Mojo Chicken Torta Recipe (from Food Network)

MOJO CHICKEN TORTA

Ingredients

Mojo Marinade:
1 tablespoon canola oil
Juice from 2 limes
Zest from 1 orange
Juice from 2 oranges
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded 1/2-inch thick

Carrot Slaw:
4 large carrots, grated (about 3 cups)
3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grilling:
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 bunches scallions
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sandwich Build:
1/3 cup Poblano Crema, recipe follows
4 telera rolls (round Mexican sandwich rolls), buttered and griddled
1/3 cup Charred Salsa, recipe follows

Poblano Crema:
6 poblanos, charred on a grill or roasted in an oven until blackened
1 1/2 cups Mexican crema
1 1/2 teaspoons agave nectar
Juice from 1 lime
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Charred Salsa:
12 ounces large tomatillos (about 3), husks removed and cleaned
3 cloves garlic, skin intact
2 plum tomatoes
1 small yellow onion, skin and root intact, quartered
1 dried ancho chile
1 poblano chile
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon agave nectar
Juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions


Sandwich Build:
For the marinade: Mix the oil, lime juice, orange zest and juice, garlic, onions, chili powder, cumin and salt in a bowl until combined. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer the marinade into a large freezer bag. Add the chicken and marinate in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours.

For the carrot slaw: In a mixing bowl, combine the carrots, vinegar and agave. Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For grilling: Heat a grill pan to medium-high heat and lightly coat with 1 tablespoon of the canola oil. Pull the chicken out of the marinade and grill each side until dark grill marks form, 6 to 8 minutes a side. Then let rest for at least 5 minutes.

Toss the scallions with the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until charred on all sides. Chop and set aside.

For the sandwich build: Spread 1 tablespoon of the Poblano Crema on the bottom of a roll. Then add some sliced chicken, Charred Salsa, carrot slaw and charred green onions. Cut on the diagonal and serve with additional salsa on the side.

Poblano Crema:
Peel, stem and seed the poblanos. Place in food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the Mexican crema, agave and lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until just combined. Scoop into a bowl and spread on everything.

Charred Salsa:
Heat a large grill pan to medium-high heat. Add the tomatillos, garlic, tomatoes, onion, ancho and poblano chiles. Char on all sides until blackened in parts, removing the charred vegetables and chiles to a cutting board once blackened. Depending on their size, each vegetable will char at a different rate.

Place the charred ancho chile into a small bowl and pour enough hot water to cover it. Allow to sit until the chili is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. When softened, remove the stem and seeds.

Remove the stem and seeds from the charred poblano as well as the stem and skins from the charred garlic cloves and onion quarters.

Put the soaked ancho and poblano chiles, tomatillos, garlic, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, agave and lime juice into the bowl of a food processor and blend until mostly smooth. Season with salt and pepper to your heart's content.

Recipe courtesy of Jeff Mauro

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-mauro/mojo-chicken-torta-recipe.html?oc=linkback

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-mauro/mojo-chicken-torta-recipe.html

No Bake Strawberry Milkshake Dessert

No-Bake Strawberry Milkshake Tart with Oreo Crust

PREP TIME:

 20 Minutes 

SERVINGS:

6 - 8

Ingredients

• BASE
  • 24 crushed Oreo cookies
  • 1 stick butter, melted
• FILLING
  • 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup strawberry milk powder (Nesquik or similar)
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk
  • 1 cup whipping cream 
  • Pink food coloring (optional)
• • Additional whipped cream and sprinkles to decorate

Preparation

My Cupcake Addiction

1. Combine Oreo crumbs and melted butter, stirring well to combine.
2. Press into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable base, or a 9-inch springform pan.
3. Stir together the strawberry milk powder and milk.
4. Combine the strawberry milk mixture, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until smooth.
5. Add 3-4 drops of pink food coloring (optional) for a deeper shade of pink.
6. Semi whip cream until it's just beginning to hold shape, being careful not to overwhip.
7. Gently fold the cream into the strawberry mixture until well combined.
8. Refrigerate 4-6 hours or until firm to touch and remove from pan
9. Whip additional cream to firm peaks and pipe small whipped cream stars around the outside edge of the tart.
10. Top with sprinkles and serve with small bottles of strawberry milk.

http://www.today.com/food/make-no-bake-desserts-cheesecake-strawberry-tarts-t30251

Sweet Potato Hash brunch recipe

Sausage, Sage, and Sweet Potato Hash and Eggs

COOK TIME:

 25 Minutes 

PREP TIME:

 15 Minutes 

SERVINGS:

4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4-6 shallots, cut in half from end to end and sliced thin
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, uniform ( ¼ - ½-inch) dice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• 5 maple chicken breakfast sausage links, (fully cooked), chopped (you could also substitute pork sausage, Italian sausage, chorizo, or even chopped bacon)
• 1 cup kale, chopped, ribs removed
• 2 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped, reserve a little for garnish
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped, reserve a little for garnish
• 4 eggs 
• ½ cup gruyere cheese, shredded (crumbled goat cheese, grated parmesan, cheddar or manchego also work)

http://www.today.com/food/try-sausage-sweet-potato-hash-baked-eggs-brunch-t28936

Buffalo Grilled Shrimp with Goat Cheese Dipping Sauce recipe

Buffalo Grilled Shrimp with Goat Cheese Dipping Sauce

COOK TIME:

