All Comments on 'The Trolls of Literotica'

Since your introduction of Sept 10, 2010 you have 7 efforts of various categories of submission but your IP address has countless signatures of identified comments and "anon" comments. So is one calling the kettle black or not? Seemly so, it is appropriate to post this one as anon [lol].

for proving my point - trolling is all about personal attack. Reason, logic, persuasive speech all belong in peer-reviewed journals, not on fox newz or erotic story sites. The greatest gift my beloved faux news has given us is the irrelevance of substantive argument. You say the sky is blue? I say you're wrong because you're a homosexual. You say the earth is 4 billion years old? I say you're wrong because you're not a christian. Freedom from having to engage on the topic levels the playing field for morons like me so I can finally be part of the discussion - god bless fox news and the internet!

"People didn't like my most recent story, 'Kate & Pippa Middleton Fancy a Game,' so now I'm spraying tears all over my dwelling with such force that it's taking the paint off the walls."

I have been a victim of the "trolls". I quit submitting stories because I got tired of the abuse.

I agreed with you,till you became abusive to those with an obvious different political point of vue. I like to watch O'Riley, Sean Hannity and fox news because it does not contain the network liberal bias. Just because they are conservitate in their political POV, does not make them trolls.

I do agree that the trolls are a pain in the ass. But unfortunatly that is one of the cost of living in a free society. While I don't totally agree with you I agree you have the right to state your POV>

Rob Conners

so trolls are right wings extremist and are CHILD molesttrs.... simply becuase they dont like your story?

Dude are you lkie for real? This analysis is so full of shit and inflammatory hate speech one has to wonder id this analysis is in fact TROLLING

" Spaying tears so hard they are taking the paint off."

That line killed me. But seriously the responses really are better than the submission.

I like this lil rant.

But I've got to point out one wrong assumption:

There ARE trolls who not only give a nickname, but also live it outright.

There's one prominent example on the german sub board that publishes stories and sometimes even seems to be a pretty normal guy. and then... WHAM!

Of course he also posts anonymous comments to diversify. In fact we sometimes think that he may be our only troll for the german section at all.

But the truth is that he seems to revel in his role enough to stand up to the retribution.

I'd call this special kind of troll the 'troll with a face'. ;-)

This piece has merit in that internet anonimity practically begs for "throwing rocks from a cloud" (to use a bad metaphor).

That said, it is still valid to criticize the essential elements of writing. If the average reader notices the errors in spelling, grammar, editing flaws, etc; then the posted work is deficient. There is something to be said for learning to spell, and learning to write. After all, even under a pseudonym, the work is being put out for public display and making a respectable presentation is important.

Harry, reread the paragraph about people who watch Fox and Bill O'Reilly. Do you understand the meaning of the word "like" as in "similar to"?

The author was comparing the anger of trolls to the anger of the right wing nut jobs. He never said that trolls WERE right wing nut jobs.

As for the rest -- Harry, as usual you must have had a humorectomy as a child. Our author was joking. This was essentially a humor piece making fun of all of our favorite trolls.

The response by anonymous titled "thanks to the previous anon" is one of the best things I've read on this website in ages. Hey "anonymous"! man up and start writing. I'll read it with glee!!!

My take is that most trolls take the stories personally, as if they were real. Obviously such people have a difficult time dealing with anything that disturbs their 'reality'. And not to be too far off topic, but have you never been to a sports message board i.e. ESPN? Some of the trolls their are legendary- so much in fact that others have adopted variations of their screen names to post under. They spam nearly every thread regardless of the team they may root for- if they even have a team. Go to the MLB threads on ESPN and ask posters about a person named BillOntario and see what kind of response you get. Most posters would line up the passengers in the movie 'Airplane' to take a shot at this guy- some of them literally...

Ya'll need to chill. The author makes a valid point about trolls. Ranting like this is not trolling it is expressing a POV. Trolls comment just to hurt other people. Now I will say that author BEGS! the trolls to come out and play but that may be the authors wish. Now, Before Ya'll attack me I will let you know that while am a country boy I am not uneducated. I happen to have a BS in US History, a MS in Military History, A BS in Computer Science and a MS in Management Information Systems.

that No one gives a shit what YOU think. The same is NOT true when I post.

and second you horse's pussy... the inference was so clear that even Rob Conner saw it. GEE Bulet why dont you cite the actual Text if you are so right?

