Introduction

Harassers.
Bleh :p
They're one of the worst sides of Furcadia (And the internet in general). They often succeed in driving furres away with their attacks. Any furres, users, Owslas, Rahs... Attacks that too often look like they'll never end. Harassers are the long-distance runners of the troubled furres crowd. They have endurance. Their obsessive (unremitting?) harassment can exhaust you if you're not prepared to deal with it. That's the purpose of this text. Provide you with an overview of what to expect from harassers and offer some ideas about how to handle them. 

Twinks versus Harassers
The first thing to do when confronted with a misbehaving pest could be to ask them to stop or go away. A twink will. A harasser will not. That's, for the purpose of this text, the main difference between these two beasts. I thought I'd mention it just in case you wondered ;-) 

Intended readers
Three groups of furres:
1) The victims of harassment themselves.
2) Friends or bystanders. Furres without any "official status", who would just like to help deal with the harasser.
3) Help staffs. Furres with an "official status" (Part of an organization), like the Beekin helpers, Owslas, possibly guild leaders or members of some "helping guild".
These distinctions are not trivial. The efficacy of some of the "strategies" suggested in this text might vary depending on who uses them. This is indicated in the text when appropriate. 

Goals
The strategies and advices offered in this text are meant to help you attain one of these three goals:
1) Get the harasser to stop. The most realistic and wisest goal.
2) "Shape" the harasser into a better furre. I'm a "lazy idealist". With an emphasis on lazy. But I value prevention and intervention with long-term benefits, if that's not too much trouble. If you share this quirk, you'll find ideas in that text that might interest you.
3) "Getting back" at the harasser. I strongly believe the simplest and most effective way to deal with harassers is to IGNORE them. But I also know victims often have a hell of a time collaborating with a strategy resting only on ignoring the harasser. So I included two "methods" that have been used successfully (but are still slightly risky to use) to "get back" at harassers. They can yield good results and make the victims feel good without the harasser knowing about it.
Most of these strategies rely almost exclusively on social skills and don't require any technical knowledge. No hacking is involved in them. 

Empirical Value
None.
This text is based purely on anecdotal evidences. As such, it's fairly limited.
Basing advices and strategies on so little may sound arrogant. It is. But think of this as good practice. Many harassers sound arrogant themselves ;-)
But never lose sight of this limit. This text contains advices and suggestions. You won't find any absolute truths or laws of nature in it. Feel free to pick and choose what suits you and disregard the rest ;-)
Once more I repeat.
This text contains advices, NOT rules.

Even more arrogance and three apologies
One of the ways I like to be arrogant is by pretending I can get into the mind of the harasser. I'll try to take you there with me and I apologize for it ;-) This is intended more to explain the basic premises behind some of my advices and ideas than anything else. The distinction between what I, the writer, think of harassers and what I think they, the harassers, think of themselves might not always be clear however and I also apologize for that. I also ask that in doubt, you consider that the outlandish and foolish beliefs presented in here are held by the harassers ;-) 

Finally
A last warning, but a really important one. I'm perfectly aware that some of the advices given in this text require a lot of "almost saintly patience and self-denial". But I do believe they are good ways of stopping and preventing harassment. Remember these goals if they leave you with a sour taste. Harassers have a lot in common with pre-schoolers throwing temper tantrums. They need a lot of patient adult guidance...

I use the male gender throughout this text while talking about harassers. That's not because there are no female harassers around, but mostly because I believe most of them are males. It's also partly out of the habit of following a silly old writing convention.

 

The harasser and his cravings
Almost all harassers value HIGHLY the three following things...
 

1) Getting attention.
Attention is the basic need of harassers. If they don't get it, they can't get much satisfaction from their attacks. That's why ignoring them should always be part of any strategy used to deal with them. 
A harasser's victim should avoid talking to him directly. Under some circumstances, it could be profitable (but risky, more about it later) for a victim to talk ABOUT the harasser publicly, but not TO him. Dealing with the harasser directly should be left to "help staff" members or other furres who are used to do this.

Publicly denouncing hate-filled web sites maintained by harassers gives them attention, as well as free publicity. It makes them feel good and "infamous". Fame is the pinnacle of attention for harassers. Reward them with it and you'll ensure yourself a long time in their company. 

Furcadia has a nifty command/function appropriately named "Ignore". Don't use it to punish the harasser, but to protect yourself from his attacks. Nothing of what the harasser types will appear on your screen once you used that command on him. If you tell your harasser you're using the ignore command on him, you give him attention, which makes him feel good. I don't recommend it. The only reason it might be good to talk about ignoring a harasser in his presence is to ask other furres around you to use it too, out of solidarity. 

Ignore command syntax (Type what's in brackets "")
"ignore harasser" where harasser is substituted for his name. For example, if I wanted to ignore a furre named Barnum, I would type, "ignore Barnum". You can ignore up to ten furres. This is not permanent, all ignores are turned off once you log off. You can also turn them off at any time by typing, "ignore off".

2) Making their victim upset (mad, sad, angry, afraid...)
That means they can "get at you".
I won't tell you I know for sure why they do this. Maybe they truly get pleasure from inflicting pain. Maybe it gives them an impression of "power" over their victim. In any case, they really like it. 

If a harasser does manage to upset or hurt you, you have my sympathy. Honest. 
But don't let your harasser know he hurt you. It makes him feel good. Don't try to get revenge either. In his mind, it will only mean he made you mad. He got at you. The simplest way to get back at a harasser and make him feel bad is still to ignore him. If you feel you HAVE to reply to a harasser, please at least consider the following advice:

Wait for a while.
Never reply immediately to an attack that made you upset. That attack can come in Furcadia, in an e-mail, on a discussion forum post, it doesn't matter, the advice holds. Wait maybe 24 hours, or until the attack loses some of its effectiveness on you. Time does that. Maybe your urge to "lash back" will be lesser. You'll be less likely to do and write things you could regret later. 

There's another good reason for victims not to lash back at their harassers:
If you request help from Owslas after you "lashed back" at your harasser, it becomes harder for them to know who's the real victim and who's the real harasser. They don't know everything you know. They have to make judgments with very little information. It's much easier for them to identify you as the victim if the harasser can't come up with log files in which you insult him. You're clean.

3) Feeling in control of the situation
Harassers want you to believe THEY will decide when the harassment will stop. 
Some of them are willing to work A LOT to convince you of that. If you get their ass booted from Furcadia by an Owsla, they'll make an alt (alternate character, a new one) and come back and start harassing you or someone else. If they get banned from Furcadia, they'll use an account with a different Internet service provider if they have access to it. Harassers with too much free time and not enough imagination will probably be willing to use this same trick If they get banned from web sites (Unable to post on message boards, mailing lists, guest books...). It's mostly about showing you they'll go away only if and when they'll want to go away. 

