How to deal with Internet trolls.

Everyone has them. Trolls (on a blog) are those commenters who consistently post comments with the sole purpose of being annoying and inciting a reaction. I have two regular trolls on my blog. Every comment they post is in some way insulting, irritating, rude, obnoxious or otherwise unwelcome. At first, I puzzled as to why they read my blog since they are always attacking me for what I write. After a while, I realized, however, that they get some kind of personal pleasure out of being hostile. They seem to have fulfilment in attempting to provoke an offended reaction.

At first, I read their comments, sometimes posted them (the less offensive ones) and replied. After awhile, however, I simply stopped posting their comments since they added nothing to the blog, but detracted from its overall friendly tone.

Recently, however, I have come up with a new plan of approach to those posters I know to be trolls. I simply DON’T READ THEM. When I see their name on the headline to a comment post in my email, I just don’t open it.

I think this is funny and most appropriate. Now, when these trolls post their bile, I am sure they imagine that somewhere, far away, I am annoyed by what they have written. However, in truth, I have not even read what they have written. They have now selected themselves out of my consciousness, because of their habitual offensiveness.

So, if you are suffering from an attack of the trolls – do what I do – and refuse to read what they write. Furthermore, don’t post it. In time, they will probably give up posting.

Does anyone else have a solution to the problem of Internet trolls?

Posted by Valentine Cawley

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html and here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-first-donation.html

If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here:http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at:http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is athttp://www.genghiscan.com/This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.) 

Tiarnan's pithy view of the world.

Tiarnan, five, often speaks in an impassioned voice. His words are focussed with such intensity, that it would be unsurprising to see them condense in the air, before him. This, of course, given his elvish face and charm, gives him a certain appeal and a definite presence. He is, in short, both watchable and memorable. There is also a gravitas to him and his words, which defies his very modest size.

The other day, for reasons of his own and without a clear indicator of whom he was speaking about, he announced, with great seriousness and the utmost passion:

"They talk and they talk - but they only hear what they want to hear."

Was he speaking about his brothers? Was that the source of his frustration? Was he making an observation about a film he had recently watched? Was he talking about adults, in general? What had he been thinking about before he came to this conclusion?

Unfortunately, I wasn't witness to this utterance and so wasn't there to find out what he was really thinking. It does, however, show certain of his characteristics: his tendency to encapsulate the behaviour of others, in a pithy saying - and his intentness of demeanour which makes his words seem of such great importance. I think he is likely, one day, to be quite an orator and quite an actor - he is already showing the basic skills and disposition of one. Not that alone, but he is one who is most likely to write his own speeches and not rely on others' words.

I shall try to capture more of Tiarnan's pithy utterances. It would be good to have a record of them, for him to find amusement - or amazement - in, when he is much older.

As for Tiarnan's exasperated comment: yes, he is right, of course. Many people talk, without listening to others, or hearing that which they don't want to hear...so his opinion has some worth.

I don't know, Tiarnan, whom you were referring to...but I listen to you and shall continue to do so. After all...it is fun to hear what you have to say!

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.htmland here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-first-donation.html

If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175

To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here:http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at:http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is athttp://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

The oddest car park in the world.

Today, I saw what, to me, was a very odd "car park". In fact, it was in a place you would least expect a car park to be. Please have a guess where you think all these cars I saw, were parked. Reflect on it, given your knowledge of the world. It might help if you have knowledge of Malaysia, though, otherwise, you have little chance of guessing correctly.

Well, have you guessed? Please call your guess to mind and then compare it to what I write.

Today, we took a taxi to Jalan Duta, which is where a particular government office is located. The main road alongside the government buildings suffered a rather peculiar blockage. Lining both sides of the road, were parked cars, as far as the eye could see. Well, you might say, there is nothing odd about that. Yes, true. However, along the CENTRE of the two lane road, was another double column of parked cars stretching off into the distance, all along Jalan Duta, for as far I could see of it. (This meant that, at all points along the road, that I could see, there were FOUR cars parked in the road: one on either side and two in the middle.)I was immediately struck by the oddness of it: there were hundreds of cars parked in a way that must have been illegal, RIGHT OUTSIDE A GOVERNMENT OFFICE. The road was about 75% blocked, what with parked cars lining the middle and sides of the road, leaving a narrow channel in the middle of the two opposing lanes.

I marvelled at it. I really did. I marvelled at the sheer cheek of the average local, to park their cars so inconsiderately, so illegally, so inconveniently for others, RIGHT OUTSIDE A GOVERNMENT OFFICE. Only in Malaysia, in my experience, could you ever see such a thing. Indeed, I have never seen it anywhere else. Here, cars are parked wherever the owner pleases, without any regard for any rules that might exist: they just leave them where they please. Today, that happened to be in the middle of the road, which had been turned into an impromptu car park.

So, now you know. In Malaysia, the highway itself can become a car park. The space normally expected for the use of MOVING cars, can become the place where cars are parked. The puzzle of it is that people around here wonder why they have such terrible traffic jams. Perhaps if they parked their cars more carefully, traffic would flow rather more fluidly.

I have many readers, from countries all over the world. So, please relate your tales of oddly parked cars, in the comments below. Can you beat my experience of today, for inconsiderate parking? Your memories please...

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/
Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/
Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)