OK I will

...."My guess is that trolls go there with the exact intention of getting pissed off. They enjoy it. It's like people who watch the American cable TV network "Fox News" and its talking heads "Bill O'Reilly" and "Sean Hannity." Many people simply watch such programming to get angry. "

ot how about this one

".... I think it's possible, too, that Literotica trolls are the sorts who torture animals or watch snuff films and view pictures of gory accidents, death photos online."

or this one

My guess is that the average troll is male. Sure, some are likely to be women, but mostly it's men who take part in such bullying, nasty behavior. A troll probably fits the typical loner, serial killer description. He's in his 20s or 30s, white, socially retarded, and not very successful in life. He probably lives alone, in a shitty apartment, and doesn't have many friends or family. He probably is grossly overweight, unattractive, and has some sort of noticeable skin problem, likely affecting his face, or maybe a gross disfigurement. He might have Tourette's syndrome or an involuntary twitch that others find unnerving. For some reason I see him as also having long hair, in a phallic-like pony tail, which is never a good look for a man, at least one who's not a rock star."

*** The author is this essay is clearly trolling ***

Please BULLET keep debating me... and please remember to state your ideas and moronic analysis without any facts. You member of the Tea party arent you?

they are always angry.

I wrote a story in the Nonconsent/Reluctance section and some one commented "stupid cunt, how could she get into something like that" and another "this is not real". I just ignored both anonymous cowards.

These are all fake names (hey Seahawk76, why did your parents name you that?). What, they can't even make up a fake name?

I agree with PART of the essay. As far as I'm concerned, no Anon comments should be posted. The author and others should AT LEAST have the CHANCE to reply to criticism.

I, for one, am sad the Rob Connors stopped posting. I did not like all of his work but I appreciated the effort it took to write.

Also, I generally like Harry's comments. He has a way of cutting through the BS and pointing out some factor that I missed. I don't always agree with him, but I like having him around to comment.

He brings something to the party.

In my humble opinion, comments should refrain from making PERSONAL attacks. But, I'm occasionally guilty of writing something that could be personal. So, I get the emotional effect a story can have. But, that's good, right?

use a FAKE name are still just as Anonymous as those who do use anonymous. It is just a different degree of anonymous, because most everyone will lie on there Bio. So you put a fake name to you rants does not tell me who you are. So in MHO all post are anonymous. The trolls are the one who waste time commenting on others post and not the story or their thoughts on the writer of said story.

I must agree with the part of trolls being a pain, that is not up for debate, lol, i have seen "anonymous" posts of people saying how the stories are trash, and that the people writing and reading them are sick and how they're going to take down this whole site, blah blah, ect..those are the ones we could do without, but to write an attack on them? yeah, you're totally begging for trolls to come out. I find a much simpler way to deal with them, find an author you love, and when you see someone post a derogitory comment, defend them, tell the author to ignore it, and let them know you love their work. As bad as the trolls may be, complimenting an author on their work goes a long way to undoing that damage.

Like others who attempt to write, I also get abusive comments.

Some post negatives because they do not like the subject matter, some because perhaps the skill of the author is lacking. Some because perhaps they find the scenario not believable.

Some just because they like to try and tear down those who do what they cannot. A few are actually constructive, and some I have taken to heart and used to attempt to improve.

But when dealing with human beings, truth is often stranger than fiction, and I note that the stories I write that get the most poor comments are without fail based somewhat in truth.

The readers are amazing, fascinating, and irritating all at once.

I used to let it bother me, but now?

Hell, negative comments STILL bother me!

LOL

MGM

I'm a published Lit author. I've received some negative reviews and 10 times more positive reviews. However, the reviews I pay attention to, whether or not they are signed or anonymous, are the reviews that critique the work.

Those who think the work is bad or think I should have been less careless with grammar and punctuation, I listen to closely. The rest I read and I'm grateful, but I listen to the criticisms that help me be a better writer.

I also critique anonymously but, as my parents taught me, if I can't say something positive, I don't say anything at all.

Yes, you've called me a fucking asshole before --- from you that's become something of a compliment, because anyone who writes something you don't like is a fucking asshole.