 15 Minutes 

PREP TIME:

 5 Minutes 

SERVINGS:

6-8 servings

Ingredients

• FOR THE SHRIMP:
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 6 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Frank's, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, from 1 large lemon
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• FOR THE SAUCE
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 ounces fresh goat cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Preparation

Lauren Volo

In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with 4 tablespoons of the hot sauce, garlic, lemon zest and oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and shallots and sauté the shallot for about two minutes. Add the spices and continue to cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for one more minute. Add the heavy cream and salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer that mixture for about 5 minutes. It should thicken slightly. Now whisk in the goat cheese a little at a time until fully incorporated and smooth. Remove from the heat and allow the sauce to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs.

Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Season the shrimp with the salt and grill for about 2 to 3 minutes per side or until opaque all the way through. Remove to a clean bowl and toss with the remaining hot sauce. Serve with the goat cheese dipping sauce.

From the Today show: http://www.today.com/food/giadas-ultimate-party-food-buffalo-shrimp-chicken-wraps-t28801

Boosting Student Engagement

Create Relevance

There is a connection between student engagement and instructor presence--theire working off each other (dynamic).

First way to increase instructor presence: Video Note. (Has to be turned on). It's a quick way to record a video (3 minute maximum).  No editing plays directly in D2L. Can upload third party video.

Welcome message
provide additional explanation
Demonstrate skill or procedure
ePortfolio
Feedback for learners
Make more human

"Insert Stuff" (FREE but needs to be turned on!) Record then publish right there.


Custom widgets Through homepage.

 4 areas: theme, navigation, homepage, widgets.

Default or if you want custom widgets you have to create your own

Customize a widget for a Twitter handle

**Check out Symbaloo and Time Toast and Pitchfork and Padlet

Make sure sites are accessible

Ask admin to add site to "trusted site list" if there's page protection if not working well because of security.

Could also create a spot of fun sites (Stress reliver sites--piano playing Virtual Piano)


Replacement strings - a code for a personalized message can be added to news item, quiz questions, BUT NOT CONTENT


Wiggio
Working in Groups
Cool Group Collaboration Tool (works within D2L Brightspace so single login) or through www.wiggio.com
File share, links, embed videos, set up meetings (audio, video, chat), create to-do lists, polls messages, events, can select who sees what,

Binder
Free
interactive for both instructor and students so you have access to app with material whether you have wifi or not
Once files presentations etc are added they can be taken and manipulated anywhere without wifi
E



Edit,
Not for phone right now, but send to binder
send individual file or module

Intelligent Agents

What is an intelligent Agent? An automatic notification

Can include links

Can go to instructor or to student

Examples of Use:
1. when students have not logged into the course for a specific number of days
2. drop in grade (set a specific level)
3. Viewed a specific content topic
4. Gamification techniques (leveling up) "Congratulations you've achieved the next level..."
5. Rewards for when students complete assignments for the week (funny pictures, fun youtube video) ***complete optional assignments (you get an extra bonus like an extra study sheet)
6. emailing first time a student accesses the course

Benefits:
Performs tedious tasks automatically
Saves time
Helps instructors track overall student activity (maybe something isn't set correctly)
Provides just in time feedback for students/instructors
The larger the class the more vital they become to managing the course and students

Release Conditions
Create and attach the condition type

Replacement Strings
1. Uses system information to personalize "Welcome Amanda" by using code with curly brackets anywhere there is an html editor.
2. Use naturally and not too frequently (don't want it to sound canned)
3. Can only use system information (so if a student prefers nickname--you can't change it)

{InitiatingUser}student's name (but full name otherwise {InitiatingUserFirstName}
{OrgName}
{OrgUnitName}Course Name

Welcome messages
Not log in for 10 days (that's sequential days not business days)

Disclaimer: "Please do not reply to this message by hitting the reply button as your message will unfortunately not go through.  Instead you may contact me at xxxxxx

Go to "edit course" and then communications there will be "intelligent agents"

Use the schedule otherwise the agent doesn't stop (even when class has ended).

Can be done by class or as a system (eg for a student who hasn't logged into any course the first 7 days)

Can have email sent to others outside of class (like an advisor).

Cheat Sheet to codes: "What special email addresses can I use" under the BCC

Will copy over as brackets and will populate with new information from within bracket.

Use wisely and sparingly. Be clear.  Review. Useful, impactful.

Designing Spaces: Creating informal learning communities

Faculty Mentor Program

UCO (Central Oklahoma) uses their own peer evaluation that is more than QM because it includes innovation
Point of Contact widget
Collaborative workshop widget
Guided Support (one on one?)

