TROLLS / thickening one's skin

Returning home all exuberant from Tuesday's Soundart Radio Extraordinary Public Meeting, my evening was slightly marred by a real life troll on Soundart Radios' facebook page, of which I am one of the administers. Abusive online behaviour comes in lots of different flavors, and it really is a trial by fire experience to develop the capacity to deal with textual attacks. Finding the 'friendly environment' of a facebook page the site of aggression and accusations throws up a couple of problems, which I have been considering since banning the troll from the group-  there appeared there was no other option as the troll's post were rather insulting and pointedly misinformation!

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19 states

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

Of course, we can all instantly think of examples when that 'freedom of expression' has been used to promote propaganda, incite hate and spread ill-feeling. This Declaration is important, if contested - but, are these are human rights rather than troll rights? I defend our right to speak, protest and communicate, but in situations where a speakers' method is that of attack, and they are adverse to engaging in a fair discussion, there seems is very little recourse but to 'disallow the rant.' I need to have a little rant myself though- please please excuse me-

Dear Troll,

I hope this finds you well.

I think I would like to tell you how our facebook interactions left me the other night.

I am very sorry you felt the only way you could share your thoughts with us was by constructing a fake profile, dressing up in a picture of a celebrity, and using a false name - it is difficult to be open in discussion if you do not come forward to speak as yourself. Administering to a site is a position of some responsibility- the Soundart Radio page is a forum for fans of the station to share news and posts about the station and relevant community happenings, and it is my role to encourage a respectful atmosphere. Maybe you felt you would be vulnerable to persecution from the group if you represented yourself and wrote your mind openly? I can assure you, Soundart radio has a commitment to being transparent and firendly- but we kinda expect the same from others!

I did not delete you because of your questioning. (  see- below are your posts in full and unabridged! ) It was your typed tone that I found unacceptable. I felt really uncomfortable. If your questioning was genuine, there should have been room for an understanding, and your quiries would have been answered, but your messages were essentially 'muckslinging'. I was not prepared to leave your posts on our community page while I went to find the evidence to put you right. Facebook groups are not the place for such discussions- (administers are rarely trained lawyers or trained social/mental health workers) and serious allegations such as embezzlement should be bought up it the correct context - there there would be room for understanding to be improved; but the strategy of engagement you were using made little sense but to purposefully attempt to cause upset and confusion on soundart radio's Facebook page.

(I hope you are feeling a bit better. I am- and I see this is a great opportunity for me to press forward and learn more about 'good' online administration practise. I am going to look for training in online public relations- when I find the right course I'll post a link here, so you can improve yourself too.)

Very best,

Jenny Wellwood

PS regarding Soundart Radio directors' 'hidden income' - these are all professional and respected members of our local community, who believe strongly in what Soundart radio does for their community- the directors do Soundart Radio work for FREE! Also, the Station does pay rent and utility bills- Soundart Radio has its home on the Dartington Estate and was set up by DCA students in partnership with local people- but it has always been supported in (Golden! Invaluable! Glorious!) volunteer hours by the greater TQ9 area and community - and has always paid full rent and bills for the Station building- much like the other independent businesses on the Dartington estate.

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Soundart : The Extraordinary Public Meeting held today was a really great event- 25 members came to eat cake and drink tea, and talk strategies for ensuring the station's improvement and well being: stream lined, redefined, super, sweet, smart and (rural lane, bridlepath and small market town) street wise...   Members will receive news in the weekly Penny Post mailout- lots to do and lots of fun to be had at Totnes and Surrounding areas' FM broadcasting Licenced Radio Station (and thanks to our international fans and supporters too- :-)

Troll What I don't get is where the money went. Soundart accounts show the station has received £156,000 in grants and handouts in the first full three years. Just seven months ago it also got an extra £70,000 from the Paul Hamlyn Trust. That's £226,000 in total in just four years, and there may be more money that last year's accounts will show too. Where has it all gone? This is all free money handed to Soundart from various sources of funding. It doesn't cost £56,000 a year to run a small community radio station. So where has it all gone? How do you spend £226,000 in four years on a small radio station without paying some people lots and lots of money? And why didn't anyone challenge the management on the fact that all this money has just evaporated

Soundart Radio 102.5 FM | Community Radio Station for Totnes wow Patrick- great too see your passion for accountability and transparency! Soundart Radio submits its full accounts to all members and independent scrutiny (as is legally required by Ofcom) every year- these are available to the public, please get in touch via our 'website contact form' and we will send you the accounts

 Soundart Radio 102.5 FM | Community Radio Station for Totnes Each hour of live, original, broadcasting costs Soundart Radio around £35 - it ain't cheap being a rich and diverse source of community value.... The Extraordinary Public Meeting held today was a really good event- 25 members came to ate cake and drank tea, and talk strategies for ensuring the station's improvement and wellbeing.

Soundart Radio 102.5 FM | Community Radio Station for Totnes ps- fund raising- anyone who has fund raised, especially in todays' straightened economic circumstances, will be aware that fund-finding and fund raising is hard (but hopefully rewarding) time demanding work. Money is never 'free' - each funder expects and receives a value return for the money they grant - they are essentially investing in Soundart Radio because they agree with our ethos, and see the value in what Soundart Radio does... Read 'about us' : http://www.soundartradio.org.uk/about/

Troll How does it cost £35 an hour if you're presenters are all volunteers? Volunteer hours are not REAL money. There's been at least £226,000 go through Soundart in the last four years. That's more than £56,000 a year. It doesn't cost £35 an hour to produce community radio shows unless you pay people £35 an hour, which is an incredible wage for this area. Soundart also doesn't pay rent or utility bills, or hasn't done until now. So the only REAL cost is the community licence fees of around £3,500 a year. I don't think a great deal has been spent on studio equipment. So that leaves more than £50,000 a year Soundart has spent, not to say the Paul Hamlyn Foundation's £70,000 is just over half a year. The question remains, where has all the money gone? Or to whom has it gone? Perhaps if Soundart's management has better invested the money it wouldn't be in the financial trouble it is in now. I've seen the accounts Soundart filed at companies house. They only show very basic information. Not even salaries of directors are shown. Seems to me you've had a great time gathering grants and funding and paying managers lots of money. Now the gravy train has stopped and there's no more free money, perhaps your members should be asking why you didn't use the money more wisely.

Soundart Radio 102.5 FM | Community Radio Station for Totnes

This conversation in full, is logged now- the 'Peter' named used a false photo, had 0 friends and absolutely no previous facebook activity, and raised questions about SAR's funding in a tone quite inappropriate for a facebook group. Critical thinking and pertinent questions are really welcome- we try to be as open and informative as possible- a email to office@soundartradio.org.uk will ensure you a response- facebook is administered by volunteers, and this should be considered when you post here! :-) PEACE

 
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