But to call me a Tea Party member -or as you so eloquently put it: "you member of the Tea Party arent you" --- you certainly have a way with words and spelling -

--- that's hitting below the belt.

I have always felt that someone as arrogant and disrespectful as you must be a right wing moron. Please don't tell me you are progressive. It'll put me right off my dinner.

Just to quote your pristine prose:

"the inference was so clear that even Rob Conner saw it. GEE Bulet why dont you cite the actual Text if you are so right?"

You used the word "inference". You do, of course, understand that inference is what YOU get out of what was said, not what the author actually intended. I ask you to consult with a person relatively conversant with the English language to read the paragraph in question. (And don't ask Rob Connor - you insulted him as you praised him for understanding your version of the text -- even Rob saw it, and he's an idiot ---- and let's face it, Harry, Rob is in fact an idiot).

Reread the sentence with a person of intelligence and he/she will show you that Newamba is using what we in the American intelligentsia refer to as a simile: a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.” - or Trolls are like Fox viewers.

You will note that the sentence "She is like a rose" does not explicitly say "She IS a rose". But of course, Harry, that is what you would apparently infer. And Harry - I'm proud of you for coming up with the word "inference". Finally looking up words in the dictionary, are we?

And how about the reference to trolls torturing animals? Harry, that is what we in America refer to as hyperbole - an obvious and intentional exaggeration. Newamba did not mean that Trolls actually torture animals. He was exaggerating to make a semi-humorous point.

But of course, Harry, you probably do torture animals, which is why you found the truth in the statement so offensive.

Sorry Newamba, but generally I found you piece pretty obvious. But Harry didn't understand it at all.

And Harry brags about his posse of anonymous sycophants agreeing with his insulting and arrogant prose.

Write a story, Harry. For once in your life, show a pair of balls. (Or are you actually just a butch bitch?)

Put yourself out there for other people to evaluate.

Let's face it Harry. You are just another loud mouthed bullying pussy.

I first posted a story about five years ago and the first comment I ever received was that my story line was stupid and deserved a 1. (It went on to have many installments between 4 and 4.5.) I've also had trolls comment that a story line featuring circumstantial nudity (which was clearly stimulating to the main character- a stripper!) wrong to be submitted under "exhibitionism" and so he was going to punish me and give it a 2 on principle. What's up with that??? Another one said he was going to mark down a story because he didn't like the way computer geek characters were described. As a result of all this, I don't pay a lot of attention to the scores or comments any more. I just write for the fun of it and ignore the trolls. But these haters and judgmental pricks do take a lot of the fun out. I'd take my stories somewhere else except that Literotica is by far the biggest story site and has best exposure if you want to share.

I agree with ScareCrow51 that EVERYONE is actually anonymous. For the most part no one knows who we are or anything about us. The only thing a name does is link our responses together. If, after a while, a certain named user becomes annoying we can skip that persons comments. It also allows us to identify authors vs. readers (like me). I believe that good readers can be as valuable as good authors but I respect the authors for putting their work out there. For sensitive authors it's possible to shut off comments and rating so if you don't like the heat you can still write behind a protective shield. But I have to ask, why publish in a public forum if you don't want people to respond to your work? And if the majority of comments are critical, maybe that should be telling you something. If there are a few nasty jerks, ignore them. Do you have to go through life wrapped in bubble wrap? Jerks are all around us. Do you need need very high levels of approval to maintain your self esteem? If so, you live on the wrong planet. It usually doesn't work out like that. <br><br>

I dislike the name calling and supposition about the personal nature of "trolls" in the article. What's the purpose of tying conservatives to trolls? The same could be said about those who drool over Chris Matthews or Kieth Olbermann. This is pointless when discussing erotic literature. Who cares? It cheapens the whole article. If this is your level of critical reasoning it may explain some of the criticism you receive. Are you looking for a fight?

I think you are correct on some points. I am sure that authors troll much worse than readers. I have seen someone say that they would not taint their screen name commenting on a story more than once, so they comment anonymously. When you see a story with two or three anon comments it is probably the readers, when you see one with twenty the writers have piled on. You may be right they might be trying to protect their site in some way. I do have long hair, but you missed on the other parts. :) I would guess that the readers are of a wide variety. There may be a few as you describe, but you also stated that this site might also have a million readers, so theres that. Look around at whats happening in the world. It may be that people aren't as nice as some would like to believe. Some of the categories draw heavily on emotions and I think that accounts for most of the comments, especially the LW section. And lets face it, some of the stories need to be commented on negatively.