* Look up Broncho Blogs?

eLearning Facilitation Review Dashboard
Before the Review Widget (with Launch Checklist)
The Review (with Checklist)
After the Review (with Checklist)
USED QUALTRICS ??? Look that up (customizable, must be a fee for it)

LOOK UP OER for ONLINE EVALUATION  (NOT QM or QUALTRICS BUT FREE) Quality and facilitation not just design.

Spanish Online facilitators community (all three with "more information" link)
COURSE TEMPLATE WIDGET
GENERAL RESOUCE WIDGET
CONNECT & COLLABORATE WIDGET


UCOQuality Course Resource Center: 3 Widgets:
Course Design Principals
How to's and More
HTML Templates

Setting Students up for success

Teaching with as volleyball metaphor--instructors are the "setters".

Objectives
tasks
tools
experts
file types
DIY
proficiency
gap
create precise assignment instruction
evaluation

10 Steps
1. Clarify Assignment Learning objectives
2. Define tasks that make up the assignment (viewing, creating and submitting) Turn each assignment requirement into a task. (read, collect, Formatting, exporting, -- Break all of it down
3. What tools Must/Can students use to complete each task in the assignment? Tool versus specific tool "word processor" versus Microsoft Word (only require a specific if it is part of the actual learning objective) Table/Chart with task, category, and  tool --visual helps lead students
4. Become/Find an "expert" for each required tool  (You or Youtube, Atomic Learning, Lynda.com?) Add "expert" or "resource" to table/chart.
5. Whenever digital files are "shared" determine your accepted file types. (process files which is manipulative, or "Product" files (.pdf or .docx is ok, .mov, .mp3, .pps etc.)  Word and pages not always the best.  If F2F class be careful to still identify the file types if "bringing to class" because your school computer may not have the program the student created it on so it may not open.  So designate to ensure it corresponds with what is available.
6. Do it yourself. (Can also give estimated time for completion.)
7. Determine your current students' proficiency with each task/tool.
8. Mind the proficiency gaps. Gap filler (guest speaker, gap filler assignment, proactive tutorial like "tools you'll use", have a human "expert" as the second touch)
9. Create precise and complete assignment instructions. (Precious of language, Jonah. Book "Giver")
10. Monitor and evaluate the assignment instructions for future semesters.

Fusion Melanie on Student Engagement

https://online.southflorida.edu/d2l/home/52190

Ease of navigation - two clicks

Research videos- 6 minutes

Chunk your Info no more than 3 scrolls

Use video-don't overly stress about professional quality

Don't make things due over the weekends-Mondays and Wednesdays seem more ideal (Kari's additiona: I've been preaching this for years. And worse yet, don't do midnight deadlines when no help is available.  I do 1:00 pm)

Student Discussions (students choose questions-include something from discussion on the next quiz)

Voice thread option for discussions

Rubrics

Make sure gradebook matches syllabus

Can use chat tool as "virtual office hour" (archive) (can give extra credit for participating)

Surveys

Notifications--good

Replacement Strings

FUSION-Template Break Out Session

A beautiful, accessible, instructionally-sound online course template

go.osu.edu/fusion15

Ohio State- John Muir, Valerie Rake

Create a template and make available for copy course
HTML templates
syllabus
Weekly Overview
Assignment Instructions
blank content page
content with placeholders

"That just opens you up to a whole new set of demons sister!"

Settings:
Content: Authoring
Allow HTML template setting (editing) enable HTML templates

CSS - someone who knows coding can help but most tools will be there in skeleton

visual touches to make it appealing custom widegests (intro video, basic orientation)

HTTP and HTTPS do not work well so take out and do www.osu...

Whole course package available as a zip file on their website Http://odee.osu.edu/distance-education-faculty-resources

Non-academic course that--that they can copy components

Choosing a template, using the TinyMCE editor (and best practices for copying in content)
replacing photos, customizing the homepage

At Ohio they have a team that does a consultation (meet for an hour and then check back in later)

Master forum course with IDs as instructors
web-based job aid (like how to change picture to the correct number of pixels)
buildt-in standard HTML styles (blockquote, etc) to use
workflow for HTML-first workflow

Simplified version of the course shell

COURSE IDEA: Professional development have a motivator for courses (3 image classes)

documntation.desire2learn.com/en/accessible-html-templates

Tool kit
templaes

Brackets free from Adobe

Google web fonts (for CSS sheets)

"Stock photos that don't suck"
thestocks.im
Wikimedia Commons

Making it eaiser
Simpler, fewer features on the surface

Push faculty to TinyMCE styles, baics of web accessibility

7-up biscuits

7-Up Biscuits

Recipe from Facebook Prego & Mommy Chat

Ingredients:
4 Cups Bisquick
1 Cup sour cream
1 Cup 7-up
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions
Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7-up.  Dough will be very soft - don't worry.  Knead and fold dough until well mixed. Pat dough out and cut biscuits using round biscuit/cookie cutter.  Melt butter in bottom of cookie sheet pan or 9x13 casserole dish.  Place biscuits on top of melted butter and bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes or until brown.

Guest Blogger Deana Bobzien on the Benefits of International Travel

Math Instructor, Deana Bobziene shares her perspective on the benefits of international travel after participating with her son Cole in Central Lakes College's spring break study travel to Costa Rica.  