But they oddly also get some attention out of all this. Someone has to request for them to be booted out and someone has to actually do it. That takes time. Getting booted may even become a mark of prestige or personal accomplishment for harassers. The same goes true about deleting posts and comments they managed to leave on your web sites despite your bans. If you delete them, they can also interpret this to mean they can still hurt you. It's not big rewards but it might be enough for an obsessed harasser to keep going. Rarely forever however. If the only attention he gets is from boots and deletion of his posts, he'll tire of it. Just show discipline on ignoring his other behaviors. Oh! And be sure nobody sends him private e-mails (Insulting him, telling him to stop or threatening him...) 

 

Smile, you're being harassed :-)

If you really feel you have to reply to a harasser, be polite. Not nice, just polite.
Many of them can't stand politeness. It makes them feel powerless over you. You maintain composure. That means they can't get at you. It also surprises them. They don't know what to do next. They're lost.
Use the word "please" if you're asking them to stop their harassment.
I know being polite to a harasser can feel excruciatingly painful the first few times. But it pays off. And you get used to it real fast because it just either make them go away or drives them nuts.

But the simplest way to startle harassers and make them feel powerless is still to IGNORE them. 

For users who have mastered the art of being polite to harassers ONLY
If you like startling harasser, tell them a story. Use stories unrelated to their harassment at first. Any story could do in fact. I've heard users read cooking recipes, stock quotes, grammar rules, descriptions of birds, and a few other things to harassers. Stick to your story if you try this. Don't stop telling it to answer questions from your harasser, unless he's very nice and polite. But even then, just stop for a pause and tell him you'll answer his questions later, once you have finished telling your story. 

If you become good at this, you can eventually try to find stories that could somehow be related to harassment and make it into something of an art. One of my most memorable online moments happened when a female user read her "banana and nuts bread" cooking recipe, with startling implications, to a harasser who kept annoying female users with the typical "Suck my dick!"... 

A word of caution:
Do not look for harassers or attempt to lure users into harassing you to get to practice these tricks on them!
That would make YOU the harasser.

And now, a rebuttal to my own rebuttal.
Some hard-core harassers take any gesture of politeness as a sign of weakness. If you meet one of these, show strength. IGNORE them.

 

A few types of harassers

This is not an exhaustive list (But maybe an exhausting one)
Just before, I thought I'd explain a favorite concept of mine...
The Idea of "Recognizable Identity"
Some harassers have characters they prefer. They also develop friendships, become "infamous" and build themselves a personal history over time. They may use tons of alternate characters, but they usually let others know who's behind them all. Their "deeds" can't be attributed to them (and increase their fame) if they don't let us know it. Harassers with such recognizable identities are probably easier to rehabilitate than those who don't. In an odd way, they have less anonymity. Their online actions are more "real" to them. As such, praise and shame have meaning for them and they can be used as reward and punishment to shape their behavior. 

Here it goes now, types of harassers... 

The Minor Pests
Users exhibiting irritant and annoying behaviors.
A few common examples:
Spammers: They just like to fill your screen with junk. They just like to fill your screen with junk. They just like to fill your screen with junk. They just like to fill your screen with junk. They just like to fill your screen with junk. sjfhadwhgksdjgasd;lkggkl
Yellers: WHO TYPE EVERYTHING IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
Blockers: Who use their character(s) to restrict access to certain areas or dreams.
Imitators: Who use their character(s) to restrict access to certain areas or dreams. (Repeat what others do or say...)
Dream Bombers: A more efficient blocker who uploads many dreams to restrict access to certain areas or dreams.

Some users do these things out of personal grudges. They block access to the dreams of guilds they don't like for example. Others are just plain lazy or lack basic social skills so need to use them to get attention. These usually annoy at random. Clueless newbies also use these behaviors (Like yelling) to attract attention. Just in case you're actually dealing with one of them, it's always wise to first politely ask a possible "miscreant" to stop his inappropriate behavior. Maybe a basic lesson on online etiquette is more in order than a punishment. Who knows. 

Many of these pests can be rehabilitated. Even repeat offenders. They're good practice for users who're thinking about developing rehabilitation skills. It's wise to wait to have had some success at rehabilitating these minor pests before attempting it with the following bigger ones...

The Sexual Harassers
The horny
Most often a lewd male who propositions female users, A LOT, usually by whispering. Any furre with an even remotely feminine sounding name could be the victim. They do sound horny, driven, desperate. The majority of them are usually really motivated by sexual urges. They need and want yiff. Their "seduction approach" is rather crude and bare however ("Wanna see my dream?"). If you're their "target", you could try asking them to go away. Some of them are just horny teens who definitely need to refine their ways of approaching women BUT can nevertheless show some degree of interpersonal sensitivity. They'll leave you alone if you're not interested and don't reply too harshly to them. Very few of them have a recognizable identity. 

There's two other breeds of sexual harassers. Their motives are more aggressive that sexual. Using sexual content just happens to be the most effective way to upset people. Their aims are to offend and control their victims. Their language is not clumsy like the previous horny sexual harassers but deliberately obscene and derogatory. They know what they're doing. 
The stalker
The worst of them behave like stalkers. They'll choose a single victim and follow her around. They are almost impossible to reason with, replying aggressively to all attempts to do so. They use A LOT of threats. They almost never have recognizable identity. (B&B) 
The exhibitionist
Luckily, most of these aggressive sexual harassers prefer to harass crowds, from which they get more reactions, than single victims. They're less likely to leave a lasting bad memory on their victims' mind, but they are as hard to deal with however. They too almost never have recognizable identities. (B&B) 

The "Exes"
Couples break-up sometimes. The "Ex" can become a harasser who wants revenge on his former mate for leaving him. Their harassment may also be a way for them to stay in control over their former mate. These types of harassers do not come only from broken up couples. All sorts of relationships ending sourly can see them appear. Former heartbonds, former guild associates (Rah and Taneest), any friendships. These situations can be "complicated" (to say the least) to handle for outsiders brought in to help resolve them. 

1) The harassment might be coming from more than one person. Both former partners may be harassing the other; each claiming the other started it. Friends and third parties can get involved, harassing to "protect" or "avenge" the victim.
2) Past knowledge. Former partners know each other. They might have a history of arguing and fighting together. Former mates make more efficient harassers than strangers.
3) Hang-Outs and Friends. It's difficult to get former mates to avoid each other because they usually had the habit of doing the exact opposite. They spent time together, in the same "hang-outs", with the same friends. After a rupture, it's common to see bitter former partners to claim most (if not all) or these hangouts and friends as their own, expecting the other to stay away from them from now on.

For help staffs, these situations pose two unusual difficulties.
1) Dealing with the harassment, not with the break-up. Easier said that done. But "marital counseling" should be left to friends or neutral third parties. The help staff should deal only with the harassment. Since the former mates shared a lot of places in common, they might have to stand the sight of each other. 

Suggested "rules" to them for these encounters could be (Just an example):
Do not talk to each other, either publicly or using whispers. (In Furcadia, for a set period of time)
Do not talk about each other publicly. (In Furcadia, for a set period of time)
Do not ask third parties to contact the other on your behalf. (Guess what comes here)
Any of the two former partners breaking any of the previous three rules will be considered the harasser and be dealt with accordingly. 