....some sort of "track record" (i.e.-"moniker")-and being anon? Or that sometimes the anon makes the most cogent comment due to the very fact of GREATER anonymity?(I've been censored more as ppp than before, as anon). Or that Harry lays the lie to this bullshit about anons attacking worse? Or that the right wing-nuts have been framing this "misdirection" of legitimate debate since Tip O'neil retired. Fox news just another mudslinging glint in Rupert's eye then.

I overlooked the political reference on purpose. But since the bullet has chimed in.... The leftists are in the process of burning London down. There is a reason that they started with social security cuts in the U.S. Old people won't riot. When it gets to welfare cuts parts of this country will burn too. Bullet uses the same tired arguments that he has for years. You have to look at who is always holding the torches or bombs. Our fearless president knows several of them very well. There was no need for a political reference unless you were trolling for comments.

I found the "story" just that a story.

I find your responce to being trolled kinda standard for a logical person. Try and reasion out why a troll is being a troll to make yourself feel better.

No worries lots of people do it, lots more just ignore it.

IMO trolls are nothing more then a personality that needs some attention. The everyday people that take a stab at somebody to feel better.

This story does show a lot about you though, if your so fragial that you put emotional weight in anon comments from people acting out and take that to heart I suggest you try something other then trolling a troll.

I find excerise and sex works wonders.

As for the story I did find you conclusions to be quite basic and did not use examples or what methiods you were using to base your conclusions on. I would suggest that you reference some examples so people could follow your conclusions more effectively.

Writers need readers. Let them say what they will, and vote as they want. Scores do not indicate quality, and comments can cover the spectrum on any given story. Some morons will go through every story and every chapter a writer has posted just to tell the writer what an asshole he is. (Can you spell DWornock?) If it hurts too much, do not allow comments. Never expect total praise if you do allow comments. We write them and readers roast them. You will have your chance on the stories of others, if they allow comments. This is not brain surgery or searching for the cure for cancer. It's just fiction and passing time. We write what we feel, and most commenters do the same. It works for me.

Delighted to see you have expanded your rant on Trolls into an article and really worked on that vast chip on your shoulder.

The article itself was first class - full of imaginative supposition and utterly devoid of any fact based information.

Your theories on the characteristics of Trolls while very entertaining were also disappointingly cliched.

Nontheless, it is my fervorent hope you will continue this theme and perhaps feature stories or poems that feature Trolls in them.

Please, please keep writing about Trolls.

Most of the comments in this thread and others are made by idiots or flamers, not trolls. Critiquing an authors story is not trolling: making off-topic posts and provoking argument is called trolling and making personal attacks is called flaming. Therefore, many of the more active posters in this thread and others are actually flamers. Yes, that is a real term and it applies to many of the handles you see regularly posting here. Lets not give trolls a bad name by calling a flamer a troll.

everyone has one and many times they stink.

I fail to understand how only one person can comment that the writing of a story is bad, IE: poor grammer, poor punctuation, rotton idea, not in the correct catagory and on and on ad infinitum; while 10 to 70 others find the story to be well done.

Many of the annonymoose remarks are written more poorly than even the worst story on here.

Bully is the correct word for the actions of these persons. It is true we are all anymouses on here, for example: no one knows that I am actually the Queen of France.

I always welcome the comments unless they attack me personally. If this offends anyone let me know where I can find them, I will send my annoyingmoosekiteers to cut their noses off.

Your article is insightful, but makes many assumptions. I guess you need to do that as the aforementioned commenters are not willing to tell you about themselves.

I wonder how many are actually missionaries for the 7th Day Witnesses or Catholic clergy???

I recently received an email from a reader berating me for one of my stories. Even though I last published almost 4 years ago, my story still invoked very strong emotions in that person.

Fortunately for me I’ve received many more kind words about my work than disparaging remarks. But as one who has authored stories I recognize that this is the risk I take. Putting your work up for public comment means that you must accept all comments, even those that are misguided, misinformed, crude, or vulgar.

