Prepare to Deal with Comment Trolls on Blogs

When my friend Launie first started writing her blog Teeny Tiny Kitchen two years ago, she picked a subject she cares about and a skill that she rocks; cooking food. She had been reading blogs for years on various subjects, but food was always in the mix. As the blogosphere started taking shape and the cream rose to the top, she began to see what separated a decent blog from a great one. She noticed that some of the more popular food blogs, and some of the more obscure ones she liked had great photography.

Writing great text is hard enough, but doing it consistently and on a regular basis is even more difficult (as evidence, I submit my string of posts on this site). Being a writer, Launie had this part nailed as well. She had been in and around photography for years, but it had always been a passive hobby. She had a natural eye for photography, but an occasonial experiment or a carefully framed shot was pretty much the extent to which she flexed her shutterbug muscles. When she started writing the blog she totally threw herself into food photography by studying the professionals and experimenting with lighting, misting and other techniques while using her high end digital SLR camera.

Food Blogging on the Cheap – Teeny Tiny Kitchen

The blog has been rolling along and steadily picking up steam since she began. Her articles have been published on Conde Naste, CNN and she’s part of the BlogHer Network among others. I guess she knew the day was coming when she would be popular enough to attract Comment Trolls, but was she prepared with a plan to deal with them?

Wikipedia defines a Troll as: In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response.

I asked Launie a few questions about her new problem.

Me: So what kind of Comment Troll posting was it?
Launie: Well, for my first time it was pretty gentle. He/she was the “questioning” type of troll. “Why would you make something from scratch when you can buy that in the store or on Amazon?” With the implied “Wow are you dumb,” tone.

Me: Were you able to find anything out about the Troll?
Launie: He/she is a restaurant reviewer in California.

Me: Did you leave the comment up?
Launie: It was benign, so I let it slide.
Me: Did anybody else comment on the post, or on the Troll?
Launie: It was the first time I’ve ever had readers use the “down fonze” on a comment. (“Down Fonz” =thumbs down.) And I had a couple of sweet comments. The strange thing is, you would think that food would be the most gentle of things to write about – and it’s not. In fact, last week I had a really bizarre experience. I do food writing for a cool community on line, and over the holidays I put up a recipe for a roasted fruit salad. Most people really liked it, but one person called me a “bitch” (jokingly at the time) because I had posted a “healthy” recipe. But for some reason, this person wouldn’t let it go, and then they suggested that they should write my next column because I hadn’t written an appropriate holiday post. Readers and the editors explained that I had been writing the column for close to a year and that – no, someone couldn’t just take over my food column. I apologized to the person, if only to keep the drama at bay because it was escalating quickly. And then the proverbial you-know-what hit the fan. The person who had taken umbrage with my holiday post quit the website with a dramatic (and profanity filled) exit. Other commenters kept the fight going for two days. I stayed out of the fray except for the initial apology and just watched this whole bizarre thing unfold. Two people stopped speaking to each other, and others came close to that. All because of a fruit salad.

It could have been worse though, I’ve read about food writers having their children threatened. And one woman food writer posted about the frightening hate mail she receives. (Scroll halfway down the page.)
So, the first “troll” on our blog was harmless in comparison. And I know that it’s the Internet – and more importantly – I know everyone isn’t going to like what I write, but it’s amazing how worked up people can get over a recipe.

So the moral of the story is, if you write a blog and you let your readers submit comments, prepare to deal with the trolls when your blog starts getting to be popular. I included two good resources to help you below.

How to Deal With Comment Trolls Both On and Away From Your Blog: Danny Brown

How To Deal With Comment Trolls: Amy Schmittauer