What is the best way to keep trolls down to a minimum in a forum or message board?

Question

I am a longtime visitor of a message board which is under siege from a very vicious troll. They are posting pictures of child pornography and mutilated bodies. They are also impersonating people from the board on myspace and encouraging others to spam the place. We don't know what to do. The owner and tech support are looking into legal actions to find and prosecute this person. Even if they do, what's to stop another person from coming along and doing the same thing. We don't have a full time person to moderate the board and anybody with an email can get dozens of screennames every day. Please help!

Thanks for your answer, but I wasn't talking about Yahoo. Someone with experience with this...please help.

Well, there was another answer, but it must have been deleted. Anyway, I'd rather not give out the name of the web site because I don't think that's a good idea right now. Too many strange people popping in to gawk as it is from the Myspace fiasco. However, I can offer further details in that it is a phpBB format and it is not a locked forum.

Answer 1

Your message board's admin should have the ability to see the IP address of the person posting these messages.

Their IP address can be put into SamSpade.org's "IP WhoIs" and it should bring up their internet service provider (ISP). Report the IP address to their ISP along with screenshots of the user's posts.

You may also consider getting this person(s) IP address blocked from the board permanently.


Edited: If you or someone you know has admin powers, go to the Admin CP and scroll down the left side list to Find User and search for the person's username.

There will be IP address next to it when it comes up. Use this IP address to track down the ISP and send evidence to them of this person's posts.

You might also want to have an admin set the board to its "must be approved by admin" setting (or something similar) for the time being so this person cannot recklessly change e-mails and create names.

Answer 2

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