Think of this as the price of democracy. I would hope to receive only civil feedback whether in praise or criticism. But when the feedback is crude or vulgar or focused on various parts of my anatomy, there’s not much I can do.

Democracy is very much a self-regulating process and it even extends to the trolls… and that’s the way it should be.

True statement - no idiot that posts here uses their real name and even the non-idiots posters don't use their real name.<P>

So why all the acidity about non-real names.<P>

If a comment has merit and is repeated by others it has merit regardless of which no real name made it.<P>

Do any of you scribers write only to people like youself? NOT!<P>

Amateures are people who have posted here less than a Million times. You know like the self important bullit - I know this because he says so in big words while castigating his non-believers.<P>

Amateuers should write to improve or to entertain - others. They write to seek approval and appreciation. If only for themself why post it?<P>

All amateurs are responsible for what they write about {subject} as well as how well they are understood {spelling, punctuation, proper word use and so forth}.

When an amateur writes to irritate or offend they know what response they will get before they post it. And as absurdly irritating and offensive they get so will the comments from the offended.<P>

Tis America. Thank God.

if you have a name, you can be called out on past comments. Named commentators with double standards can called on conflicting statements. Instead of just unloading, they will also have to defend. Anon bypasses all that. So I think that makes a big difference.

I wonder how many anonymous comments your going to get bashed over the head with over the next few days??? LOL! Trolls hate nothing more than to be drug out of there dank, dark cave's and exposed to the light. I don't know if you intended this to be funny but you made my day. Thank You!

the primary difference between posting comments as anonymous and using a name which obviously allows one to remain anonymous is that most, even all, user names are associated with an email address. A dialogue is possible with people who use names.

An anonymous post is hit and run and can never be responded to, expanded on, or refuted.

HDK is right on. This little weasel DWornock should be banned from voting on this site. His asinine comments and his one bombs show that he shouldn't be allowed to vote until he can prove he is 18 years old, or prove that he is an actual human.

By giving him the power to one-bomb, we are giving him what little sexual gratification he can get from his otherwise sexless existence. Remove that power and he will have to beg Matt Moreau to write him into one of his little-dick stories so he can have semblance of a sex life.

Just sayin'

abandon Literotica due to the remarks that went beyond hostile and actually threatened me and my family. And, yes, I did report that particular troll idiot to his email server provider.

That's why I had to write the story, Anonymous Revenge. It showed how one Lit author got even with a rude, crude troll.

I posted it on the Storiesonline.net website because I swore never to post another story on Lit since the Lit administration and ownership always seems to side with the 'trollers' and never with the authors.

Dr_Know

with this writer's views and couldn't express them half as well. Particularly annoying to me is the susceptability of the voting system to deliberate downgrading simply by low scoring a story. In general a 1 vote has a much greater effect in lowering a story's score than a 5 does in improving it.

The only reason a one vote does more to lower a rating than a five vote does to raise it is the average rating here is far higher than three, which is where it should be, logically.

however, I have never made a comment which was intended to hurt anyone. My intentions have always been to assist the author in improving their skills. If I do not copy and paste the passage in question, I am accused of taking random shots at the author. If I do copy and paste the passage, I am accused of throwing errors up in the author's face. Sometime, you cannot win. One author which I suffered through had a great story, but the grammar was so horrid that I barely got it read. When I checked to see other's comments, the author commented on some constructive criticisms by basically saying there was no intent in their mind or heart to make any improvements. It was a bad author who intended to stay a bad author and said that only supportinve comments would be heeded or acknowledged. (So much for wanting to help.) Because of that comment, I consciously steer away from that author's work and will not read any more of his/her posts no matter how critically acclaimed the story might be. And, yes, I am posting this as anonymous.

--me--

that a registered name has an E-mail Addy with it, did you ever consider that it may also be as false as the name of said person???????????? And no mine is not a false E-mail addy.

I too have had trolls threaten to rape my wife and daughters, so I know what it is like. But if you are going to publish your stories on the Internet, you have to put your big boy pants on. So I don't let the bastards get me upset. For the most part they are harmless, lonely outcasts that are just craving attention. To the rest I just inform them that my wife is an excellent shot.

