My Library / Cooperation / Bad / Apple:

“Trolls

Lots of things about work are hard. Dealing with trolls is one of them. Trolls are critics who gain perverse pleasure in relentlessly tearing you and your ideas down. Here’s the thing(s):

1. trolls will always be trolling
2. critics rarely create
3. they live in a tiny echo chamber, ignored by everyone except the trolled and the other trolls
4. professionals (that’s you) get paid to ignore them. It’s part of your job.”

“Can’t please everyone,” isn’t just an aphorism, it’s the secret of being remarkable.” (Godin,2009b)

Cf.:
Asay,2009: Apache: ‘No jerks allowed’ (CNet)

Atwood,2008: Dealing With Bad Apples (Coding Horror)

Atwood,2009: The Bad Apple: Group Poison (Coding Horror)

Felps-Mitchell-Byington,2006: How, When, and Why Bad Apples Spoil the Barrel: Negative Group Members and Dysfunctional Groups [pdf] (cf.: Summary by Gardner,2007)

Godin,2009a: Take the ball and go home (Seth Godin’s blog)

Lopp,2009: Managing Werewolves (A List Apart)

(If you find more references, please let us know:)