How to deal with vile, nasty comments online

The author—a victim of Internet trolls—offers advice for bloggers and reps of brands that become the target of destructive commenters.

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When The Wall Street Journal posted an excerpt of his book on its website, the trolls came out to play. They bet money that he’d be off the wagon in a year, chastising him for not joining AA with comments such as this: “CONGRATULATIONS!!! Let us hear how YOUR steps are working for you in 20 years.”

Others conveyed hope that Carr would start drinking again because he didn’t join the program.

Carr’s good friend Sarah Lacy came to his defense on PandoDaily, sharing her outrage at the way people are betting on her friend’s life and sharing the nasty things that had been said (primarily in blog post comments) about her throughout her career as a journalist.

My name is Laura Paine, and I, too, am a victim of trolling. It’s a concern that many of our clients voice when they consider launching a blog.

Professionally, I’ve dealt with some mild trolling while I was a local news reporter, usually from angry citizens convinced I was taking the wrong side in a town debate.

But the worst of the trolling is in my personal life. As someone who maintains a blog about her experience as a band wife—with a husband on the road—I’ve seen it all.

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