I've noticed this phenomenon even here at rfm. Posts on "off topic" threads will often quickly pull rare posters out of the woodwork for drive-by sniping and efforts to skew the conversation, often using ad hominems and other personal attack teks. I've seen this happen on other boards as well. Am I the only one here paranoid enough to sense this phenomenon? :)

http://www.fromthetrenchesworldreport.com/surging-disinformation-analysts-commenting-on-your-favorite-websites-to-emotionalize-and-antagonize/45848

Linked article outlines many common tactics and logical fallacies employed by such trollsters. Many of them are used by our TBM type trolls, and in the wider TBM community.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2013 09:22PM by hello.

Very possible, but to what extent is it useful to be a "paid troll" on RFM?
Is there a need to discredit the posters?
Hmmm..possibly.

Some special interests see a need to discredit all posters on any website that expresses ideas that are opposed to the propaganda that the special interests generate. The special interests could be anyone with the bucks to hire trolls, and who have an agenda to promote.

The idea may not be to discredit any particular RFM poster, but just to discredit any ideas on any message board/website/blog about the special interests' pet topics.

I've seen ads seeking workers to do just this kind of work.

I would love to get paid for posting.

axeldc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would love to get paid for posting.

I get paid to post.

No, seriously! Part of my job involves being paid to use Twitter and surf the web!

Yes. I am boasting.Just a bit. ;o))

That's cool, good on ya! :)

If Steve Benson was paid per word to post here I think he could retire and never have the financial incentive to post again. But, that wouldn't be so great since I really enjoy his articles and don't want him to ever stop posting.

P.S. I don't brown-nose!

I didn't read the article, but why would the Morg need to pay someone to troll here (or elsewhere)? They have thousands of missionaries that would do it for free. I've seen signs the Morg has placed in Morg owned downtown SLC buildings advertising "be a missionary from home."

What better way to be a senior missionary from home, than to spend all day on the computer combatting the adversary? The Morg is WAAAAAAY too cheap to pay people to troll, but they would gladly encourage them to (*wink*) "post positive stories about the LDS on the Internet." If some member misinterprets that and trolls sites as here, well, they obviously misinterpreted what the Cult wanted them to do (*wink*).

TRUE They wouldnt pay! But I could see a Calling! Let face it theyll call families to do mission work,be janitors...Why not trolls? I know on the anti-polyg show,Guys will call up pretending to be interested,then eat up time w/off topic comment or questions. called to troll wouldnt surprize me.

NEVER underestimate your enemy.

The article is about corporate trolls in general, not just LDS.

And while I do see the teks listed in the article being used by Mopologists, some of whom do wander in here, my theory involves corporate trolls mentioned in the link, scanning the web looking for topics they are paid to post on. Could be political, or business-related, or science-related topics, things that are off or kinda off topic here, but sometimes get some threads. Those are the types of posts where I sometimes see strongly opinionated posts from people who almost never post otherwise. Maybe they are just hobbyists, but they may be paid trolls.

. . . through their tithing.

Go figure.

My employer also pays people to check out Twitter, Facebook, etc.

But that site that the original poster linked to is a wingnut conspiracy theory site.

It's to squelch anti-government speech. I have a hunch who that person is on this board. I've been watching his posts for several months for certain patterns. Call me paranoid, but my Ex was a spy during the cold war, and worked for the NSA for many years. I picked up some valuable info on how the operatives work.

Yes Carol, my dad was an FBI SAC, and I was aware of CoIntelPro (worth a goog if you don't know the term) long before most Americans had heard of it.

Riiiiiiiight...

What I suspect a troll may try to do is to confuse a TBM who accidently found RfM while internet searching. The troll can try to obfuscate or take a thread off topic, especially in areas where shocking real truths are discussed and revealed such as Joseph Smith marrying and having sex with other mens' wives. TSCC may be trying to go to the enemies' lairs to try to counteract the tide of resigning members who stumble on the truths in RfM.

As far as paying for these trolls, it could be possible. TSCC pays for Fair apologists because it is important to have the right people in place to best spin the difficult issues. TSCC could see a need to pay for the right set of skills to spin in RfM.

Possibly, but I was thinking more along the lines of Exxon, Gates Foundation, Monsanto, fluoride industry, PR firms, other big corps. etc. as the employers of web soldiers. I didn't mean to imply that TSCC was paying anyone to cruise rfm and throw dust to confuse wandering members.

These missions do exist. When I was still TBM, I knew of several older couples who had missions like this. They called it a "computer mission." In those days they had to go to a main building, either in Salt Lake or Provo, but these days, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't do it at home.

The less savvy missionaries were taught how to repeatedly "hit" certain LDS websites, to keep them at the top of the popular search lists. The church used to have machines that did that, but the computers can now detect artificial hits.

Two of my friends were former YW presidents, and married to former mission presidents. They set up pages of Facebook and the other blog sites, and friended everyone they knew. They were told to hunt down anyone they knew in YW, and their siblings, and their friends and families, to find out what their current church standing is. They both found 3 of my children, and tried to "friend" them on Facebook. We had been keeping our children's addresses secret for many years, but these ladies got them. They sent out both the male and female missionaries, and their neighborhood ward representatives. My children told everyone, "We're Lutheran."

The missionary trolls are here. That's why we're anonymous.

Are you serious? That is f*cking creepy.
However, when it comes to cultco, I have ceased to be surprised. There are many members[too many] who will do whatever,and I mean *whatever* they are directed to do.

Wow.

"cultco" -- lol I love it

There have been conference talks about internet missionary work. I would not be surprised if some members interpreted that as a call to troll for Jesus.

Trolling for Jesus. LOL :)

If they assigned mormons to troll here, they would end up losing them off the church rolls.

No matter how strong these posters may have faith in the LDS corporation, this place would change that.

The old executives running LDS Inc are not capable of winning a war with Google. Google is going to kill LDS Inc, and for what it is worth, Google has a whole lot more money than LDS inc will ever have.

All you have to do to get rid of mormons is use the F word a lot. They can't handle it.

Happens all the time on Religion Dispatches; we've "outed" a few of them over there.