Killfile

For those who don’t know, a killfile is simply a form of filter which is generally used to stop idiots from commenting on blogs, forums, etc.

In the days of Usenet, Tim Skirvin’s Killfile Dungeon was something of an institution. Skirvin listed the names of users he had sent to his Usenet client’s killfile – that is, his client would filter them out for him and he would never have to read them. The list would be provided for transparency.

Modern killfiles work a little differently. One of the more potent examples is PZ Myers’s killfile for the Pharyngula blog. In modern killfiles, no-one sees the comments left by the dungeon’s inhabitants, because they’re stopped before they even enter the moderation queue. Again, in the interests of transparency, the list is made public for people to laugh at.

Crimes

Here follows a list of defined crimes that will get you thrown in the killfile dungeon – largely based on PZ’s list, but somewhat altered. I may choose to put people in the dungeon if I deem it necessary, but their crime is not listed here.

Spamming

Duh. Deciding that readers don’t have a large enough penis and need to spend lots of money (from a Nigerian slush fund) in an online casino to win Rolex replica watches to which they can secure their new loan.

Most spam is caught by the Akismet filter, but there’s the occasional idiot who slips through the net.

Trolling

Being an idiot and trying to stir up trouble.

Slagging

Making pointless derogatory statements about a person. For example, “Piers Morgan is a bastard.” If the statement has a point, and is backed up by evidence, then it’s OK (e.g., “Piers Morgan is a bastard because he’s nasty and likes making children cry.”) Libel, and making continuous, irrelevant slurs counts as slagging.

Txtspkng

Spking in txt spk 4 no rdly aprnt resin. HOOEFA, IF RELVNT OR FUNNEE, LOLSPEAK 4|\|0 133157345 is allowed.

Morphing

Changing IP addresses and/or usernames to avoid the killfile.

Sockpuppetry

Similar to morphing, but when a commenter changes username to create the illusion of consensus on a subject.

Godbotting/Mailbotting/Sunbotting

Basing an argument entirely on the contents of a holy book, the Daily Mail/Express, the Sun/Mirror/Star/Sport/OK Magazine/Hello Magazine/any other not-particularly-reputable source. Wikipedia is OK as long as the article being cited is well-sourced.

Stupidity

Being incredibly pathetically embarassing to the human race. Most in this category are potential candidates for Darwin Awards.

Wanking (self)

People who insipidly cry, “ooh, look at me, look at how many letters I’ve got after my name, look how important I am.” Saying anything that equates to “I have a big cock” smugly generally gets you thrown into this category.

Wanking (cross)

One of the worst crimes in the list – when someone, on a page vaguely concerning a topic, will immediately write about how much they love/hate/want to f**k that person or thing. For example, on an article about The Bourne Ultimatum, a comment like “OMG OMG I so fancy u matt damon u r HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!! plz plz cum to [xx place] i want 2 f**k u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111111111!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Insipidity

Insulting stuck records by impersonating them.

Illegality

This should go without saying. Any comment which is illegal shall not be published (or shall be immediately removed on discovery of its status) and the relevant authorities will be informed.

‘Your mum’ insults

A subset of slagging – where a person insults another person’s family or friends for no readily apparent reason.

The Server Overlord’s ‘Official Shit List’

Those in the Dungeon are listed below, in the interests of transparency. Their alias is listed in black, their entries in the actual blacklist in red. A description of the crime(s) is in blue.

They are listed in chronological order, from most recent to earliest.