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DON’T FEED THE TROLLS
Whatever you do in life there will always be someone who has a go at you, finds fault, or does things you wish they didn’t. There is something about the online world that makes this more likely. What do you do when the inevitable happens?
This chapter’s title refers to trolls. This is the name given online to people who deliberately set out to disrupt things and derail otherwise productive activities. There is something about the online world that makes people less restrained than they might be in normal circumstances. For some this makes them prone to deliberately winding up other people online. Sometimes what looks like trolling is actually just a robust exchange of views and polarized positions. You need difference, and to some extent dissent, to make things interesting but you have to get good at balancing your imbalances. Rough edges and tension make things interesting and a bunch of boring people agreeing with each other about boring stuff sadly sums up many corporate online spaces. But if your dissenters get out of hand their activities can derail other, more productive use of the tools.
One of the most common fears managers have about letting their staff use social tools in the workplace is the prospect of them using the tools to start criticizing the company or finding fault with their management in a relatively public space. This fear is closely followed by the even greater fear of customers having a go at them on the web or – worse still – using ...