2) Harassers born out of break-ups are sometimes first-time offenders. If dealt with appropriately, they are unlikely to go on and harass new victims once they stopped with the first one. Help staffs should not attempt marital counseling. If they do, they can easily be perceived as taking sides and lose their credibility when later trying to enforce the rules about harassment. 
You can't be a friend AND a help staff member when dealing with broken-up couples. Especially if you are friend only with one of the two former partners. If at all possible, ask for a neutral help staff member to deal with these types of harassers. 

The "Victims"
Things are not always what they seem.
First, harassers themselves most often like to think of themselves as victims. They're not harassing; they're getting revenge for some perceived "evil deeds" committed against them. Dealing with a "Harasser's Persecution Complex" is shortly covered in section seven. Harassers' sometimes sad attempts at getting sympathy that way rarely meet with a lot of success. Other users are much better at fooling people however.
The manipulative
Oh boy :p
These users are often really victims of harassment. But for some reason, they encourage the harasser in his behavior (By insulting, begging, whatever...). The two most common reasons behind this are:
1) Getting back at the harasser.
The victim knowingly baits the harasser into attacking her (To get log files or proofs of harassment). The victim's hope is usually to get the harasser punished more severely (banned). It's sometimes seen with broken-up online couples. This is not a "feminine strategy". Men and women alike have been known to do this. Being "baited" is no excuse for harassing someone.
2) Attention and support
Victims can get A LOT of attention from their friends and the help staff because of the harassment they suffer. Much more attention than they got before the harassment started. They may develop a taste for it. Attention then becomes a positive side-effect of harassment which might offset its negative aspects. I doubt many victims could develop a taste for the attention they gets from their harassers, but I suppose it's also a possibility. The worst cases of "attention craving manipulatives" I've seen were users playing both roles, victim and harasser, using alternate characters and sending themselves threats. How to deal with these users is beyond the scope of this text :p
The over-sensitive victim
These users are not victimized by anyone in particular, just by everyone in general. They are offended by some furres' names or descriptions. They want members of certain controversial groups (Making the promotion of one species over others, gay bashers, gays...) to be punished for simply being members of that group. Ambiguous comments and mention of body parts can also offend them.
These users have a lot in common with "activists" and, in my opinion, should be dealt with the same way. So... I suggest we now turn our attention to them ;-) 

The "Activists"
A broader group than the name suggests. I include in it all sorts of self-important philosophical wannabes behaving in a harassing way, that is:
1) Insist on sharing their ideas with you. Won't stop even if asked to.
2) Insist on convincing you of the "rightness" of their ideas. Won't stop even if asked to.
3) Insist you put into practice their ideas. Won't stop even if asked to.
The Political Activists
Harassers who have ideas on how to make the game "better".
They are interested in online politics (Furcadia is NOT a game! It's a WORLD! *chuckles*). They ask for democracy, freedom of speech and various other rights online. They are usually quite aware of the delicate nuances between "free speech" and offending other users. One of their favorite hobbies happens to be to express themselves, A LOT, around these delicate lines. Another hobby of theirs is to "push the limits" with rules and job descriptions. Some may be true idealists. But many are perceived as bitter users complaining about "power structures" whose only real "fault" is to not include them. Many political activists also have ideas about software and programming that could be used to implement their social and political beliefs. 
The Preachers
Benign compared to political activists, but still annoying. 
They have ideas to share, but don't expect changes to be made to the game.
They expect change in your mind and heart ;-)
You can meet "Christian evangelists", "religious extremists" (Pro-life, anti-gays), nazi sympathizers, vegetarians, animal right activists, whatever... They keep coming up with old and new ideas, but they all share one common belief: THEY are right. 
Some of these harassers are sincere in their beliefs. Some look more like they preach a particular belief more out of convenience than true conviction. These insincere preachers might have a lot in common with the earlier "exhibitionist". Homophobic comments, for example, are sure to get you some reactions from a crowd.

Most of these harassers become good at debating and luring their victim(s) in debates. It is usually pointless to engage in debate with them, and this exercise should be avoided at all costs in "chat rooms" and diverted to web based message boards. (See: "Debating with Activists, A recipe among many others") 

Disclaimer
I value the diversity of opinions and ideas encountered online. Diversity enriches the online world.
I respect persons with conviction(s) as long as they respect my right not to be interested in what they have to say. I support freedom of speech but do not think any online communities or game are tied to the "First Amendment". I consider each of these online communities is free to determine for itself what it considers appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. Much like country clubs.

 

Dealing with threats
A harasser's basic tool kit includes threats.
They use a lot of them, usually with very little subtlety, along the lines of: "I'm not threatening you, I'm just telling you what I could do to you if I wanted to". Threatening his victim gives the harasser a false impression of power and of being in control. That makes him happy. More so if the victim reacts to his threats. 

When the harasser uses threats, he should be ignored. If you're a friend, an Owsla, a member of a "helping guild", you might consider acknowledging the threats to their target or victim though. Warning: The following lines contain "mushy" statements :p Being left on your own to deal with a threatening harasser can eventually make anyone feel pretty lonely. It's also very hard not to lash back or try to get revenge. Simply knowing others are aware of the situation makes it more bearable. If they offer some help or support (listening), it's even better. 

Since many harassers are persistent fellow, offering some kind of support to the victim might be essential to insure their long-term collaboration in applying a successful strategy. It doesn't always take much. Simply letting the victim of a physical threat know that the harasser lives twelve thousand kilometers away can be a very good start. 

Assessing the seriousness of threats is hard. 

Physical threats make most witnesses laugh. I know people who received death threats. I received a few myself. In public, most victims make fun of it. You see, victims are sometimes proud too. But just in case an apparently very laughable death threat makes a user nervous, don't make too much jokes about it at first. They're less likely to ask for help if they think they're the only one who finds these threats really threatening. 

Hacking threats are no longer originals. The actual number of competent hackers online is, according to most psychic estimates, much, much lower than the number of hacker wannabes :p Protecting yourself against hacking is beyond the scope of this text. But providing the victim of hacking threats with a short list of web sites with information about online safety could be nice. 

Threats against "identity" are the most likely to be carried out. They take the form of attacks against their victim's online "reputation" (The harassers often call this telling the "truth" about them), creating alts with names similar to their victim (Like, "Emerald Flame" versus "Emerald Flamer"), posting insults on public forums (Message boards, mailing lists...), leaving messages on their victim's web page's guest book, even building their own web site devoted to their "side of the story", things like that... 

The more you fight back against these "identity" attacks, the worst it usually gets. It's usually better for the victim to ignore them and have a third party divert the harasser's attention toward other activities. If asking them to stop doesn't work, try keeping them busy with something else instead. 

 

Managing the harasser's EGO
Most harassers are creatures of ego.
I like to describe them as "arrogant, self-centered, narcissistic and megalomianical spoiled brats". They love nothing more than to show everyone "how smart they are". They also like to point out details we might forget when we offer technical help (Or write texts about harassment). As if they constantly had something to prove... 

