Could you seek to find a balance between allowing trolls to run amok and allowing people to talk about ... well, a whole range of topics? Like, could this - and, for example, discussion of people anonymously gifting unwanted fanfiction - be handled the way discussion of Patrick Kane is currently handled?
I'm not really sure what you're asking. We do try to find a balance between allowing trolls to run amok and allowing discussion on a wide range of topics. I don't think we need to allow criticism/questions for the mods on the main meme, because their purpose is, supposedly, to get clarification from or to make suggestions to the mods, and we have provided a perfectly serviceable way to do that.
I'm not sure what "discussion of people anonymously gifting unwanted fanfiction" is about, but if you're referring to the fandom troll(s)'s activities, no, I don't think there's a way for us to allow discussion about them.
1) Talking about them tends to draw them to the meme. 2) They have used discussion on the meme to further their own efforts in the past. For example, commenting on someone's fic, and then telling meme about the troll commenting on that person's fic so meme would talk about them and they could drum up more anger/fear. They seem very driven by attention. Allowing discussion is an active encouragement to them.
When we allowed people to talk about the troll, they popped up more often and more obviously. Our policy is to shut down trolls, full stop, wherever possible, and we think disallowing discussion of their activities cuts down on some of their incentive to do what they do in the first place, as well as their incentive to hang around on meme (though they still do). I just can't see us lifting the ban on troll discussion as long as the situation is what it is.
So, to be clear, if I posted to talk about the new Refuse Gift tool at the AO3, that would likely be screened, because it relates to the work of the troll?
Your initial post may or may not be screened, depending on whether or not you discussed the troll. If you didn't talk about the troll, but subsequent commenters did, their comments would be screened and the thread might end up frozen. I think it is likely to end up screened, yes, because I can't imagine that discussion happening without someone breaking the rule about discussing trolls.
I'm sorry if that isn't the answer you want, but from our perspective, the rule banning troll discussion has been very helpful in limiting how much the troll can get away with on deke.
I'm not sure what "discussion of people anonymously gifting unwanted fanfiction" is about, but if you're referring to the fandom troll(s)'s activities, no, I don't think there's a way for us to allow discussion about them.
1) Talking about them tends to draw them to the meme.
2) They have used discussion on the meme to further their own efforts in the past. For example, commenting on someone's fic, and then telling meme about the troll commenting on that person's fic so meme would talk about them and they could drum up more anger/fear. They seem very driven by attention. Allowing discussion is an active encouragement to them.
When we allowed people to talk about the troll, they popped up more often and more obviously. Our policy is to shut down trolls, full stop, wherever possible, and we think disallowing discussion of their activities cuts down on some of their incentive to do what they do in the first place, as well as their incentive to hang around on meme (though they still do). I just can't see us lifting the ban on troll discussion as long as the situation is what it is.
I'm sorry if that isn't the answer you want, but from our perspective, the rule banning troll discussion has been very helpful in limiting how much the troll can get away with on deke.