a sense of humor. No one can make you (or your brand) feel bad without your permission, right? I find that handling things with a little humor can be the difference between a four-alarm fire and a puff of smoke. Don’t block or delete your way to freedom. Yikes, please tell me you don’t seriously think this is a viable communications option. bottes ugg pas cher Have the courage and the security to allow a spirited debate to occur on your post or your site. Again, there isn’t just the one opinion. adidas messi 2017 Don’t react out of fear or any emotion. Respond with clarity and from a secure position.