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Don’t Feed the Trolls

Don’t Feed the Troll | Asterisk CreativeTraditionally, a troll was defined as “a mythical, cave-dwelling being depicted in folklore as either a giant or a dwarf, typically having a very ugly appearance.” With the advent of the internet and social media, the word has morphed to mean “a person who makes a deliberately offensive or provocative online post.” So what do you do when a troll comes after you or your business?

It can sometimes be hard to tell a troll when an online conversation starts. It may seem like they’re a harmless entity with a question or a problem. Other times you know – they seem heinous from the get-go. Either way, the best thing to do at the start is to respectfully and politely try to answer their issue.

If the conversation continues, invite the troll to take the conversation out of the public space. Ask them to email a specific contact. Give them a phone number they can call. At least see if they’ll move to direct messaging. If they’re truly looking for a solution to something, there’s a good chance this will happen. If they’re a troll, the public back and forth will probably continue.

If you find that you truly are dealing with a troll, there’s no need to keep the conversation going. You can try ignoring them. Should they continue to come at you though, there’s no harm in eventually blocking the offender.

At Asterisk Creative, we are the troll whisperers. We know how to sort out those that have a legitimate complaint about a company versus those that are just seeking attention, and we know when and how to continue the conversation, should it be needed.

You don’t have to handle trolls alone. Contact us today.