I just wanted to put up a special post thanking everyone who has come to my support about a certain troll who, since early this year, has criticized and attacked everything I do, both in terms of my missing persons work and my personal life. This person has literally never had a single nice thing to say about what I do or who I am.
If you’re wondering why I didn’t completely ignore his comments and usually did respond in some form, it’s because I like to give people a chance to rethink what they did and maybe change their opinions or at least they way they say things. I try to tell myself that a lot of people aren’t stupid, they’re just ignorant. An ignorant person might be willing to learn what the facts are. Stupid people just don’t care.
Sometimes it works. Once, a Twitter troll was saying nasty things on my personal twitter account. I had a photo of myself posted on there and the troll was like “your skin looks all nasty and filthy, you need to moisturize and when was the last time you had a bath, you’ve got dirt all around our mouth and on your forehead.” And I explained about my melasma and how the “dirt” he saw was actually the product of an incurable skin condition. And the Twitter troll was mortified and deeply apologetic.
But the whole “engaging the troll” thing obviously hasn’t worked with here, so I blocked him today. (I say “him” out of convenience, by the way; this troll might be female.) Assuming the blocking thing actually works — I don’t know, cause I’ve never blocked anyone on here before since I started this blog almost ten years ago — all future comments from him will go straight into Spam without me having to even look at them. And if it doesn’t work and this person keeps sending in comments, I’m just not going to approve them. And if WordPress posts them automatically without going through the referral thing, I’m going to delete them as soon as I find out. I’ve just had enough.
But what I really meant to say was… you guys have no idea how much it means to me when you stand up for me like that. I’ve been online long enough to recognize trolls when I see them, and weigh their statements appropriately (that is, 0.0), but it’s nice to know other people have got your back. Thank you.
The Charley Project Blog 
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Meaghan, The world is so much better for what you do and how you bring to light all these cases. It is shocking how many there are. I actually worry for the day when you decide to not do it anymore and what will happen to Charley. Anyway, I don’t think I’ve commented on this troll before just because trolls are just an inevitable evil of the internet. However, I must say that his hounding you is very perplexing and actually makes me wonder if he is involved in the disappearance of one or more of the missing individuals on here.
“actually makes me wonder if he is involved in the disappearance of one or more of the missing individuals on here.” a bit of a scary stretch there…interesting theory though.
I doubt it. Keelan’s IP address says he lives near Zurich in Switzerland.
Hey maybe he left the country to escape getting caught!
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You’ve done the right thing blocking him/her. There’s just no need for people to be mean. 99.9% of people here will have your back x
Please don’t let any troll make you stop what you are doing – Charley Project is such an important and powerful tool to keep missing people in the spotlight.
I’m very new to your site but I’d have defended you too.
You’ve got a wonderfully compelling, comfortable to read way of writing. And the service you’re doing must be immeasurable to the survivors, the living, of the cases you cover.
It would do for me. Well done.
You are doing a wonderful service in a very professional manner. Bravo for vanquishing the troll~ please carry on as your work means so much to so many. Thank you.
You know I have been your fan for about 8 years, love and appreciate you and all your hard work. Your the best and beautiful on the inside and outside!!!!!!
Good idea. It’s been a long time coming and you have been more than patient with that guy.
Sorry I meant above response for another blog post but it sort of applies here too – what I meant was it was a good idea to block Keelan.
What you do is nothing short of amazing. Keep up the awesome work and tell the trolls to just stick it where the sun don’t shine!
Good for you. Some of these trolls go way too far, when it becomes not about anything related to Charley, but to you as a person. And the Sept. 11th stuff was not only classless, it reeked of trying to fire up the rest of us on here. People need jobs or hobbies that don’t involve hiding behind a keyboard and insulting the rest of the world. You did the right thing, and you know that you are loved and respected by so many people, and have helped many families.
Amen Kat! I agree with all the comments left, and I’m glad that Meaghan used her option to ban/let comments go into spam. I can’t recall one comment that was beneficial, encouraging, important or necessary or even light-hearted and fun that was ever posted by that person. It just brings down the whole comment section. Like a turd in the punch bowl, not a welcome sight.
I appreciate the efforts that Meaghan does on the blog as well as the community that adds additional info and links. My thanks to Meaghan as well as to all of you here.
I’ve only recently began reading your blog and following your fb page. I began with your website and I must say, in the past year I have seen the amazing work you do. Its obvious by the hours I’ve spent reading your post just how much you do and care. Bless you!
I am glad you banned. I do not acknowledge negative people in any way. I think they deserve only to be ignored completely. Your work speaks for itself. If a comment is clearly not meant to add to the discussion, ban.
Yay!! I am glad evil Keelan is gone! Your work is amazing!
