Trolls? ("worst office suite ever")

[acknak]

Re: http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=2468
Gee Drew, was your quick reply meant to act as an anti-inflammatory medication?

Great job, if it works

I wonder, could/should we have some standard way to deal with completely contentless complaints like this?

I wouldn't support stifling them, but they really have only negative value as far as I can see. I'm sure we've all seen that even a polite attempt to engage such posters go rapidly downhill. If the best response is complete silence, then why leave the post there at all--hypothetically speaking; I'm not suggesting we delete them.

What about adding a canned message that says something like
"Thanks for your feedback. This thread is locked because it does not contain a question about OOo that we can help with. Please read the "Forum Survival Guide" and if you still have a question about using OOo, please start a new thread."

I would also support a "three strike" policy on pure trolls like this one. If someone is only interested in complaining, then they need to go somewhere else.

This idea may well fall down in the application. Many people post a rant along with a question. My feeling is, as long as a post contains some element of using OOo--rather than just dismissing it--it does not qualify as a troll.

[DrewJensen]

I understand what you are saying. To me it is always going to be a case by case type of thing.

If someone posts a rant - someone tries a soothig rejoinder and nothing comes back, or just vitriol, then I say lock and be done...

On the other hand - I am firmly of the mind that free means free as in free speech - if one wants to make an ass of themselves in public then they have the right I suppose - within the confines of acceptable decency anyway....not to mention that everyone is susceptible to the bad day and foul mood from time to time.

Just my opinion

[Hagar Delest]

+1 with Drew.
Sometimes, the user can't even get back to the right track because others flame him (see the "word count" thread also). I think that if the rant continues without any constructive post, then, just lock it. But sometimes, it can return to the topic like it seems to be the case with this thread.

[acknak]

Ok, well I see that you've gotten on to a real question, so my point is rather moot.

I don't much care for the abusive comments, but hey, worse things have escaped my lips in the heat of doing battle with OOo, but I take them all back. Really, I do

[DrewJensen]

There is also the situtation that I assume is going to become more prevelant over time of forced use of OpenOffice.org.

Currently the active users are those that have made a personal choice to use this package - but as it expands into the government offices and work places it is going to be "That package they make me use". It is a totally different mind set in that case...kind of like what a lot of people feel with MS Office...ah the irony of it all...

[acknak]

Excellent point.

[Hagar Delest]

There is also the situtation that I assume is going to become more prevelant over time of forced use of OpenOffice.org.

Currently the active users are those that have made a personal choice to use this package - but as it expands into the government offices and work places it is going to be "That package they make me use". It is a totally different mind set in that case.

+1 again.
To be sincere, I would have thought that we would have experienced that some time before (as we were still on oooforum). I may have been too optimistic in the spreading of OOo.

So better get used to that kind of thread and see what's the most effective response.

[floris v]

You're a wonderful set.