And there are those few brave souls that actually write and encourage me. A couple are good Internet email friends now. They are the ones that make it all worth the effort.

LMAO at getting trolled in a post about trolling! The irony doesn't escape me. I wish I could respond to each comment individually, but since I can't, I'll address a few issues.

I love the fact that my two favorite follower trolls showed up, one saying my recent story, which a few ppl actually did like, had something to do w/this or that I'm shedding tears. Listen, numbnuts, nothing could be farther from the truth. I love the fact that I've pissed you off enough to go out of your way to lob bitch ass comments at me. I've wanted to write a piece like this for a while after all the stupid bullshit I've seen here.

Then there's the fuckstick saying I should make trolls characters in my stories. Good suggestion, though that's already been done.

The political shit is funny too. I didn't mean insult any "conservitaves" even though many are some stupid fucks, like Harry. People on both sides of the spectrum watch Fox News to get pissed off. That's about all that propaganda outlet is good for.

LMAO at people calling me a troll over this. My account is registered. Anyone can mail or comment or interact. I'm right here. I'm not hiding. I do an online radio show. Google that shit and we can talk on the air, bitches.

I'm right here. Ready to smack any bastard upside the head, eat all the food out of his refrigerator, and donkey punch his mama, fucking animal torturing motherfuckers!

There is a difference between anonymous screen names and registered ones. I appreciate you pointing that out, Bullet.

I believe 100% in free speech. The trolls have every right to say what they say, but I have the right to call them out on being such bastards. Again, constructive criticism is one thing, anonymous attacks are another. You wanna talk trash, fine, just do it from a registered screen name so the person has an opportunity to respond. Otherwise, if you just post anonymous, you're a fucking coward.

"And if any of you fuckstick bitches say that's why I wrote this, you can just fuck off, you fucking fucker shits!"

U Mad.

Newamba

I confess to having wasted my time being angry over the 'anonymous trolls' as you label them. It bothers me to see authors trashed or given an unwarranted low mark because the troll feels people 'over forty can't be sexy' or that 'all infidelities should be cruelly punished' or 'all lesbians should be dead'. Not every story on Lit will appeal to every reader. Surely,within all the categories there must be something for almost everyone. Even an idiot should be able to find their niche, read the stories and rate accordingly. If you don't like football don't watch. Go bowling instead of sitting like a misearable asshole and complaining.

You made your points very well. Thank you for a great essay full of common sense.

I think the author is just a cunt, a stinking one. I would love for you to meet my mother. My refrigerator is where it has always been. We should always remember that you never know who you are pissing off at the other end. One of them may have the time and resources to find you. I extend the author a standing invitation.

"....I'm right here. Ready to smack any bastard upside the head, eat all the food out of his refrigerator, and donkey punch his mama, fucking animal torturing motherfuckers!..."

sorry THEBULLET but I win....

tl;dr

Nice cursing! But I'm not mad about anything. I'm loving pissing you trolls off. You bastards gave me material for an entire essay. Thank you. As for the score of my latest story, I could give less of a "fucking fuckerstick," or however you put it. I've no doubt that the score was affected by trolls. But I don't care. I don't write to be popular, I write because I feel like it and will continue to do so.

And yeah, I'm sure some Literotica troll who never leaves his filthy apartment will "have the resources" to come and find me. I'm shaking in my boots over here! You're a cunt, you South Carolina, sheep fucking bitch.

And Harry, fuck you. You're a wing nut idiot. You haven't won anything. All you and your Tea Party have done is accelerate the end of the American Empire and brought the economy to its knees. Go back to watching Bill O'Reilly and buying Sarah Palin's books, asshole. You suck.

The trolls of Literotica are a funny lot, they whine about everything yet never prove they can write a story of their own so they try and drag people down to their level.

Thanks, Dice, and to all the others here who've appreciated this. I'm glad it's not only hit a nerve w/the trolls themselves, but also w/other writers here who share my sentiments. DEATH TO TROLLS!! Keep on writing and submitting!!!!!!!

loved this essay ii would agree with all that u have written and u could add that they have a motive of being paid somehow by others like a prostitute is i dont know though. its up to u whether to add something or not

I myself am a fan of hookers. They contribute a lot to society, at least the attractive ones. Glad you liked the piece, but I probably won't add anything else. I think what I needed to say was said, and that that was confirmed by the visceral reactions I got to the essay from trolls and others, as well as the fact that one of these trolls actually went out of his way to attack 6 of my pieces, all in under 5 minutes! That must be a trolling record, even for this site! I'm definitely proud to have achieved such a result and that the reactions and actions taken by these trolls has just reinforced tenfold everything I said in the essay.