You see, I don't think harassers are THAT sure of themselves. In fact, I'm pretty sure most of them are riddled by self-doubts. Offline, they probably are shy and aloof individuals, afraid of strangers and nightmarishingly worried by their sexual inadequacies (Well, I exaggerate a bit, but you get the idea). Their arrogance protects them, helps them "save face". It's as if they were not only trying to "rub your nose" in their "superiority", but mostly trying to keep the positive image they have of themselves. 

Their claims of superiority covers commonly two aspects: Intelligence and "moral qualities". They claim to have superior technical knowledge, superior education, richer general culture, better ideas, well, grossly, they're smarter than most if not all people. They also often claim to be more honest, fair, generous, enlightened, etc., than most if not all people. 

They NEED everybody, including themselves, especially themselves, to agree that they are "right". It's important to understand what really lies behind these seemingly big egos. It can save you A LOT of trouble and frustration. 

Advices based on that idea of "arrogance of insecurity"

1) DEAL WITH THEM IN PRIVATE
Especially if you're part of the official help staff (Owslas).
Rebuttals and discussions about rules, boots, bans and such should be handled in private if at all possible. Use whispers and e-mails. Avoid "loud" chat and discussion forums.
If you do it in public, you take the risk the harasser will want to "save face". He may try to demonstrate you've been unfair to him. That means having to spend more time to deal with him. Bleh :p
There's an exception.
If you're part of the help staff, there's one thing you might want to say "out loud". Especially in crowds. To let other users know you're taking care of the "problem". A simple statement like: "I'll talk to mister X" is probably sufficient.

2) Criticize their behavior instead of their person.
Harassers are harder to shape into better citizens once they're convinced you think of them as "bad" persons. Don't tell them they have been warned or punished because they are harassers, but because of their harassment. It can make a difference in their mind. It leaves open the possibility that they might still be "good" persons despite the fact they did "bad" things. That's not enough to make them want to redeem themselves, but it doesn't make it less likely either. 

3) Do not hope for a clear apology from harassers.
Unless you apologize for something first. Even then, their apology is likely to leave you unsatisfied or regretful. It's better to have low expectations when dealing with harassers ;-) Begin with the more realistic objective of getting them to stop their harassment. 

Web site based "Hall of Shame"
"Public humiliation" is a dangerous weapon when it's used against harassers.
Your attention can end up rewarding the harassers instead of hurting them. Public humiliation might contribute to their renown and make them more "infamous". That's a good outcome for them. They'll love you for it. But even if you manage to humiliate them in a way that really hurts them, you still have not necessarily "won". Harassers hold grudges for long periods of time. They'll try to get revenge. Or worst, they'll try to save face. They'll try to show themselves in a better way, tell their "side of the story" and show those who humiliated them as the real "bad people". That means so much more time spent in their company for so many users... That can't be a good outcome for anyone :p It's hard to win using that weapon. That's why I insist A LOT on avoiding publicly humiliating harassers. Most of the time ;-)

There is ONE way of publicly humiliating harassers that I've seen bringing more benefits than troubles. It's still risky, but it's worth a look. It involved the posting of log files and e-mails (Incriminating for the harasser) on a web site, usually hosted by the help staff members of a virtual community. 

Public posting on a web site of log files or e-mails incriminating for the harasser 

What it does (Characteristics)
1) It can look like "getting back" at the harasser. Victims might be less likely to feel that the help staff does "nothing" to punish the harasser.
2) It rewards the victim for complying with the help staff strategy (Ignore or be polite) It makes the victims more likely to cooperate to a strategy based mainly on ignore.
3) It provides the general public with examples of the way the help staff wishes victims would react to harassers.
4) Can be a tool to deal with or a cause of "web site wars". Removing the log files or e-mails could be part of a larger "deal" with the harasser. Especially with pests who have web sites with their "side of the story". Do not suggest this bargain to harassers. Only accept it if they offer it themselves. Don't make an official policy of it. This could be perceived as an attack on "free speech" by them and subsequently used against you on their web site.

Warning:
Should only be used against harassers with "recognizable identities"
Should not be done without the victim's consent. The victim should be made aware of the risk of potential retribution from the harasser.

 

The harasser's social skills
Most harassers don't seem to have good social skills or understanding. But that can be misleading.
1) They never seem to be able to understand any viewpoint except their own. It's a waste of time to ask them to see things with your eyes. But maybe that's not because they're dumb. Maybe they know how frustrating it can get to keep trying to explain your viewpoint to them in vain. 
2) Many harassers don't seem to recognize the basic fact they are harassers. But maybe that's more an arrogance problem than an ignorance problem... There's a difference between not knowing you're the harasser and not acknowledging it. They do work hard to protect their positive self-image after all. But that ego thing was from a previous section. Let's carry on...

The Debating Game
About ANYTHING!!! 
Especially rules, but also with "jobs description". 

Debates about Job Descriptions
If you're holding a "staff position" (Owsla, Beekin helper, member of a guild offering help...), you will eventually be asked for help that, well, you would be very generous to grant. But someone is bound to see it differently. Harassers, for example, are more likely to behave as if that help was owed to them than to appreciate your generosity. 

A few common examples of "far-out" help requests:
Programming help (often for client and server software)
Marital counseling
Suicide counseling
Sexual "education"
Travel information about your country

Sometimes, they really are interested in getting that help. But not always. Harassers' real goal is too often to find something you won't agree to give and then argue with you that you "owe" it to them, that somehow it's part of your job. 

So...
What's "part of your job" exactly?
NEVER waste any time answering that question. At most, answer it by giving the URL of a web page where it's somehow explained. Nothing more. You'll end up defining your job and its responsibilities and won't have any time left to do it. Harassers are real good at making nice and patient people do this. They love finding "holes" in your job description and come up with new help request they'll be able to argue you should grant them even if they know quite well it's NOT part of your job AND don't really need the help anyway. If you try to fill in the "holes" better, they'll find new ones. If they can't find any, they'll make new ones! Don't play that game their way, you can't win. 

Play it YOUR way.
Reverse roles with them. Don't answer questions, ask them:
Where have you read this was part of my tasks?
What does that have to do with Furcadia?
That's just two simple examples I like. With practice, you'll get to spot "holes" pretty easily in their answers. They can inspire a never-ending list of new questions. It takes much more time answering questions than asking them. That's why harassers manage to exhaust their victims. They usually get the easy part. Answer legitimate help requests and questions. Reply to "harassing" ones with questions. 

Sometimes, the harasser himself is not the person making the "far-out" help request. It's someone else. They like to stick their nose in your business once you start explaining to that third person why you can't help her with her problem. They usually tell you something along the lines of "Maybe it's not part of your job, but you should feel morally obliged to help her"... To deal with that, I recommend modifying the "role reversal" technique with questions such as these:
How would YOU help her?
Do you know of web sites where she could find appropriate or more qualified help?
Some harassers won't have much to say to answer these questions. It then makes it harder for them to make you feel guilty about not helping the third person. Some can actually offer help, maybe even valuable one if you're exceptionally lucky. If you want to shape the harasser into a better user, that could be an opportunity. 

