Do Not Feed The Trolls : LinkedIn Trolls Profiled : How To Respond To Negative Comments On LinkedIn And The Web

Dealing with trolls and ignoramuses is one of the costs of participating in social media. These are the folks who combine a strong opinion with a lack of knowledge and whose main goal is attention. A handful of inflammatory and negative comments can neutralize dozens of useful and positive ones.

Lets first take a look at the common profile of the LinkedIn troll.

1. Male. My experience is that almost every trolls is male. Even when an avatar is a female person, I often suspect the person used a false picture and is male. I don't know why this is true--my best guess is that women as both smarter and have better things to do. 

2. Lousy profiles. There are three very easy visual clues that you're dealing with a troll. First, his avatar contains a picture of him with his spouse or family. It's as if the message is, "I can't be a racist, sexist, or clueless, I must be a good person because a woman married me/I have a family/dog/cat." Second, his timeline is mostly updates to his cover photo and avatar. There's seldom any curation or creation of content. Third, his profile is blank--there's little or nothing about his work, education, places lived, etc. In fact, it's hard to discern if the person truly exists. 

3. Bad Grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Trolls don't capitalize the first word of sentences, use periods, or commas. They have a tough time with homophones (words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings). This has nothing to do with gay rights though trolls have strong feelings about this issue too. They use the first-person pronoun ("I") and exclamation marks (!!!!) a lot. They type in ALL CAPS. They write long comments using short, simplistic, and goofy words. Example: "PUHLEZE, your completely WRONG abowt!! Your an a-hole you shud not be highered in HR!!!"

4. Entitlement. Trolls exhibit an exorbitant level of entitlement manifested in the belief that their time is valuable, and they should get everything for free. They must have missed school the day that science class covered Copernicus's heliocentric model of the universe. Thus, they think they are the center of the universe. Example: "Why does she post stuff on her page that doesn't interest me and wastes my time???" "Dropbox should be honored that I store my files on its free service." "If Google+ ever runs ads, I'm out of there."

5. Lack of first-hand knowledge. It's ironic that people with the strongest opinions often have the least first-hand knowledge. When you encounter the certain and vociferous opinion of the common troll, ask them if they have first-hand knowledge or experience. You'll find that trignoramuses just "know" that something is true. Example, they know that Barack Obama isn't American and was the founder of ISIS. 

6. Intolerance. Trolls do not embrace diversity. Alternate thoughts, lifestyles, sexual orientations, and operating systems are both wrong and unacceptable. Example: "Macs are too espensive and there're just something Steve Jobbs ripped off from Xerox Park. i am much productive than any Mac owner."

7. Perfect information. Always expecting everyone in the world to know what they did immediately after they did it. (Pre-Copernicus and perfect information is a deadly combination!) Example: "i explained why he's wrong in my blog, but he hasn't responded yet."

8. Wimpy. They are wimps and want to attack and pontificate but not constructively discuss. They do not have the courage to say to your face what they say online. They are bullies who are brave in a pack but shrink away from confrontation when they don't have a computer to hide behind. That said, trolls are often perfectly reasonable people in person--which is difficult to grok, but so true.

9. Legal scholars. Many trolls are legal scholars but every legal scholar isn't a troll. In particular, trolls are experts in selective portions of constitutional law, Supreme Court rulings, and Sharia law. They are certain that the founding fathers anticipated the state of technology two hundred years hence. Example: "You can not have an opinion as my opinion guarantees that I can protect myself in case a Muslim president sends Seal Team Six after me while I am abusing people on the internet...."

10. Arithmetically challenged. Trolls are not good at arithmetic, and they oversimplify the facts. When they say "every," they should say "some" or even "I." However, their goal is to exaggerate and aggravate. Example: "Everyone knows that vaccination is a big pharma plot that causes autism." "Every post is a promotion for her company." "He never responds to anyone." "United flights are always delayed."

Here are 5 ways to overcome the naysayers:

 1. Ignore them. They are a distraction. The bigger your dreams or goals the more the naysayers will flood in. Don’t let their words sink in and take root. Don’t give them residency status in your head instead redirect them to your short term memory. People will always have something negative to say. Stay focused. “You wouldn't invite a thief into your house, Why would you let negative people invade your mind?” ~Unknown

2. Respond don’t react. If you must engage in discussion, respond politely & respectfully. Let your emotions subside. Never respond in the heat of the moment. If you respond wisely sometimes you can win them over. However, don't waste time trying to convince them. Additionally, not all criticism is a bad thing. There is a difference between constructive criticism and personal attacks. Decipher which it is and be open to listen and learn.

" You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks." ~Winston Churchill

3. Safeguard your Dreams. We are in the age of oversharing. You don't have to share everything. Be very selective about who you share your goals and dreams with especially when it’s in the infancy stage. You don’t have to let everyone know what you are planning on doing. This is life and not everyone will like you or want to see you succeed. Don’t take it personally, it is not a measure of your self–worth.

4. Take control of your environment. If certain individuals are constantly bringing you down, it’s time to eliminate them. Pick your battles wisely. I see so many people even those who you think should know better engaging in online battles with trolls. You can't win someone who is hiding behind a computer whose goal is to break your spirit. On Social Media you can simply block them. When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water. If it’s someone you cannot avoid then reduce contact with them or just tune out when they are speaking.

5. Personal development. Develop thicker skin. Remember it’s not about them. It's about you. They are just an extra in your movie whilst you have the leading role. Seek continuous self-improvement. Negativity offers us a chance to evolve and learn from our experiences. Personal development (spiritual, emotional, mental, social and physical) is crucial. 

The 20-80 principle advocates that 20 percent of the people you have to deal with produce 80 percent of the problems. Negativity is always all around but it’s important not to let it paralyze us. Everything in life must be used as a growing experience. If we only receive positive feedback we would become complacent and wouldn’t grow. In order to succeed, we must learn how to recognize and embrace what’s beneficial and quickly discard the meaningless.

Additionally it's always wise to look in the mirror and make sure we are not being a troll. Negative words hurt. If you don’t have anything good to say then don’t say anything at all. Be kind, you don’t know what an individual had to go through to reach where they are. Instead of trying to tear people down, build them up.

Edward Smith, Head Of Consulting at Right Management Ireland, A born leader with over a decade of senior management, change and business optimization experience. Edward is responsible for managing the entire Right Management Ireland operations a global change and talent management consultancy,

Right Management's tailored solutions identify and transition talent, optimize business performance and build strong careers through impacting leadership and employee development.  Contact edward.smith@right.com. Social media link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edsmithrm/