Hey guys, Im not very experienced with forums but i have been pretty concerned by the number of "trolls" and "suspected trolls" we seem to have attracted.

So, any of you who are more experienced with forums than me,

a) how do you spot a troll,
AND
b) how do you ensure you are not upsetting people who are honestly just trying to join the forums

im kinda worried that we are potentially frightening away people who really want to share there experiences and ask for our advice...

A Troll is a term for someone who deliberately joins a forum just to cause upset and trouble. Spotting one is easy. You can generally tell one from their very first post. A normal person would join a forum and introduce themselves and then post in a reasonable manner.

so the "out of the blue" posts would be a telling feature... but how do you tell that you arent just talking to someone who happens to be a bit socially awkward? or in a rush?

oh help!! I just started posting without an introduction!!

so sorry - I'll post one in the intro thread today

on the subject of trolls - I do think they're pretty instantly recognisable, and personally would not respond to anything I think looks suspicious, but pm the mods - they are usually pretty savvy at spotting them, and dealing with them.

will go and post an intro now - better late than never

Shedstar don't worry, after 40 odd posts we can be sure your NOT a Troll

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Bengal and persian love

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Bengal and persian love

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Bengal and persian love