Show interest in what the harasser has to say. Fake it if you have to. Attention makes them feel good, they like it. Ask them more questions. It rewards them for an appropriate behavior and, most importantly, it keeps them busy. Enlist their help and try to send them looking for information on the web. 

A word of caution.
Do NOT imply a harasser is unable to answer your questions in public. Just let his silence speak for itself. 

Debates about the rules
Bleh :p
I didn't start the "Debating Game" section with job description for nothing. I'm fully aware of the common "What's better between a few general rules and many precise ones?" debate. I don't claim to know the answer to that one. 

But I know harassers enjoy bending the rules, finding holes in them, testing them by knowingly "misinterpreting" them and later claiming to have been treated unfairly after being punished for breaking them. Buggers. Tell them what the rules are ONCE. Warn them of the consequences of breaking them. Don't waste time explaining the rules to them. They understand them. 

If they persist on testing the limits and breaking the rules, punish them. If they complain, use role reversal with them. Example of questions in reply to "I didn't think it was against the rules!"
What do you think IS against the rules?
How is that different from what you did?

A common ploy used by harassers is to ask you for examples of what is against the rules. Then, the few examples turn into many more examples. Then, into a LIST. You tell the rules once. If harassers complain that it's "too general" or hard to interpret and asks for examples, try to get them to work on it. Tell them a list of examples would be interesting and useful but that sadly no one has time to work on it. Maybe they'll volunteer. *grins evilly* 

A word of caution
Sometimes, debates about job descriptions and rules can turn ugly. More people get involved. Two or more persons with the same job can start arguing with each other about what their job actually is. People responsible of enforcing the rules (Owslas) can start arguing about "borderline" violations of the rules. THIS SHOULD BE KEPT BETWEEN THE STAFF MEMBERS. Triggering an open and public debate like these is a harasser's dream come true. You can be sure they'll jump in. 

Debating with Activists (A recipe among many others)
Goals
1) Take the debate outside of Furcadia, in a web based message board.
2) Keep the harassing activist busy.
Do not expect to change the activist's mind. If you're patient, you may succeed in exhausting him however. 
The method.
Show (fake if necessary) interest in the activist's ideas.
Don't be masochistic. Show interest only if the activist already has started to annoy you or someone else with his ideas.
Blame the "chat" media
Pretend to think chat rooms and Furcadia are inappropriate places to discuss serious ideas. It actually is anyway. You can get many whispers that take some of your attention away. Many people can intrude in the discussion with unrelated ideas, which makes it harder to concentrate. If you're part of the help staff or a guild member, you can get "duty calls". Suggest instead a message board. Presented that way, the activist is likely to believe you really are interested in his ideas and accept.
Do not reply to ALL points.
Harassing activists are prolific writers and sometimes good debaters. Tackling the "wholeness" of their ideas can be rapidly exhausting. Don't reply with three pages of comments because the activist wrote that much. You'll exhaust yourself.
Choose the focus and direct the discussion
Select only two points or affirmations made by the harassing activist. One with which you can at least pretend to agree, one with which you disagree. The words "I agree" are powerful rewards for harassers. If you manage to find one way to use them ONCE (Don't over do it) in most of your posts, the activist will keep discussing with you.
Once you gave his reward to the harasser, give him something to work on. Disagree with one of his arguments. End your opinion with a question. A question keeping open the possibility you could change your mind ;-)
Ignore all negative comments made about individuals or groups
Keep the discussion about ideas.
If you want to shape the harassing activist into something better, you can attempt dealing with the comments made about individuals or groups. Do not disagree with them however. Deplore them. Blame them for the lack of interest showed in the activist's ideas by people. Let them know they'll have to choose between their personal vendettas or their political agendas, that mixing the two is very likely to result in failure. 
The idea is to denounce ALL negative comments made about any individuals or groups, not only those contained in the harasser's posts. You're less likely to be perceived as a "friend" of these individuals or of "taking side" by the harasser that way too.
Maybe beliefs have a value of their own which is independent of the people who hold them...
Ask questions
It takes much less time to ask questions than to answer them.
Most harassing activists have personal quotes or "mottos" that they like using. If you feel "evul", ask them what these mean TO them. They rarely miss an opportunity to talk about themselves on public boards and it often produces a never-ending string of new questions.
Suggest a neutral ground
An independent message board. Especially if you're part of the help staff.
Get the approval of that board's moderator before doing this (If you choose a real neutral ground)
If you're using an official message board hosted by the help staff, any comment made by any member of that help staff can be perceived as, well, OFFICIAL. That's bad. You want to exhaust harassing activists, not make promises to them. Comments posted by help staff members on independent message boards are more likely to be perceived as "individual positions", rather than as "official positions".
The best neutral message boards are those hosted by moderators without opinions of their own and who just make sure the board's rules are respected. That moderator could be anyone's alt ;-) Just be sure no "connections" can be made between him/her and the help staff...
One more reason to choose a neutral ground (real or fake) is the way it makes harassing activists feel toward help staff members. On Furcadia itself, they feel at a disadvantage. They're part of the "users class", which is different than the "help staff class", at least in their minds. They usually resent this. On a neutral message boards, these class differences are no longer there. It can be enough to soften their tone sometimes.
Get help
Don't discuss alone with a harassing activist. If you get two friends to each ask one question, you'll get the pest to work overtime. He'll be in paradise because he gets a lot of attention and is likely to do his best to answer all the questions he gets. You'll get better results for less individual work if you get help dealing with pests ;-)
Be a matchmaker :-)
Having to deal with only ONE activist is sometimes worst than having to deal with TWO.
If you develop the habit of taking debating addicts, harassing activists and pests of that kind to the same board, you might not have to spend as much time to keep them busy. They'll do it among themselves.
The best part (for staff members) is that you're not responsible of keeping order in that message board. It's a neutral ground ;-) Let them fight. Just give equal attention to each of the pests. Don't fuel their "sibling rivalries".

Making you feel guilty
I already talked about times when harassers try to make you feel guilty for not helping them or for punishing them "unfairly". There's another way they can try to do it. They usually try this once they've been punished (banned from Furcadia, denied access to web sites). It's sort of a last resort for them. It involves partly admitting defeat, but don't tell them that ;-) 

Instead of claiming they have been punished "unfairly", they'll claim they have been punished "too severely". It's a HUGE difference. They may sound suddenly very nice and almost polite. They can add a few "hugs" to posts or e-mails. If they have a taste for drama, they may come up with some appeals to your "common humanity". I haven't seen that many harassers behave that way. It's startling to witness. I've seen two ways of dealing with that. 