Brilliant insight into the problem. You've hit the nail right on the head. Unfortunately the same problem occurs on other sites. So much hatred to hide one's own inadequacies.

And probably wouldn't take his wife back in this kind of situation anyway.

Yes, I think trolling definitely relates to low self-esteem. That's probably the biggest reason of why it occurs. Sad stuff, but a reality on the Internet. Lot of assholes out there.

What kind of thin-skinned little babyman are you?

Hey there! See you're still stalking me all this time later. Damn, you really ARE a loser, just like I said in this essay. Bet you're mad that you can't slam the '1' repeatedly on my "stories" anymore. I disabled voting and anonymous coward comments like yours because I was sick of you manipulating the voting system. One of my "stories" was highly rated until I did this piece, then lo and behold, some stalker like you attacks it and slams the 1 button so many times it goes down a whole percentage point. Not a very nice thing to do to a fellow member of the Literotica community, now is it? Not that I really care about scores anyway, but I didn't feel like giving you shitheads the satisfaction anymore. Guess you'll have to find someone else to stalk and abuse, which shouldn't be too hard for you.

Listen, I have called on you stalker trolls several times to use your real screen names here, post links to your stories, come out from hiding, etc, but you won't. You're a bunch of fucking thin-skinned cowards, too insecure w/your own writing to post links to it. Until you losers reveal yourself and until Literotica fixes its scoring system to avert manipulation by assholes like you, I'm opting out. No more coward anonymous comments, either, except here, as such comments only reinforce the validity of this piece.

Sir, I do believe that you just trolled the trolls

Trolls need to be trolled sometimes. It's good to look in the mirror.

I wish to thank you for your essay. I have honestly not read anything from this category before & when I saw this, I said... "Hey, maybe this person is on to something." I must say, you are indeed!

As a writer and victim of many "Trolls" on this site, your words came as a breath of fresh air to me. I submit my stories to three different sites, but this is the only one that allows the "Anonymous" comments & votes. I will honestly admit I've given a few 3's and 4's over the past 10 years of being a fan of Lit, but often, if I don't like a story, I just don't vote. My momma taught me if I can't say something nice, to say nothing at all. Before I had an account, I did leave anonymous comments, but never were they mean or negative. If I had "negative" feedback, I'd write to the author directly, not leave a public comment. I also don't have a problem with "skipping" certain categories (incest for one) because I know I won't like those stories. I'm sure there are some fine stories in that category, but that genre isn't my style and I just avoid it.

I recently had someone send me an anonymous feedback (email) and I was upset the person chose not to allow me to respond. I did brush it off but the sheer act of cowardice did piss me off. I know not everything I write will appeal to all readers, but I would like to think those who chose to read my work, did so because they like the category. I have one in "Loving Wives" and it has been trashed by the trolls. My most recent in exhibition/voyeurism has also taken a beating. Yet on another site it's scoring well.

I refuse to let the "Trolls" run me off this site. I may at some time pull some of my work if I could get it published, but that would be the ONLY reason I'd pull my work. Thank you again for saying what needed to be said and addressing an issue that has driven many wonderful authors off this site. I do wish Literotica could do more, but I also support the "Trolls" right to say what they will under the 1st amendment. I just wish they would remember the person their blasting is a human being, with feelings. That authors like myself (and you) put a lot of work & energy in their writings. I have appreciated those who have brought errors to my attention without calling me names or implying I'm an uneducated woman. Those who know me, know I'm not uneducated, but I do make occasional mistakes.

Keep up the good work! I just might check out more of your stuff.

Wow! I really enjoyed your essay. That was insightful, truthful and it perfectly describes an author's typical experience at Literotica. Here I am trying to write a story and I keep getting distracted after my last 15 hour endevour just got smashed by the trolls. Funny thing too, it was in the loving wives category. Thank you! Thank you! Now to get back to writing.

