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> It is weirdos and neurotics that are most disposed to spending all their time posting online This is not true. Every single human being has multiple differen

> It is weirdos and neurotics that are most disposed to spending all their time posting online This is not true. Every single human being has multiple different sides/personas depending on the context in which they engage. For example, many people think "Trolls" are some mythical category of assholes they will never run into in real life, but the thing is, everyone can act like a troll depending on the circumstance. This is why Twitter can't fix the spam problem. Because they think the goal is to eradicate this mythical group of people. But the reality is everyone on Twitter is in one way or another annoying to someone else, without even them realizing. I am probably much much busier person than OP in real life, but I still have time to post on HN. I am definitely not a weirdo and neurotic who has nothing better to do. I probably spend less time posting online than the OP spend time watch TV shows. The reason I say this is because without understanding WHO exactly "trolls" are, you will always lose. When you understand trolls are just ordinary people like yourself, only then you can find a way to deal with them. p.s. I have acted like a neurotic person on certain forums when I was in a desperate situation, and I am perfectly aware of that. That doesn't mean I am a weirdo who has nothing better to do. Anyone in those situations would probably behave that way too. Knowing that doesn't make it any less annoying, but my point is that I can sympathize, and I know that these people are not all weirdos.

ryanmarsh 10y ago
This doesn't sound the least bit nuerotic... /s
- cocktailpeanuts 10y ago
  I get your "/s", and that is exactly my point
themodelplumber 10y ago
Hmm, I just realized that we should give trolls my wife's finger-wag and they'll stop.
enentesinmyeyes 10y ago
When they he says neurotic the author is probably not talking about people like you who occasionally take internet slapfights too seriously. They're probably talking about people like that dude on 4chan who wrote a 97 page document about another poster http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/622/581/94e.jpg http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/622/581/94e... http://per.vyrd.net/of/utv.pdf http://per.vyrd.net/of/utv.pdf
- nostrademons 10y ago
  I can think of a few dudes who wrote several hundred pages about someone they barely even knew [1], but we don't usually consider them neurotic. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament#The_Gospels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament#The_Gospels
  - drdeca 10y ago
    Either you need to elaborate on that, or it appears to be an attempt at a "zinger" or something.
  - tstrimple 10y ago
    They believed a man walked on water, changed water into wine and was resurrected from the dead. Maybe neurosis is the explanation.
    - 77pt77 10y ago
      More like psychosis.
      - bbcbasic 10y ago
        Just good storytelling. The people who believe it OTOH...
- cryptarch 10y ago
  That's just comedy gold, have you skimmed through it? I'm not entirely sure OP (of the 97 page PDF) is not mentally unhinged but I'm assuming it is part of the joke.
fludlight 10y ago
> everyone ... is in one way or another annoying to someone else One popular way to fix this is to allow or encourage users to cocoon themselves in intellectual bubbles. This solves the annoyance problem but discourages the discovery of new ideas, stunting the development of the individual, and thereby the utility of the forum.
- TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
  Is it true that a bunch of people cocooning in intellectual bubbles discourages the discovery of new ideas? University students, especially those who go on to complete a PhD, progress by studying more and more about less and less. Also, practising a religion certainly isn't a liberal arts major in comparative religious studies, in the same way neither is joining a political party. And yet here we are with all this progress regardless.
bbcbasic 10y ago
That's why I think the mods respectful replies to trollish comments is probably very effective here on HN
- prawn 10y ago
  I agree that it's effective, but I don't know that they're "respectful". I think three keys with these responses are keeping them free of any emotion, being very consistent with tone and also presenting a very narrow front - not over-explaining things (the more you say, the more someone may find something to argue).
ygaf 10y ago
This is all tangential. Are you saying that weirdos and neurotics, people less successful in the real world, do not have more chance of being online all the time?
- cocktailpeanuts 10y ago
  no
  - ygaf 10y ago
    Thus, the quote is true?

ryanmarsh 10y ago

This doesn't sound the least bit nuerotic... /s

cocktailpeanuts 10y ago
I get your "/s", and that is exactly my point

themodelplumber 10y ago

Hmm, I just realized that we should give trolls my wife's finger-wag and they'll stop.

enentesinmyeyes 10y ago

When they he says neurotic the author is probably not talking about people like you who occasionally take internet slapfights too seriously. They're probably talking about people like that dude on 4chan who wrote a 97 page document about another poster http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/622/581/94e.jpg http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/622/581/94e... http://per.vyrd.net/of/utv.pdf http://per.vyrd.net/of/utv.pdf

nostrademons 10y ago
I can think of a few dudes who wrote several hundred pages about someone they barely even knew [1], but we don't usually consider them neurotic. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament#The_Gospels https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament#The_Gospels
- drdeca 10y ago
  Either you need to elaborate on that, or it appears to be an attempt at a "zinger" or something.
- tstrimple 10y ago
  They believed a man walked on water, changed water into wine and was resurrected from the dead. Maybe neurosis is the explanation.
  - 77pt77 10y ago
    More like psychosis.
    - bbcbasic 10y ago
      Just good storytelling. The people who believe it OTOH...
cryptarch 10y ago
That's just comedy gold, have you skimmed through it? I'm not entirely sure OP (of the 97 page PDF) is not mentally unhinged but I'm assuming it is part of the joke.

fludlight 10y ago

> everyone ... is in one way or another annoying to someone else One popular way to fix this is to allow or encourage users to cocoon themselves in intellectual bubbles. This solves the annoyance problem but discourages the discovery of new ideas, stunting the development of the individual, and thereby the utility of the forum.

TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
Is it true that a bunch of people cocooning in intellectual bubbles discourages the discovery of new ideas? University students, especially those who go on to complete a PhD, progress by studying more and more about less and less. Also, practising a religion certainly isn't a liberal arts major in comparative religious studies, in the same way neither is joining a political party. And yet here we are with all this progress regardless.

bbcbasic 10y ago

That's why I think the mods respectful replies to trollish comments is probably very effective here on HN

prawn 10y ago
I agree that it's effective, but I don't know that they're "respectful". I think three keys with these responses are keeping them free of any emotion, being very consistent with tone and also presenting a very narrow front - not over-explaining things (the more you say, the more someone may find something to argue).

ygaf 10y ago

This is all tangential. Are you saying that weirdos and neurotics, people less successful in the real world, do not have more chance of being online all the time?

cocktailpeanuts 10y ago
no
- ygaf 10y ago
  Thus, the quote is true?