Do you want to travel internationally but wonder if the experience will be worth the obligatory TSA strip search? Trust me. Any global excursion will be more than worthwhile. Doing and trying new things on a trip will expand your understanding of life at home. From beautiful scenery to amazing wildlife to warm and inviting natives, a trip outside your comfort zone (and country) will change your outlook on life.

The Central Lakes College Costa Rica Trip 2015 had a jam-packed itinerary intended to educate and entertain from the moment the plane touched down. We stayed in five different hotels that ranged from isolated (only accessible by boat) to the center of a city. The group also participated in extraordinary activities including strolls through beautiful churches, museums and quaint shops; aerobic hikes to see breathtaking views of volcanos and waterfalls; and relaxing river cruises that allowed us to see exotic animals and insects. We also kayaked a man-made lake, snorkeled in the Pacific Ocean and zip lined over a rushing river. Our trip literally went from coast to coast starting at Costa Rica’s capitol then visiting the Caribbean Sea then ending with sunsets over the Pacific.

Living in Central Minnesota can be monotonous in many ways and not just during the winter months. For example, the culture is great but more singular than other parts of the United States and the world. International travel compels a wonderful change of perspective. Routine busting trips force changes that help with personal growth. From palate expanding flavors to interactions with non-English speaking, inviting locals to spectacular scenery, globetrotting will transform your view of culture, biodiversity and life on a global scale. New experiences mean people must break out of their shells and adapt. Even if the main reason to travel is to escape waist-high snow and subzero temperatures to enjoy saltwater swimming, your mind is opened.

One of the ways I have chosen to broaden my eleven year-old son Cole's experiences is travel. On a person level, Costa Rica taught him diversity is a gift not a shortcoming. We often wondered if the Ticos—Costa Rican locals—were nicer to him because he is part Hispanic or because he was a boy. His food portions were always double if not triple mine. He also felt the locals talked to us more—although our constant blathering is a possibility too. Either way he realized how to be more accepting of not only others, but more importantly himself. He was so happy to be among a mixture of populations. I was the minority and he loved teasing me about it.  He learned new skills, had a once in a lifetime experience and got to rub sunscreen on the cute girls from our trip.

Having been around a more ethnically and economically varied culture helped my son see all people are valuable and have contributions to make to society—not just rich Americans. He gained self-acceptance and insight into his future. And wouldn’t anyone? Pura Vida!

Cake Mix Coffee Cake

Cake Mix Coffee Cake
Serves 10 to 12
When I was a teen in Springfield, Virginia, the hot hotness in the Washington Post food section was a column called "The Cake Mix Doctor," an awesome guide to churching up cake mixes with select ingredients to create new-flavored cakes or cookies. Ground ginger! Ground cinnamon! Pecans! White chocolate chips! It was all the rage, at least in my mom's house. When I worked as head baker on Star Island, off the coast of New Hampshire, Sarah Wicker, the head chef, taught me the power of combining sour cream and cake mix for instant, delicious coffee cake. There are two decisions you'll need to make before whipping up this coffee cake. First, choose the fruit you want to use. Then decide if you want that fruit canned, frozen, or in the form of pie filling.
If you go with pie filling, you will spread it through the middle of the cake for a stunning layered effect. The other two options have you mixing the fruit into the batter, for a more uniform fruit-to-cake ratio. Any of the three variations will give you a scrumptious way to start, or end, the day. Serve it with a good cup of coffee, and get yourself in gear.
The cake

• 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
• 1 (16-ounce) tub sour cream
• 1 large egg
• Unsalted butter for the baking dish

The filling

• 1 (14-ounce) can fruit, drained (I love peaches) or 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen fruit, defrosted or 1 (21-ounce) can fruit filling (such as cherry or blueberry)

The topping

• 1⁄2 cup yellow cake mix reserved from above
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
2. Prep the cake: Measure out 1⁄2 cup of the cake mix and set aside for the topping. Combine the remaining cake mix, the sour cream, and egg in a medium bowl and beat until just smooth, with no lumps remaining.
3. If you are using canned or frozen fruit, mix it into the batter and pour the mixture into the prepared pan. If you are using fruit filling, pour half the batter into the prepared pan, cover with the fruit filling, and top with the remaining batter.
4. Prep the topping: Toss the reserved 1⁄2 cup cake mix with the cinnamon and butter in a small bowl until the mixture is crumbly and streusel-like. Sprinkle it evenly over the cake batter.
5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a thin knife plunged into the center comes out clean or with a few traces of fruit filling. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 2-inch squares and serving.
6. Cover leftovers with plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 week. If you have time, throw slices in the toaster oven to make something exciting and new for breakfast.

http://www.today.com/food/make-christina-tosis-easy-chicken-puffs-coffee-cake-2D80587010

April 6, 2015

Chicken Puff Recipe from Today Show

Chicken Puffs
While I like digging through cookbook collections, I live for rifling through people's recipe card indexes. That is how I discovered this gem in my Aunt Sylvia's stash. Somehow this light and airy lunchtime favorite had fallen off my family's greatest hits list, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. I include it here to restore it to its lost glory.

