Survival skills from the twitterati: how to avoid being trolled

The twitterverse promises snappy news, fun-fact info, 'woke' conversations and ... Donald Trump. But when Twitter attacks, it quickly trades laughter for jeers and tears and things can get brutal pretty fast. The trolls sharpen their teeth and you're as good as a gonner. 

Luckily, today #twittersurvivalskills is trending on the site and users are sharing their pet peeves as well as some advice for newbies.

The scope of this hashtag encompasses simple approaches to managing conflict, conducting flirtations, staying in your lane, and understanding the difference between Twitter and forums like Facebook and Instagram, where the standards of behaviour are different.

The basic consensus seems to be: toughen up; quieten down; and remember that screen caps are a very real thing.

Here are a few of our favourites #twittersurvivalskills: