Trolling --
One other thing .... I had this thought the other day when the events were in train, but I didn't have time to write my usual text-wall because I had to bolt out of the door. Anyway:
I was in #FuelRats and a CMDR came in and fired the ratsignal. Our dispatcher pulled together a rescue and started vectoring several refuellers toward the client, as per SOP. Then, the client declared CASE RED. How exciting! The dispatcher and the fuel rats amped up their game and buckled down to the rescue and ... the client warned that they were low on battery power. In spite of the dispatcher and myself telling them (me, playing "bad cop" by increasing my surliness level) the client kept doing really dumb stuff like logging back in to check their vector from the star, etc. They seemed either confused or stupid. Meanwhile, in #RatChat the dispatcher and some of the other rats were doing the Fuel Rat equivalent of /facepalming about the client. The possibility that the client was trolling us was raised. We couldn't collectively decide if we just had an egregiously goofy client, or someone deliberately being annoying. Then, the client said they were low on battery life. And in spite of being told by our dispatcher to get out of game (GPUs suck up electricity) the client kept logging in to check stuff, etc. It was extremely suspicious. And - sure enough - the client then said their laptop battery had drained and they were logged out and would come back tomorrow. Meanwhile 3 fuel rats were sitting in-system with the client, ready to rescue them.
It was a troll.
But that doesn't matter. Why? Because the Fuel Rats involved handled it amazingly professionally. They just went to go deal with the situation, and were standing by ready to be awesome. The dispatcher was (no doubt!) shaking their head in perplexity, but dispatch kept focused, kept calm, and kept on doing the right thing. In fact, since I was on the sidelines and not dispatch, I was the only Fuel Rat present who said anything critical to the client about their behavior. I was, perhaps, less tactful than I could have been but I didn't get too surly, and dispatch kept the situation cool in spite of my deliberately playing "bad cop."
My point: if it were a drill, that was one of the best-run cleanest drills ever. The troll did a great job of pretending to be a clueless git. You probably have to be a pretty clueless git to do such a great performance. The Fuel Rats did everything exactly right, though.
And that's why I felt I needed to post about this incident. I try hard to remind myself that the Fuel Rats are an emergent phenomenon, but I did feel an amazing surge of almost paternal pride. Watching out evolved system and practices work so well, and watching a bunch of people who take time out their game for no reason other than the glory of the deed - going out of their way to help someone who was trying to waste their time - it was glorious. The dispatcher and the rats in the scenario were a fountain of awesomeness that the poor little troll simply could not irritate. Below the awesome, there was: more awesome. I was, seriously, having problems with some grit that had gotten in my remaining beady eye, and had to blot it with a kleenex. Once.
Frequently on the internet, I see people say "don't feed the trolls." Well, I learned a new thing that day. Which is simply that you can overwhelm a troll with awesome. By just doing your thing so well and thoroughly that they realize that they're wasting their time and they're just another successful exercise in your book.
Well done, my rats, well done!
I salute you
Badger
One other thing .... I had this thought the other day when the events were in train, but I didn't have time to write my usual text-wall because I had to bolt out of the door. Anyway:
I was in #FuelRats and a CMDR came in and fired the ratsignal. Our dispatcher pulled together a rescue and started vectoring several refuellers toward the client, as per SOP. Then, the client declared CASE RED. How exciting! The dispatcher and the fuel rats amped up their game and buckled down to the rescue and ... the client warned that they were low on battery power. In spite of the dispatcher and myself telling them (me, playing "bad cop" by increasing my surliness level) the client kept doing really dumb stuff like logging back in to check their vector from the star, etc. They seemed either confused or stupid. Meanwhile, in #RatChat the dispatcher and some of the other rats were doing the Fuel Rat equivalent of /facepalming about the client. The possibility that the client was trolling us was raised. We couldn't collectively decide if we just had an egregiously goofy client, or someone deliberately being annoying. Then, the client said they were low on battery life. And in spite of being told by our dispatcher to get out of game (GPUs suck up electricity) the client kept logging in to check stuff, etc. It was extremely suspicious. And - sure enough - the client then said their laptop battery had drained and they were logged out and would come back tomorrow. Meanwhile 3 fuel rats were sitting in-system with the client, ready to rescue them.
It was a troll.
But that doesn't matter. Why? Because the Fuel Rats involved handled it amazingly professionally. They just went to go deal with the situation, and were standing by ready to be awesome. The dispatcher was (no doubt!) shaking their head in perplexity, but dispatch kept focused, kept calm, and kept on doing the right thing. In fact, since I was on the sidelines and not dispatch, I was the only Fuel Rat present who said anything critical to the client about their behavior. I was, perhaps, less tactful than I could have been but I didn't get too surly, and dispatch kept the situation cool in spite of my deliberately playing "bad cop."
My point: if it were a drill, that was one of the best-run cleanest drills ever. The troll did a great job of pretending to be a clueless git. You probably have to be a pretty clueless git to do such a great performance. The Fuel Rats did everything exactly right, though.
And that's why I felt I needed to post about this incident. I try hard to remind myself that the Fuel Rats are an emergent phenomenon, but I did feel an amazing surge of almost paternal pride. Watching out evolved system and practices work so well, and watching a bunch of people who take time out their game for no reason other than the glory of the deed - going out of their way to help someone who was trying to waste their time - it was glorious. The dispatcher and the rats in the scenario were a fountain of awesomeness that the poor little troll simply could not irritate. Below the awesome, there was: more awesome. I was, seriously, having problems with some grit that had gotten in my remaining beady eye, and had to blot it with a kleenex. Once.
Frequently on the internet, I see people say "don't feed the trolls." Well, I learned a new thing that day. Which is simply that you can overwhelm a troll with awesome. By just doing your thing so well and thoroughly that they realize that they're wasting their time and they're just another successful exercise in your book.
Well done, my rats, well done!
I salute you
Badger
