The internet is a good place – for the most part. I can find research on whatever topic I need, some of it credible, some of it requiring a tin foil hat. I can share writing tips and advice on Twitter to other writers, many of whom seem to favorably respond.
Then there’s the bullies. “Trolls” is the common designation, but there’s no difference between them and the hateful people I went to school with. They shout you down, make fun of you for no reason at all, ridicule you, and if they thought they could, lash out and assault you physically.
Internet bullying really shouldn’t be dismissed with the lightness of calling them “trolls”. Internet bullies can and have tracked people to their homes, harassed them and even tried to kill them. In some cases, the attempts were successful. In others, not so – but not for lack of trying.
If you are bullied online, your first response is “Do not respond.” Responses get worse responses from them. Have people tried to bully me on Twitter? Yes. My responses? “….”
Do not assume the threat will go away. If you do not respond after the first attempt and simply block them – 99% of the time they go away. They crave the reaction.
Like other pea-brained persons, they crave the reaction, to know they are hurting you. Writers are easily hurt, so it’s astounding when writers attack other writers. I assume those are the wanna-be’s, the kind that will never finish a book. Certainly, it’s a remarkably stupid thing to do – considering that the writer you taunt today could become a best seller next year, and writers talk to agents, agents read Twitter, and certainly, you just shot your career in the foot, never to resurrect it.
And like other pea brained persons, each response will get more aggressive.
Every case of internet bullying will escalate if you respond. Let me repeat that. Every case of internet bullying will escalate if you respond. If Better Click to Tweet still worked, I’d have that in a tweetable window.
Your best course of action the very first time someone bullies you on Twitter is to block them. If they get around that and continue, report them.
If they escalate it into any post that is designed to place you in fear of your life, go to the police.
If they continue, look up your options on internet threats. In some cases, it becomes Federal depending on the nature of the threat (such as internationally). This does happen. International borders are no safety any more. People from other countries have been known to board planes intending to carry out the threats.
If they come to your door, call the police immediately and stay on the phone. Every case of an internet bully who makes it this far degenerates into life threatening violence. Let me recommend -now before it gets too far – a number of stop gap means to keep people out of your house. For front doors, there are a number of inexpensive PVC solutions to block entry into your front door. Inexpensive does not mean ineffective. These inexpensive security options work surprisingly well at frustrating intruders.
Sliding glass doors are the bane of homeowners. They don’t last very long, break down often, and are hard to clean. For about $20, you can get a “charlie bar” kit that can be installed in half an hour (and that’s only the time to drill through the metal of your door to install them – hint, use a titanium drill bit. Order a pack the same time you order your kit).
The idea is of course to delay them long enough for police to reach you.
Conclusion
Internet bullies are best ignored the first time they raise their heads. Block them and go on your merry happy sunshiney day. If they persist, you must take them seriously. Better to be paranoid than to find yourself in a bad situation. Be safe, ignore trolls, block them – and have a good safe day.
