What's a troll?
#1
Posted 21 December 2011 - 01:19 PM
#2
Posted 21 December 2011 - 01:51 PM
Edited by Jaye, 21 December 2011 - 01:51 PM.
#3
Posted 21 December 2011 - 03:52 PM
#4
Posted 21 December 2011 - 04:14 PM
#5
Posted 21 December 2011 - 05:22 PM
Trolling in a forum is the same thing, but with arguments - intentionally irrational, inflammatory posts designed to get people to "bite" by attacking the poster, who is of course, intentionally wrong, and there only to get entertainment form getting people pissed. It's of course also a play on the other kind of troll, as the personalities are about the same.
The best reply to trolling is nothing at all - ANY reply is giving them the attention they crave, while simply ignoring them will make them go away in search of easier targets. The only reason to reply to a troll post is to try to get others to stop biting, and in that case, you should be directly to the point - show that they're trolling, then leave the thread.
The term (as well as how to stop the people doing it) go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back to Usenet in the 90's, yet sadly, how to deal with trolls STILL isn't common knowledge.
It's rarely obvious from a single post who's trolling (as some arguments are simply poorly delivered or typed out of a moment of anger and not forethought), but trolls are usually quite obvious if you've read several of their posts.
#6
Posted 21 December 2011 - 07:18 PM
Trolling was originally a fishing term, it refers to moving bait along in the water in the hopes it will attract a fish to bite it.
Trolling in a forum is the same thing, but with arguments - intentionally irrational, inflammatory posts designed to get people to "bite" by attacking the poster, who is of course, intentionally wrong, and there only to get entertainment form getting people pissed. It's of course also a play on the other kind of troll, as the personalities are about the same.
The best reply to trolling is nothing at all - ANY reply is giving them the attention they crave, while simply ignoring them will make them go away in search of easier targets. The only reason to reply to a troll post is to try to get others to stop biting, and in that case, you should be directly to the point - show that they're trolling, then leave the thread.
The term (as well as how to stop the people doing it) go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back to Usenet in the 90's, yet sadly, how to deal with trolls STILL isn't common knowledge.
It's rarely obvious from a single post who's trolling (as some arguments are simply poorly delivered or typed out of a moment of anger and not forethought), but trolls are usually quite obvious if you've read several of their posts.
You are totally wrong. Trolls are those cute little hairy dolls, which had an awesome cartoon.
#7
Posted 21 December 2011 - 07:57 PM
#8
Posted 28 December 2011 - 12:31 AM
Moving on,
The above replies do a good job of describing a troll and in general, they're pretty spot on. The definitions given were so good as to allow me to weed out a good portion of posts I previously hadn't understood or were confused about (ie calling someone a troll who clearly had no intent to cause distress or harm- yet being labeled something derogatory for speaking nonetheless) and recognize that they did, in fact, fall under the troll category for reasons I had only partially grasped.
Still, I feel it is used a bit unnecessarily and hairtriggeredly (SO not a word lol) but I also admit I have only read about 1/100th of the total posts. Also, like was said above, many people here know each other so they can call a troll out sooner that I could. What I might perceive to be a neutral or fair statement may be a trollish one from someone people here know to be one.
Thank you guys for the replies and thank you, Big, for asking the question. I learned something new about something I thought I already knew...that's pretty cool.
#9
Posted 28 December 2011 - 05:08 AM
#10
Posted 05 January 2012 - 09:33 AM
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