1) You keep ignoring them and enforce the "sentence" as it was planned. The idea behind this being that the harasser will know you're serious when you give warnings. Once the punishment ends (The ban is over), he might take you more seriously if he comes back to Furcadia or your web sites. 

2) You're possibly willing to lighten the punishment. Acknowledge reception of the "appeal" to the harasser. Don't tell him what he has to do for you to lighten his sentence. Ask him what he's willing to do to convince you to do so. If you're satisfied with his proposals, you may take this "idealist's risk". I once saw a very "wicked" wizard ask the harasser to also come up with what he would consider to be a fair punishment if he violated any of his own engagements after the ban would be lifted. He wasn't satisfied with the first draft. The harasser asked for another try at it, put it to better use and finally obtained "clemency". If you take that risk, just remember to let the harasser do most of the work. 

Legitimacy Attacks
Another game some harassers like to play is to question the legitimacy or competence of users in charge, like the Owslas. They can attack the Owslas as a group or target one or a few specific ones.
Material posted on the web is best left ignored. Attacks against help staffs are part of the ambient noise of all online communities. 

Harassers are also keen on questioning the rights of Owslas to intervene in specific matters occurring on Furcadia. Here are a few examples.
1) New staff members.
It can take new Owslas some time to settle in their new role. They can be faced with problems they did not expect and be unsure they'll be able to solve them. It's hard to say how often new help staff members carry with them self-doubts. But it probably happens. Maybe some sort of training or formation could help prevent it. In any case, harassers are likely to exploit any weakness they can perceive in Owslas.
For example:
I didn't choose you as an Owsla! 
Who chose you and WHY?
What kind of training did you go through?
How can you be competent if you had no training?
I want an OLD Owsla!
You get the idea...
Owslas should treat harassers who question their legitimacy the same way they treat Owsla wannabes ;-)
Keep the URL of a page providing some answers handy...
2) When dealing with exes and private matters. Why is it any of your business?
Reply that you're there to deal with a possible violation of Furcadia's rules, namely the harassment policy.
3) After public disagreements (feuds) between help staff members.
Owslas have the right to consider some other Owslas are incompetent.
Making their opinion public is unlikely to improve these other Owslas' efficiency however.
Harassers will take profits from any word spoken about an Owsla by another Owsla.
So, once more, Owslas should work their difficulties among themselves, in private.
4) Friendships between Owslas and victims
Harassers can invoke a personal relationship between an Owsla and his victim to present the Owsla as impartial and unable to deal with the situation objectively and fairly. 
Ask him to come back later ;-) 
Whatever you do, don't let the harasser choose another Owsla to intervene.
5) The Owsla AS victim
Staff members as victims... 
Minor pest should be dealt with as usual.
There's a little game I liked to play with more persistent harassers.
The targeted wizard would put him on ignore and ask a second wizard to deal with him.
The harasser then usually started harassing the second wizard. Of course, the second wizard you ask the first one to deal with his own harasser. The idea behind all this was that wizards had to avoid at all cost discussing about their own harassment with their harasser, or anything related to it like the enforcement of a "No contact contract".
That little game maddened a few harassers because it was played using rules they had no controls over and had not anticipated at all. It also made the harassers look goofy in our minds, which provided us with a well deserved comic relief :-) 

More persistent harasser could be put under the harassment policy. The Owsla/victim should ignore his/her own harasser and get another Owsla to deal with him. Get a second staff member to deal with the harasser. If he gets victim in his turn, he should ask you to deal with his harassment. 

It's possible a clever troublemaker could succeed in upsetting an Owsla. That would be both human and furry on the Owsla's part :-) But upset Owslas sometimes say or do things they regret later. If you think it can happen to you, consider asking for help from another Owsla. Or even ask that other Owsla to handle it. It could prove to be a lesser evil than trying to deal alone with a user who gets on your nerves. 

Owslas are the ones in charge of choosing which Owslas will deal with harassers. 

 

The harasser's persecution complex
Sometimes, harassers sound like they're paranoid.
They're not the harasser. They're the victim :p 
Getting punished for their mischiefs may trigger it. They'll probably feel unfairly treated.
But sometimes, it's just in their nature. They feel oppressed, excluded, spied upon. Every new furre they meet is an alt of someone they know in their mind. I have a little sympathy for some who really sound like they feel unwelcomed. But most of the times, I just think harassers are comical or puzzling in their delusions of persecution.

I have a particular fondness for those who prefer thinking of themselves as "victims" getting revenge. If they are involved in a conflict, they're on the side of truth, wrongly accused and fighting against the "obviously corrupting forces of darkness" ;-) 

In that part of the text, I'll deal with some issues related to this persecution complex. But I won't offer many advices on how to deal with it :p I'm perfectly aware that many things I wrote in that text are likely to fuel many harassers' paranoia ;-) 

The Merits of Alting
Your online personas, characters, identities, whatever, are your own business and no one else.
They are part of your private life. This is personal information no one in Furcadia has the right to request from you. Like your age, real life gender, living area, or any information about yourself YOU consider private.

Alting is a good way for victims to deal with harassment. It's the perfect disguise. Harassers have no way of knowing under which identity his victim is now visiting Furcadia. But most victims feel like they lost if they have to use an alt to be left alone. They are not completely wrong to think so. 

But alting has good sides. You don't need an Owsla to intervene. You're autonomous. I have friends on Furc who alt out of solidarity with each other when one of them is the victim of harassment. They all log off when the harasser appears and come back using alts. The harasser is completely unable to find them. 

Do not think it makes harassers feel that good about themselves when their victims alt that way. If you completely ignore them and log on using a new identity, they won't get much kick out of it. It may even make them feel powerless over you. Harassers hate alts. They are obsessed with them and ask TONS of questions about other users' alts. They don't do it purely out of curiosity. 

Do not use your alts to spy on a harasser. That makes you the pest and would, for once, justify the harasser in his paranoid delusions :p 

A note to Owsla wannabes
Be polite to ALL furres.
Keep your head cool at all times.
You never know which pest is actually an Owsla using an alt to test you and see how you react under "difficult" circumstances ;-) 

Lying to harassers
There are two circumstances in which in support and actually suggest lying to harassers:
To protect your privacy or the privacy of someone else.
To take a "discussion" away from Furcadia to a message board or elsewhere by faking interest in what the harasser has to say (As in the debating recipe...)

You don't necessarily have to lie to protect your privacy. You can simply decline to answer any questions about your private life or alts. That would be a safe precaution in your dealings with any strangers online anyway. Wait until you've met a character a couple of times before giving information you consider "private" about yourself. 

Harassers are good at catching you in your lies. They often ask the same questions many times to many people. They'll spot contradictions if there are some to spot. Don't lie to them about benign topics just to make fun of them. They'll see through it and it's going to fuel their delusions of victimhood. 