When I read one of their comments, I think the one where they accused you of using people for money, I also wanted to contact you and ask if you could block them. I didn’t though, because I wasn’t sure if it was possible. Nobody has an account on here so it’s not like you can ban or report an account and they are gone. I guess the blocking feature here blocks IP addresses or just the name? Either way, I hope they stay away.
You can block by IP address or by name. I picked IP cause Keelan could have just posted nasty comments under another name, and because blocking by name means ANY comment with the word “Keelan” mentioned ANYWHERE (such as “I’m so glad Keelan can’t comment here anymore”) would have been blocked.
People who troll the net are no better than schoolyard bullies. Maybe laws needed to be passed making trolling the net a crime. You should be commended on the work you do to keep this site up and running. Keep up the good work. You do a great service to those who have love one who are missing.
I don’t believe trolling in and of itself should be a crime — free speech, y’all. But I DO believe that threatening physical violence, something trolls often do, should be a crime. If you look it up on Google you see a lot of high-profile women, actresses and politicians and activists and stuff, are regularly bombarded with trolls who say things like “You live at [the person’s actual address] and I’m on my way there and I’m going to rape you and shoot you in the head.” That’s got to be terrifying. And the police don’t do much about it.
My, you really do get some wackadoos, don’t you? Sorry you have to deal with this.
I’ve followed your site for years, keep up the good work!
Your work is much appreciated, Meaghan, particularly in light of the health challenges you manage.
That guy was an ass and I’m glad you blocked him. That said, I must admit that I laughed a little when he commented on a recent Flashback Friday post to “helpfully” inform you that it was actually Thursday, and you replied with a calendar screenshot showing that it was Friday after all. I just picture Keelan being like, “Hah! It’s THURSDAY! I got you now, Meaghan!” and then his dejected face upon finding out that he was wrong.
Thanks for maintaining this site. Your hard work is appreciated.
If it was after noon on Friday here, it had to have been Friday in Switzerland too. The time difference is only six hours. I think Keelan was just messing with me.
Hooray Meaghan! Glad you finally blocked them! I have been gone from the blog (among other things in life) for several weeks – so I (Thankfully) missed out on more of Kellan’s shenanigans! I will never understand people that go on to blogs or the like – on a regular basis just to tell people how much they dislike everything about it. Clearly it’s just to stir up some drama and get attention, but really??? You have NOTHING better to do buddy??
I am glad he is gone – and it is nice to see all your Friend Followers that support you. 🙂
I have a lot of catching up to do on here!
Meaghan,
I fully understand what you go through. I deal with such people every day. I don’t know if it is because:
1) they see us doing something worthwhile and they feel guilty, or,
2) if they are responsible for a disappearance and are scared that our efforts will ‘find them out”, or,
3) they have so much pent up anger inside themselves and they take it out on us because they know we won’t shoot them or beat the crap out of them for such abuse like other people will. or,
4) they’re “control freaks”. They like to “control” people, push their “buttons”, make people “jump”, keep their “finger on the button” at all times. This gives them happiness in their miserable life.
I am not going to say to just let it go in one ear and out the other because such a skill is not possible. I have not even mastered that one.
Like last week, I had to deal with:
1) 5 crazy women who think people like me should not be allowed to live,
2) a sexual predator who likes to give lap dances and rub himself on females,
3) another man who believes I’m a “bum” because I devote my time to trying to raise funds to find the cold case missing,
4) another person who believes I am a scam because “the police never give up on any missing person, and if they do, then it just means the person wasn’t worth finding, and you shouldn’t be looking for them either!!!!!”
Yes, these people (and many others) are upsetting and take a lot out of me, but what I try to do (after taking a deep breath and a few days away from them) is show them charity by using the excuses:
1) “Oh, it’s a full moon again.” (And it was a full moon last week).
2) “She must of arrived home early and found her husband in bed again with another woman.”
3) “He must have caught his wife in bed again with another man.”
4) I haven’t found a solution yet for the sex offender except try to avoid him. (he can’t be arrested or prosecuted because of family that have ties with influential people in the area even though he has assaulted numerous women.)
Meaghan, one job I had several decades ago, we were taught that there was three things we were never to discuss nor even mention at work. They were:
1) politics
2) religion
3) sports.
Well, I do not want to create a fight, that is not my purpose. What I do want to say Meaghan is whatever your beliefs, I do believe that God is blessing you and your site in order to help bring the cold case missing out of the depths of non-existence. Society forgets about the cold case missing, the Lord doesn’t. HE knows each and every one of them and what happened to them.
I am not going to try to explain why the Lord let’s people disappear because I do not have an answer. Some things we just do not know an answer to, but I do know that if the Lord wanted the cold case missing to stay forgotten, HE would not be moving you and I to help them.
Keep up the good work Meaghan!