Here the thread is linear .. a troll can fill up page after page.

In usenet you don't have to dig through the troll's pages at all .. if you use google groups, for instance, you can see the branch that the troll rules and ignore it, istead reading another branch.

This is just for thought .. I don't expect the format to change now. But maybe some day you will change the format, so keep this feature in mind.

Perhaps another feature could be to have a kill-file built into this forum like in Usenet, you set your killfile and when you log in the trolls go away!

I think the best defense is cultural - counter the troll if you have hard facts and the time to find good references, if all you can say is 'no it isn't' then the troll has won, because then you give it another opportunity to say 'yes it is' and fill up the thread with two messages, and all the troll has to do is write one message!

If all a troll posts is an opinion, fine that's an opinion, not a fact, just ignore it. If they post incorrect facts correct them with a reference to correct facts on the net.

Nos