Beware of Troll - Ways to Keep Out of Trouble Online

It's easy to get involved with the discussions online thanks to the accessible blogs, forums, groups, walls, and discussion boards available ... but should a business owner really get involved?

This was the question I asked myself when coming face to face with a troll in the comments

section of a blog. A troll is someone who takes pleasure in posting controversial, offensive, or irrelevant messages in an otherwise healthy community, such as a forum, chat room, blog, group, or wall in order to provoke the other members into a tussle.

DNFTT, or Do Not Feed The troll, has become a well-known, commonly used tag across these discussion boards due to the ability for the community to effectively ignore the troll and thus deny it the attention it wants.

So is it worth it to get involved with the open discussion online as a business owner?

Yes, very much so.

As long as there are people doing good in the world, there will be those that want to tear them down - it's an animalistic drive that has tapped into the online realm. You shouldn't let these trolls get to you though - they just want attention.

Continue your work and think about all of those people and potential customers out there interested in connecting and discussing issues with you.

If you do encounter a troll, try any of the following tactic to de-trolling the area:

• Moderate your comments - avoid the problem before it has the chance to start
• DNFTT - if in a public area, consider posting this simple warning to warn others of the troll in the area.
• Ban the troll - don't hesitate to ban the troll from future comments, membership, or other privileges made available on your site.
• Report the troll - if on a social networking site, you can probably report the troll to the management of the site, which will make it their problem, not yours.

Just a few ideas for the business owners trapped between a troll and the temptation to feed it your outraged response. Remember, trolls feed off your reactions just like a bully in school; deny them a reaction and they'll wander elsewhere.

Avoiding this type of trouble can mean all the difference as a business owner. The reason why its so important to avoid feed the troll is because you're reaction will be seen by everyone, which can potentially harm your brand, profile as a professional, and in turn maybe even your revenue or business.

For more on staying out of trouble, check out the 5 Things Business Owners Should Avoid Online at Dapeem.com