Guess who?
Be slightly wary of furres with unfamiliar names who claim to know you and try to lure you into guessing their "real" identity ;-) Don't get paranoid though :p I love the guessing game :-) I just have been fooled into giving some information about myself to harassers that way. If some unfamiliar character wants you to guess who he is, let him give you the hints :-) 

The harasser's intentions
Do not speculate on a harasser's intentions in his presence.
I know I've been speculating about the harasser's mind in that text ;-)
But I'm talking about it in general terms. I would not let any specific harasser what I believe are HIS intentions. Let me illustrate with an example, the all too common acts of pseudo kindness.

Is saying "hello" harassment?
If you've been asked to leave that person alone, the answer is yes.
Harassers love bending the rules and testing limits. They'll try to go around the harassment policy by using nicer words to harass their victim. The idea is probably to still let the victim know THEY will decide when they'll go away.

Don't speculate on a harasser's intentions.
Don't waste time trying to explain to him why he is not allowed to be "nice" to his victim.
If you do it and let him know about it, he's likely to use anything you'll say to support his idea that you are prejudicial about him. Officially, you don't know what is going on in his mind ;-)
Keep it simple if you're an Owsla. Stick to the rules:
"You have been asked to leave her alone. That means NO contact. My task is to enforce that decision."

There's another benefit to not speculate about a harasser's state of mind. You can always reply to his delusions about your own state of mind something like that:
"I don't make claims about your intentions and I would appreciate if you would not make any about mine."
It may slow the speculative business present in their persecution complex. Who knows...

A note to harassers
This text was not written about any specific harasser.
If you recognize yourself in it, that doesn't mean it was written about you.
It rather means that you are common, predictable, unoriginal...
Maybe you are unique in some ways, but not as a harasser.
Chose something else :-) 

 

Rehabilitating Harassers
I've already hinted about that a few times.
Rehabilitating harassers is the third way to deal with them. It involves more than ignoring or punishing them for their inappropriate behaviors. It involves rewarding them for their appropriate behaviors.
It takes a lot of time to get harassers to learn to use appropriate methods to achieve their goals and get them to quit their bully ways. You need to spend time with them and possibly get to know them.
Opinions about the limitations and benefits of harassers rehabilitation vary widely. To be honest, I'm not its strongest supporter. But I'll try to be its best possible advocate in this text. 
A last note before I start.
I believe Owslas should never consider rehabilitation to be their first priority. For reasons I'll try to make as clear as possible, I believe rehabilitating harassers is something that should be attempted by regular users and supported by the official help staff. Not the other way around. 

What is rehabilitation?
I hate the word rehabilitation :p
I also hate the words appropriate, inappropriate and behaviors :p.
You see, I think they give a vague and imprecise idea of the whole process of helping out a harasser get himself a place in the community in harmonious ways. I don't think I like the word harmonious that much either... Bleh. Let's say, in creative and original ways that respect other individuals but allow for the possibility of expressing disagreements or unorthodox ideas. Still too vague :p
Okay.
Let me try another way.
You don't really rehabilitate harassers. You ask them to work with you on a project. You get them involved in your guild, in activities, whatever. Rehabilitation is the result, not the means.
You give them a chance to be something else than a harasser and welcome them in if they take it. 
A little like befriending them.

Why bother?
1) Technical limitations of punishment
You can't effectively boot or ban users. With the free ISP accounts now available online, the spread of technical know-how, the availability of access to many computers and terminals, whatever, it's not easy to make sure a banned user can't get on Furcadia anyway. You can make it harder to break a ban by adding "users' registrations" and things like that, but somehow, it often looks just easier to go around a ban than to enforce it. It is possible that the most effective way to deal with a harasser is a social rather than a technical solution.
2) The idea of global responsibility.
Even if you managed to keep a harasser out of your community, you haven't solved the problem really. You just displaced it. The harasser is still a harasser. He'll move to another community and keep being what he is there. Granted, he's no longer your problem. But he's still someone else's problem.
Taking "global responsibility" requires a more long-term and generalized solution. The only way to make sure a harasser won't be harassing anyone anywhere else is to help him stop being a harasser. Rehabilitating him into a respectable and respectful user. 
3) Optimistic opportunism.
Don't make fun of me ;-)
Many harassers are prolific writers (Those with "recognizable identities"). They commit a lot of time and energies to their online lives. They sometimes have valuable skills too and, surprisingly, interesting ideas and opinions. If they could invest all of this to contribute to their community instead of harassing other users, they could maybe become valuable members of that community. Who knows...