• Pam or other nonstick baking spray
• 3⁄4 cup (about 1⁄2 pound) chopped cooked chicken
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup diced onion, scallions, or shallots
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) tube refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet with the baking spray.
2. Mix the chicken, cream cheese, onion, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
3. Unroll the crescent rolls and lay out on the counter. Divide the chicken mixture evenly among the 8 pieces of dough, spooning it into little clumps in the center of each unfurled roll. Wrap the dough up around the chicken, pinching the sides to seal the seams. Roll the puffs in the bread crumbs and put on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake the puffs for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot out of the oven.

http://www.today.com/food/make-christina-tosis-easy-chicken-puffs-coffee-cake-2D80587010

April 6, 2015

Kari's Golden Rules for Social Media

KARI’S GOLDEN RULES
OF ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING COMMUNICATION

1. Use Social Media Respectfully
   
2. Remember you have communication choices so opt to take the higher
   ground
   
3. Treat others how you’d want to be treated.
   
4. Ask yourself if you are adding VALUE to the content or the discussion.
   Responses should be clarifying, supportive, and respectful.
   
5. Don’t flame, troll or lurk. In other words, if you don’t have something
   nice to say, don’t say anything at all; don’t go fishing for trouble; don’t hover or sneak around. If you need to state your opinion do so using an “I-message”
   
6. Role-model competent communication skills regardless of the social medium
   
7. Remember the context—if in a text-based medium you will be without many of the nonverbal communication components that aid in message meaning. Try to be clear in what you say and do so in a manner that might not be mistaken or misinterpreted.
   
8. Your words and actions online are a permanent record (what’s funny today might not be funny tomorrow. Is that how you’ll want to be viewed 10 years down the road?)
   
9. What you put out there is a bigger reflection of you. You are what you post...so be smart, be proactive, be responsible, be honest and act with the utmost integrity . 
   

Hardcopy Dealing with Trolls (For Academic Purposes Only)

Communities Online: Trolling and Harassment

http://communitiesonline.homestead.com/dealingwithtrolls.html

What is a troll?

The traditional definition of a troll refers to a member of a community or usenet group who makes posts deliberately designed to attract responses of outrage or indignation.  It is the troll's intent to "hook" unsuspecting members into responding, (hence the term "trolling"), thus providing him/her self with the satisfaction of knowing they have impact on others.

A distinction must be made between true trolls, newbies who are undergoing growing pains as they attempt to adjust to community standards, and regular community members who simply have strong but otherwise harmless, dissenting opinions.  Trolls should be removed, newcomers assisted, and contributing community members given at least a modicum of respectful distance.

Types of Trolls

Before we begin, it's worth noting that the term "troll" is one of the most frequently cited insults in the online environment. It is often used to brand, silence or scapegoat a member with a dissenting or unpopular opinion. The purpose of this article is to assist those in online communities in determining what a true troll is and what actions can be taken to prevent their creation, welcome, and ability to inflict any harm.

In our experience with online communities, there are four types of trolls...

1) Mischievous: Such trolls have a humorous intent. Often, they are a "regular" who has temporarily adopted a new identity in order to play a good-natured prank. They are not abusive to members and rarely create trouble within a community. Generally there is no harm in responding to them. Some members may find mischievous trolls to be annoying, particularly if their presence leads to lengthy threads that distract the community from its true intent; other members inevitably find that the troll's humor and light-hearted antics provide the community with an opportunity to laugh together, thereby enhancing and strengthening community bonds.

2) Mindless: Mindless trolls have a tendency to post lengthy stories of questionable belief thus promoting good facial tone in members due to excessive eye-rolling. They are generally harmless. On rare occasion, the ficticious posts of a mindless troll may lead to insightful debate and discussion. Aside from encouraging them, there is generally no harm in responding.

3) Malicious: A malicious troll arrives with the intent of being blatantly abusive to the group and/or specific individuals within the group. One of their characteristics is that within a very short time of gaining access they begin targeting and harassing members using both low-end and high-end tactics. In some cases, the troll has a prior history with the group or someone within the group. In other scenarios, the troll is simply looking for a fresh meat market.

4.) Destructive: Around 1999 a new form of troll began to appear on the net in mail groups and online communities. The primary purpose of this type of troll is to completely destroy the group it has infiltrated. Destructive trolls may work on their own, or possibly in teams or gangs.

Trolls have two ways of gaining access to a community: from the outside or from the inside. Outside trolls are newbies or visitors who are new to the community, or only sporadic visitors and guests. They are less likely to target specific members and will be content with "hooking" anyone. Inside trolls are comprised of mischevious, bored, disgruntled, angry, scapegoated or wounded regulars who may have turned to trolling as a result of actions that occurred within the community. They frequently have a bone to pick with a specific member or a select group of members.