I too have been trolled and the comments were vituperative rather than enabling. Some of the points were valid opinions stated as facts. All rounded up with the demand that I stop writing. Made me sore for a while, then I got over it.

But, we don't know who they are and thinking that they are spotty oiks with personal hygiene problems is surely wish fulfillment.

They could be highly talented authors having a bit of a laugh.

Their power is in my humble opinion over-rated.

Y'know, I just started researching this because I was struck by this little phenom. At least I think I was. If this is in fact the same sort of thing, mine is indeed "Anonymous" (big surprise there), and starts out like this:

"Get an editor. Get an original storyline. Write better dialogue..." It went on to attack the non-realism of the story (as if everything on Literotica is absolutely TRUE—RIIIIIIIGHT), and ends with "...the rest is TOTAL bollucks," literally quoting. Seemed to also get a sizable drop in the rating along with it. Though I thought it might have been a troll, I was very upset about it at first because it's the first time this kind of thing has happened to me, but after researching it and finding a few articles like this on the site, I think I'll refrain from taking it personally. People with nothing more constructive to do than attempt to wreck the self-images and confidence of others, apparently. Because I have gotten a good few very GOOD reviews and high votes on my stories, including this one I'm referring to. So probably best we just move on, try not to let it bother us. Carry on, all!

Good job. xnxx.com is suffering more of this now too. They are chickenshit cowards who hide behind anon. handles.

I do write as well on the site and in the short time I have submitted stories been subject to the same types of comments that you've noted. I don't understand why people get off on being mean spirited. We write for free and are not professionals nor do we profess to be such. Do they want a written apology?

I don't think the trolls are other writers. The few that do use their identifier have not published any stories. Trust me I would go through their work with the same critical eye that they subjected mine to.

Keep writing!!

The difference between someone, an author or reader, expressing their dislike of a story, vs a troll is these three key things.

1) A troll doesn't read the story. They just vote based on the topic or the author.

2) A troll votes strategically, specifically in order to damage an author's scores and views.

3) A troll frequently places multiple votes, in contravention of both the rules of the site, and of what is fair. An individual gets their chance to make their opinion known. Once.

Anyone who takes the time to read a story, has a legitimate right to cast their vote as they choose. But you have to question why they finished reading it, if they disliked it that much. Why not click out and read something else?

Because the troll feels entitled, not just to his or her opinion, but to police the success and visibility of authors they personally don't like. To police, in fact, the content in an entire category.

I'm happy to hear genuine criticism. But 'you're shit' and multiple bombings by one childish twat tell me nothing, except that a petty narcissist needs a girlfriend.

When I get an unwarranted trolling comment, I delete it. Simple. This article makes so many unfounded assumptions that I must conclude that the entire thing is a joke. If you quit writing because of a few, or even several trolling comments or 1 votes, then you should probably find another hobby, or post stories to Kristen Archives where there is no voting or comments at all.

How appropriate that the one comment that I saw was anonymous. Perfect and so to the point. Personally, being a successful writer in the real world, I write on literotica for fun; recreation if you will. I myself have been a victim of these drive by trolls, and so I have either simply ignored them or if one particular story or chapter particularly irks them, I simply remove the ability of comment or rate. (Again, I do this for fun. I don’t need to prove myself here.) Thank you for a well thought out analysis of the situation. Although the moderators of the site seem to care less about it, it is unfortunate that these type of attacks only serve to drive fledgling authors away from the site, thus ensuring that the talent finds other avenues for their exploits. Until anonymous comments are made unavailable, I’m afraid that there will only be more of this behavior, as misery loves company. I will, of course, continue to write, knowing what miserable existences these trolls must live to be so bitter and unforgiving. I’m just so happy, overjoyed that I am not them.

Lmfao!! This is a fantastic piece, so well written, the Fox News reference was hilariously accurate

As was the description of the troll and reference to a demonic spirit haunting a house LOL

You’re a great writer! I will be sure to follow you. Thanks for standing up for writing in general, real writing that is, I’ve also received death threats from these assholes you mentioned!

Great piece Newamba, and some really good comments from other authors too. I found trolling disheartening at first but now I think about it like this; every bit of hate they give twists them up a little more inside - their loss, not mine. The next time I get a troll comment I'm going to refer them to your article :-) Take care.