Befriending harassers (A recipe among others)
So... How do you get to meet and know a harasser?
That's one of those questions impossible to answer in a satisfying way.
I guess there are as many ways to do it as there are users interested to do it.
But here are a few advices on how to break the ice with a harasser.
1) Try to contact him when he's behaving appropriately if it's possible
Since any attention you give a harasser is likely to make him feel good or reward him, it might be better to wait for a time when he's behaving in a civil manner in Furcadia. If the harasser has a web site or posts on forums, you can also send him an e-mail or reply to his posts. Of course, do so only if you can find something appropriate to reply to in what he wrote and stick to this. Ignore the bad stuff.
Harassers have hard time not replying to people who give them attention. If you can find something he says or does genuinely worth or praise and express some, he will reply.
2) Show him more than your nice side Rehabilitation of harassers can only succeed if the two following conditions are met:
1) You believe the harasser is not purely a "bad" person, that he has "good" in him too :-)
2) You manage to help the harasser discover other persons are neither purely bad or good too ;-)
Humans are complex social beasties who like to simplify matters. While we all have a tendency to dichotomise, categorize other persons in two categories, like weak or strong, or bad or good, almost none of us actually fits in them. But harassers seem to simplify matters even more than regular users. They often haven't learned yet to accept any form of criticism and automatically categorize as "bad" anyone expressing any toward them. Be honest with them, they need it if they are to become well-adapted members of your community.
I've seen some persons try to reduce the risk of adverse reactions from a harasser by dividing the task of being nice to him and being honest with him between more than one user or character (using alts for example). I really don't think this is a good idea.
3) Criticize him with strategy
Try to mix in a good word with your criticism, it's more likely to be accepted. I'm not that good at it myself, but here are a few examples to illustrate:
"If you stop spamming me, maybe we could talk."
"I don't think people don't listen to your ideas because they disagree with them but because of the way you present, shall I say, impose them on others. Myself, I think I share some of your views. Just quit being a bully about it."
"How can you be so bright and so stupid at the same time?"
"I'm not interested in your personal vendettas. I'm only interested to hear about your ideas."
The basic idea is to let the harasser know you still value some aspect of him even if you criticize another. It also hints that if he wants to keep having your company, he'll have to show more of what you like of him and less of what you dislike.
He might do just that.
Harassers love the company of people with "nuanced" opinions about them.
Usually, they only get good words from cronies who follow them around like sheep or people who are being nice because they're not really interested and want to get rid of them.
4) Can you like that furre?
It's not always easy to see the good in everyfurre :p
There are some types of behaviors you just can't stand. It's human and probably furry too ;-)
But rehabilitating a harasser is made much easier if you can befriend him.
And befriending him is much easier if you can like him.
You'll need patience with that fellow. Don't try to rehabilitate a harasser who upsets you even before you talked to him (By his past behavior, posts, web sites, whatever...) 
5) Don't try to "control" the harasser
Do not attempt to rehabilitate them against their will. Offer them a chance to behave in a decent manner but let them refuse it. Do not try to force them to take it by blackmailing them or using threats. (I'm never gonna talk to you again if you don't stop this or that! I'll tell your friends how you really are! Blablablah...)
6) Consider using an alt to meet the harasser As an initial precaution.
You might discover that harasser is worst than you thought. He might scare you. You may have regrets later about contacting him. You don't have to lie about the fact you are using an alt to the harasser. You don't have to tell him either. But if he confronts you about it, I would recommend being honest about it. He'll possibly learn about it anyway someday. Knowing you lied to him, he's then likely to mistrust you. This is not helping. 
But also being confronted by the fact that someone would go through the trouble of making a new cover identity to contact him could, possibly, force him to realize how unattractive or untrustworthy his behaviors make him look. Who knows... Just try to tell him he's a freak in the best possible way ;-)
7) Be honest about it
Trying to rehabilitate a harasser isn't the same as trying to get rid of him or exhausting him. You can't lie as much :p If you read this text, maybe he will too. If he asks you if you're trying to rehabilitate him, tell him the truth. Maybe he won't like the truth, but it's going to have a lesser negative impact than him figuring out what you've been doing on his own later on.
Don't get me wrong!
You have the right to privacy.
You don't have to tell everything to the harasser, especially about yourself. If you have alts, he doesn't have any rights to know their identities. Ignore the questions you don't want to answer if he keeps asking them. He will have to learn to respect other users' privacy sooner or later :p
8) Get to know him
I'm not telling you to sacrifice your social life to get to know this harasser ;-)
But a guide has less chances of having value in his eyes than a friend.
Polite and nice strangers mechanically applying ecipes aren't that fun to be around for long too.
By spending just a little time with him, you'll also increase the value he sees in your particular community. The risk of getting banned might actually reduce the odds he'll misbehave.
9) Don't do it alone. Teamwork is much better :-)
That way, it's more likely one of you is going to be around when and if the harasser behaves appropriately. You can't notice and reward what happens when you're not around. Simple concept.
But also, it's important to get the harasser to deal with many other users. They're less likely to suspect every of them of all being alts of the same user or to end up stalking a solitary good soul working on her own to rehabilitate them. It's not good to stand out as "The rehabilitator" in a crowd. It's much better to just be one of many members of a crowd open to the possibilities of rehabilitation...
10) Expect to be fooled
For some harassers, playing along with rehabilitation is just one more game. They can do it to get information about other users, try to get some leniency from Owslas, try to provoke a face-off between those who see "hope" in them and those who don't, whatever ;-)
A facade of cooperation can hide many things.
This risk is not that bad-sided though.
The harasser might get caught in his own game. His plans to use it to cause mischief may only be his original motivation. He might develop new reasons to keep tolerating you later. Who knows...
It also provides you with the perfect excuse to defend your right to privacy. You don't know yet if you can trust him... 
11) Redirect harassers' energies toward meaningful activities, not just things to keep them busy.
You're not trying to exhaust them or merely keep them busy as suggested in my "debating with activists" recipe. Try to get them involved in valuable or useful projects to the community, from which they can get a bit of recognition, learn new things, whatever. They should get something out of it. Not just be kept busy with idle activities.
12) Don't expect the moon. Keep your hopes realistic :-)
That doesn't necessarily means low. 
If you can manage to get a harasser to agree to the idea that free speech can only exists if people are also allowed to choose what they listen and who they interact with, you'll have accomplished quite something...
Almost a miracle ;-)
13) NEVER make the rehabilitation of a harasser your priority
That advice is unlikely to bring you bad luck ;-)

Owslas and Rehabilitation
Owslas are just one of the groups able to deal with troublemakers in Furcadia.
They have special abilities that help them do it, like ejecting furres out of Furcadia.
While these abilities gives them some "power" in their dealings with harassers and other troublemakers, their "duties" limit their effectiveness as rehabilitators. 
1) Their first task is to enforce the rules, not rehabilitate troublemakers
If they show leniency toward specific individuals, they'll get in trouble for it. They'll face claims of favouritism. Victims will be mad at them because the rules haven't been enforced against their harasser. If users believe the Owslas inequitably enforce the rules.
They can't allow themselves the freedom of showing leniency toward anyone.
So now, here's a first big problem awaiting Owslas who think about rehabilitating a harasser: 
It's pretty hard to befriend a user you might have to boot or get banned.
Regular users don't face that dilemma. They can choose the rules they'll enforce in their dealings with a harasser. Owslas don't have that liberty.. 
2) It can lead to conflict among Owslas
Owslas are part of an organized group.
Their individual actions have consequences for all other members of that group.
If some of them act "soft" toward troublemakers while others show more severity, users, and harassers, will eventually know about it. That's possible trouble in perspective.
The Owslas can end up being depicted as "bad guys and good guys", "Nazis and bleeding hearts", "hit men and social workers", whatever... There are always a few users who like posting about these distinctions or adding a page or two about it on their web sites. This can lead to tensions among the Owslas themselves. One of them who gets crap because of his severity can consider the others don't do their job. The others may think he should relax a bit. As with any conflict involving Owslas, this one should be kept among Owslas. 
Owslas, like regular users, have various opinions about rehabilitation. It's probably not all of them who believe attempting to rehabilitate harassers is a risk worth the efforts and time it requires. Those who do
may consider another Owsla's harshness toward harassers is compromising their chances of rehabilitating them.
In short, enforcing the rules is a hard enough task already. Why complicate it anymore by adding a second, possibly conflicting, task to it?

In conclusion.
I'm afraid that's the best I could do as an advocate of rehabilitating harassers.
I hope this text provides users considering it with a little help and I extend to them my best wishes and grateful thanks. Good luck to you and don't forget to have fun :-)

 

Conclusion
And a few words about me...
I started writing this text to answer a question a friend of mine asked me about online harassment.
Somehow my answer got out of hand.
I don't think this is a perfect or final essay on that topic. Far from it :p
But I'm pretty tired of thinking about harassers now, so I guess that's going to be all I had to say about it ;-)
As I said in the introduction, I don't claim anything I wrote should be made into a rule.
It's only suggestions. 
Pick and choose what suits you.

For those who wonder about who wrote that text. I am NOT an Owsla.
I don't even have wings (Nor do any of my alts)
Nothing I wrote implies criticism about the way Owslas do their job.
I think the fact some of them decided to post this text on their web sites even says something about them.
They do welcome suggestions from other users.

I value three rights online:
The right to free speech.
The right to privacy.
The right to be left alone.

My last advice will sound paradoxical after the time I spent writing that text.
Do not let harassers take too much place in your life ;-) 

Questions, comments, words of praise and flames should all be sent to: woodrowpg@hotmail.com

Thank you :-) 
 
 

Woodrow