Unmoderated or poorly moderated environments are not only more susceptible to malicious or damaging trolls, they are also more likely to create the conditions that invite them. This is because the members themselves have very little in the way of actual power. With few other options at their disposal they will often resort to intimidation tactics and personal attack with the hope of verbally overpowering the offender. If the offender is a true troll, this will only reinforce the troll's sense of purpose, inflames his/her ire, and let him or her know who the willing targets are. Informal community leaders, those who are empathic to others or those sensitive to the slights of injustice are more likely to step forward in cases of troll attack and thus, become their target.

Roles of Community Members:

It is the bonds of familiarity that establish relationships. It is the complex network of relationships that build community. Wherever a group of people are gathered on the net with a shared history of established interaction, therein, you'll find community. Regardless of the platform or purpose, you'll find most of the same basic social roles being played out by members of online communities all around the net...

Newbies are newcomers who may require assistance in learning the ropes. They regularly rejuventate community life by offering fresh perspectives and renewing the interest of the regulars.

Visitors/Guests are newbie or long-term members who do not have a persistent identity in the community. Both newbies and visitors are outside the range of the community's inner heart life. They have few or no established relationships with others. They may be "trying on" the community to see if it fits them, time constraints may limit the extent of their online involvement, or they may not share the common values and purpose of your specific community to the same degree as the following...

Regulars are members who comfortably and actively participate in community life. They have established relationships with numerous others and as a result, are your true community builders. Regulars are the mainstay of online communities; via their active involvement they help shape core community standards, practices, and values. They comprise the largest portion of membership and include leaders, elders and often, officials.

Leaders are regulars who have the time, energy, and skill to take on more formal and active roles in the community. They know many of the regulars and are respected for their skills by others. They assist newbies with settling in, provide advice related to the inner workings of the community life to the regulars, and may serve the larger community in volunteer positions such as techie, moderator, or administrator.

Elders are long-term regulars or leaders who have grown weary of the day-to-day demands of their position and stepped away from the center to the periphery of the community. Still active in community life, they are respected for their cultural knowledge and insider lore. Along with the other long-time residents, they're the teachers and storytellers of the community, the people who give the place a sense of history, depth and soul. They may serve the community by assisting newbies, regulars and leaders, and acting as informal archivists and historians.

Officials are the founders, hosts, techies, moderators and administrators. Typically they hold true power in the community by establishing the community's purpose, determining the form of presiding government, developing protocols of policy, and having the power to remove users who do not comply with the established standards.

[The excerpt above was adapted from Chapter 4 - Roles: From Newcomer to Oldtimer from the book and online website of Community Building on the Net by Amy Jo Kim.]

Personality Clashes and Conflicts:

Personality clashes tend to be one-time events between community members that often result in building familiarity. They are more common among members who have no relationship history with one another such as two newbies, or a newbie and a long-term community resident. We refer to such relationships as non-established -- neither party is familiar with the posting style or online identity of the other.

Personality clashes can re-open wounds between community members who have a history of conflict between them if the issues being raised are similar to issues of the past, or the naive newbie is clashing with someone else's long-term nemesis. Newbies may find themselves treading a virtual minefield as they attempt to establish self-identity and relationships with others without offending any warring parties.

Following a personality clash, two members may feel they know and understand the other far better than they did before -- the disagreement may even pave the way to a friendship forming. In other instances, hard feelings may develop. These can fuel later misunderstandings and conflicts between members.

Personality conflicts on the other hand, involve a period of sustained animosity between two members who have a history of interaction between them. We refer to such relationships as established -- the members are thoroughly familiar with the other's posting style and online persona.

Although each member in a personality conflict may be well-known and admired by other community members they do not get along with one another. There is a strong component of dislike, disrespect or disapproval. Low-end harassment is often exhibited to various degrees by both parties. The conflict may simmer privately for weeks or months and then explode into public community spaces. Personality conflicts have the potential to divide the community as friends and admirers line up behind their favored member (or favored ideology), glare offensively at those on the 'other' side, and trade verbal barbs or other forms of mudslinging.

Personality clashes and conflicts may lead to one or more members adopting troll-like identities in order to flame or harass others without having to be accountable for their actions in their known (possibly respected) identity. This may be especially true in instances where community standards are not explicitly understood or where one party is or has been unfairly targeted by another individual or group of individuals. Group attacks such as the latter are also known as sharking or gang-banging. They occur when a group pulls together in an act of solidarity and loyalty to "attack" the perceived offender. They are more common in communities with absent or ineffective administrative involvement. Such actions are often a desperate attempt to maintain control. It can create community dischord, long-standing resentments, and may scatter the seeds of troll development.

If you find yourself involved in an online conflict, the following links may prove helpful:

·  Resolving Conflict Online:

·  Let Me Tell You What You're Doing Wrong

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Online Harassment:

Harassment is not an isolated event. It is not a solitary outburst. Harassment is a pattern of ongoing behavior directed at a specific target. The legal definition of harassment, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is:

A course of conduct directed at a specific person that causes substantial emotional distress in such person and serves no legitimate purpose" or "Words, gestures, and actions which tend to annoy, alarm and abuse (verbally) another person."

We recognize two levels of harassment: low-end and high-end.

