If you’ve been on the internet at all since its inception, I guarantee you’ve come into contact with a “troll” at least once.

Don’t know what an internet troll is? Urban Dictionary explains that an internet troll is, “A person whose sole purpose in life is to seek out people to argue with on the internet over extremely trivial issues. Such arguments can happen on blogs, Facebook, Myspace and a host of others.” Most people just call them “trolls” though.

They’re annoying. They’re pointless. They’re like gnats that just won’t go away. However, they’re a very real part of being online.  

Thankfully, most of my fifteen years online have been pretty troll free. I wasn’t naive enough to believe that I’d never come into contact with a “troll” though, and that’s exactly what happened to me recently.

A comment on one of my recent blog posts suggested that my thoughts on suicide were “self-centered” and that if I “really” was suicidal I would “know the difference.” Yup. That’s a pretty asinine thing to say in general – but I got through it.

Here’s how I survived that harsh trolling…

• Be honest, and frank: You’ve got every right to politely and respectfully explain your position if that would make you feel better.
• Don’t curse: It just escalates things.
• Let your tribe go after them: The awesome thing about social media followers and friends is that they’ll stand up for you. Let them do it if they choose to! You’ll actually see how much love is around what you’re doing.

Of course, you can always ignore trolls too. Sometimes that’s enough to make them go away. However, we’re human – I get it. Sometimes we do want to defend ourselves. If you do, do it calmly and respectfully – then keep it movin’.

The best form of revenge is success. You’re worth having (and showing) yours.