Like many of you, I’ve been reading a lot about the Kathy Sierra debacle the past few days. And because I’ve been asked more than a few times how I managed to continue forward here on Sweetney after my own (melo)dramatic troll-related incident(s), I just wanted to pass on what could be loosely described as my private, previously unwritten methodology of sane blogging, 2007 A.T. (After Troll):
1. I do not look at where my traffic is coming from anymore. Ever.
2. I have specifically asked others to NOT tell me of troll-like behavior going on elsewhere that is related to/directed at me or people I know and care about.
3. I now moderate my comments, and I have ZERO guilt about that. In fact, if I feel anything about that it is: A) I wish I’d done it sooner, and B) Its kind of a pain in the ass, but definitely worth it for maintaining my sanity.
4. I don’t read hate email or hate comments. I do not respond to threats, taunts, jabs and the like, unless instantly hitting “delete” qualifies as a response. I am ruthless about this. The delete button is my friend, and can be yours, too.
5. I allowed myself to come to the conclusion that this is my blog to do (or not to do) whatever I like with. My space, my rules, my boundaries, my choices. I don’t owe anything to anyone beyond myself and my family, period.
I say all of this not to suggest that what happened to Kathy could’ve been averted by employing tactics such as those I’ve listed here. Not at all. Rather, I simply want to point out that we each have options when dealing with the very real idiot hoardes out there, and please don’t let other people convince you that there are “right” and “wrong” ways to do any of this. My own bottomline can now be simply defined as: I will no longer accept or put up with any troll-type bullshit whatsoever. And because I am unwilling to accept or put up with any bullshit whatsoever, I have put in place and enforced specific limits relative to my blog that others haven’t. That’s it. Its fairly simple, actually.
Make your own rules. Apply your own limits. Do whatever you need to do to feel comfortable and safe, and know that for each person that’s likely something different. Be healthy, be well. The end.