Low-End Harassment is comprised of posturing, implication, insults, taunting and forms of baiting. Projection and transference may be involved. The harassment may take place on the boards, in chatrooms, or in private mail. It is a frequent component of volatile discussion, personality clashes and unresolved or unacknowledged personality conflicts. It may include following a member from post to post, thread to thread, or board to board, and responding to them with a rapid-fire of low-level tactics; taken to an extreme this approach in particular can be so aggressive it may well become a form of high-end harassment.

In some cases, low-end harassment is unintentional. It may be teasing gone too far or a misunderstanding in regard to personal boundaries. Taunting, on the other hand, is a form of low-end harassment. Consider the differences...

Teasing:

·  Allows the teaser and the person teased to swap roles

·  Isn't intended to hurt the other person

·  Maintains the basic dignity of everyone involved.

·  Pokes fun in a lighthearted, clever and benign way.

·  Is meant to get both parties to laugh.

·  Is only a small part of the activities shared by those who have something in common.

·  Is innocent in motive.

·  Is discontinued when the person teased becomes upset or objects to the teasing.

Taunting:

·  Is one-sided and based on an imbalance of power

·  Is intended to harm.

·  Involves humiliating, cruel, demeaning or bigoted comments thinly disguised as jokes.

·  Includes laughter directed at the target, not with the target.

·  Is meant to diminish the self-worth of the target.

·  Induces fear of further taunting.

·  Is sinister in motive.

·  Continues especially when the target becomes distressed or objects to the taunt.

[The above excerpt is adapted from the online handout: The Bully, The Bullied and the Bystander by Barbara Colorosa. PDF FORMAT]


While precise definitions of low-end harassment can be subjective according to a member's personal boundaries, high-end harassment tends to be widely recognized as a clear crossing of boundaries and an invasion of privacy. It is common in troll attacks, volatile personality conflicts, and may be a component of online stalking.

High-end Harassment may include:

·  Publicly posting private and personal information about a user (pictures, address, phone number, name).

·  Impersonating (or attempting to impersonate) a member.

·  Knowingly spreading false rumors about another community member.

·  Publicly revealing a sexual liason with a member without their consent.

·  Publishing private correspondence.

·  Spamming a member's private mailbox.

·  Sending viruses or trojan horses to a member's private mailbox.

·  Signing the targeted member up for subscription or free services.

·  Unprovoked personal attack or sexual overture.

·  Public or private disclosures of affection that are innappropriate to the circumstance.

·  Attempting to solicit information about a target from other members.

·  Repeated interactions with a member after they have firmly requested that you stop.

·  Public attempts to turn other members against the target.

·  Explicit or implied threats of harm to the target or their loved ones.

It should be noted that high-end harassment may be considered the equivalent of cyber-harassment or cyber-stalking in your jurisdiction. Every reader is encouraged to review the following information:

·  Staying Safe Online

·  What To Do if You're Being Harassed Online

·  Wired Safety

·  List of Cyberstalking Laws

·  The Psycho-Pathology of Cyberstalkers

Dealing With Clashes, Conflict and Harassment

Any degree of harassment between members may be an indication there is a troll present, a personality clash or conflict has broken through to the surface, or those in power (typically hosts, administrators and moderators) are not doing their jobs.

In an unmoderated community environment (or one with ineffective administrative involvement), users may feel they have no recourse but to protect themselves using the only tools they have: words and the sway of community opinion. In a moderated environment however, hosts, administrators and moderators are available to help protect the community by setting standards of behavior and implementing administrative actions as required.

Before taking action we suggest that officials and onlookers resist the urge to respond immediately and instead, ask themselves the following questions:

·  What are the roles of the involved community members?

·  Is the relationship established or non-established?

·  Is this a clash or a conflict?

·  Is low-end or high-end harassment taking place?

·  Am I dealing with a true troll or a disguised community member?

·  Is there an ongoing pattern of behavior?

·  What is the backstory? What else is going on that may have fueled the conflict?

Individual Response: Carefully assess the situation. Note that when online discussions escalate out of control it is seldom because two members disagree on a point -- more often, they have begun to use personal attack as a form of debate. Individual members should carefully consider their options, including the option to agree to disagree. If you must respond, stick to the stated facts, maintain your cool, and do not resort to insults or other forms of mud-slinging. If the discussion is disturbing the community, consider moving any remaining discussion to private e-mail or another private location. (Officials might want to consider creating private spaces where members can seek to resolve their differences away from the intrusion and dramatical support of the community at large with or without the assistance of a mediator.) If high-end harassment is taking place, we highly recommend that you make copies of all correspondence between yourself and the other party at the earliest opportunity -- this is especially vital if other members will be in a position to edit or erase those posts. Should legal recourse ever be required you will need to demonstrate that you did not contribute to the situation, that you asked the other party to cease in their treatment of you, and that malicious actions were clearly taking place. Please reference the articles above related to online safety for more information.

Community Response: If a personality clash is occurring in a non-established relationship, other members of the community can help defuse the impact by offering gentle guidance regarding community standards or perhaps, by sharing common history that would not be known to the newcomer.

Sample: I see you're new here and might not be familiar with posting guidelines. You can review our policy here...

Sample: Don't let Bob_5103 scare you away. He can come across as strong-minded, but he's a teddy bear at heart.

In cases of personality clashes or conflict in established relationships community members can be most helpful by staying out of the discussion -- their relationship does not belong to you. If loyalty compells you to defend another member, do so by reinforcing valid points they have made in their argument or by praising their individual skills and contributions. In no case should you attack the other party. When a community demonstrates through their actions that personal attack and harassment is an acceptable form of behavior they put out a welcome mat for trolls and should rightly bear partial responsibility for their creation and presence.

Administrative Response: It is beyond the scope of administrators to resolve conflicts between members. A relationship belongs to the people within it -- if they wish to resolve their differences it must be by mutual and willing consent. Insisting that members "kiss and make-up... or else" is an administrative posture designed to demonstrate the power of officials. It seldom addresses the underlying currents that fuel the conflict and may further inflame the situation. We recommend that administrators resist the urge to insist that members like or respect other members, nor judge them for their failure to do so. If someone is angry with Stacey _4086, maybe they feel there is a good reason for that anger. Likewise, if someone believes Stacey_4086 rocks, they may have a different kind of relationship with her. It is quite possible to be both someone's best friend and another's worst enemy. Members' relationships do not belong to administrators. You can no more fix a broken one than you can fix someone else's broken marriage.

Administrators best help defuse situations of conflict by allowing established relationships to belong to the people who are in them, by developing and posting community guidelines of behavior, by remaining impartial in situations of conflict in established relationships, and by fairly imposing consequences when absolutely necessary such as editing of posts, removal of posts, temporarily removing the member from the community, or permanently removing them from the community.

As a general rule we recommend that administrators always involve themselves in situations of high-end harassment, involve themselves in situations of low-end harassment if absolutely necessary, and involve themselves in situations wherein one member has a well-established pattern of conflict with numerous other members.

Dealing With Trolls

As you can see, dealing with trolls is not as simple as labelling the least popular or most offensive with the word "troll" and then waiting for officials to boot them or the community to ostracize them into silence. Trolls may be insiders or outsiders. Their behavior may consist of low-end or high-end harassment. What is considered trolling behavior in a non-established relationship may be considered tolerable or acceptable in an established relationship. What's more, the individual labelled "troll" may in fact be the targeted scapegoat.

In our experience, the best means of preventing troll behavior is...

·  To develop standard guidelines governing acceptable community behavior.

·  To elicit the input of the entire community in developing those standards.

·  To act on those guidelines in a fair and equitable manner for all.

·  To educate members in recognizing their own role in clashes and conflicts, and in recognizing different forms of harassment, including the kinds they engage in.

·  To encourage members to be responsible for themselves, including their own online safety.

·  To empower officials to take action where absolutely necessary.

Remember the golden rule: In all cases, the best response to a malicious or destructive troll is absolutely NO RESPONSE. Trolls will only stay where they are well fed. In a community where sharking or personal attack is not permitted, where members have been educated and further, taken prudent precautions to protect themselves from the worst forms of harassment, where the community-at-large has been trained to not feed conflict, and where officials are empowered to act in the community's best interest, TROLLS CANNOT FLOURISH.

If the community is moderated, inform the administrator(s) of the troll's presence at your earliest opportunity--preferably privately. Those who use public channels of communication may become a target of the troll.

No response means just that. That means no responses to his/her every post to inform the community it is a troll post; no sly innuendo, no veiled implications or threats - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. If members wish to discuss the troll, they should do so in a private venue such as e-mail. At the very most, an administrator or member can initiate a new thread directing members to the community's stated policy on trolls, or a link to this page, or any other page on the net dedicated to dealing with trolls within the community setting.

If an individual member comes under attack, the community can help deflate that attack using tactics of praise for the one attacked but NEVER attacking, commenting on, or mentioning the troll in any capacity. Remember, individuals within communities empower trolls whenever they resort to personal attacks on any users, or when they stand by and remain silent while others are attacked. If an individual has become a target, it may be necessary for them to adopt a new identity within the community, to temporarily withdraw from the community, or even to permanently leave the community. If the member was a community leader or their contributions were highly valued, the entire community may feel the impact of their loss. Individual members may also become concerned for their own safety and well being.

If the community is moderated, administrators or moderators should remove the troll posts and any responses to same at their earliest opportunity. We recommend keeping a copy of any troll posts and responses for future identification purposes along with the troll's user name, e-mail address and IP address if known. It is not unusual for some trolls to have several identities within a community. They may even post to themselves, making disparaging comments or insults in an effort to degrade the overall tone of the community. Administrators should remove any known trolls from the site by whatever means necessary, withdrawing password privileges for example, or implementing an IP block. Be aware that trolls may make use of numerous IP or ISP and it may be necessary to remove an especially vigilant troll many times over. Innocent members can also be unfairly locked out in the event of an IP block. Administrators must make their own best decisions as guided by the interests of the larger community. Seek input from your membership and develop standards that will work for all of you.

Effectively informed, you too can help to build and create online communities that are safe spaces for all participants.

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