Definition of A Troll

Okay, everybody talks about a "troll" this and a "troll" that and we all nod because we think we know what a damn troll is, do we?

How would you (yeah, that you behind that computer screen) define a troll?

By his appearance?

Would decide by his actions?

Maybe by the ugly way that he spoke?

Let's see if we can all come with something we can agree on.

By the ugliness that comes forth from their posts, those that obviously have their feet close to the ground, those that fly black brooms they think are the cat's meow and those that have backwater alligator swamp breath.

Ok, maybe those in denial too.

** Last time I checked, nobody spoke here since this is just a collection of electrons being rendered on your computer screen.

It is a term that has been around since the first bulletin boards were up and running on Commodore 64s. Essentially a troll is anyone that purposely cruises a board to disrupt the intention of the board, break up conversations, pick fights, or make outlandish posts just to get attention and stir up chaos.

The best way to fight them, is to ignore them. Posting rebuttals and such is feeding them and just makes it worse. Trying to rationalize with them does not work either. Most times they do not even believe the position they state in a thread, it was done simply to stir up controversy.

Let's see if we can all come with something we can agree on. Originally Posted by Fast Gunn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29

Okay, ANONONE you have correctly stated how to deal with a troll.

However, that is another topic proper.

What I am asking her is how do you DEFINE a troll?

By the trolls appearance or his actions or his beliefs or his ranting posts?

Could he look like an ordinary person, but still be a troll?

I say yes, a troll is defined more by his behavior than his appearance.

What then is the behavior?

Thanks, Jackie. I am surprised that such a fairly new computer slang word would be already covered in Wikipedia.

Those guys are on the ball!

"Do not feed the trolls" and its abbreviation DNFTT redirect here. For the Wikimedia essay, see "What is a troll?".

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response[1] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[2]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Etymology
o 1.1 Early history
o 1.2 In other languages
* 2 Published research on trolling
* 3 Concern troll
* 4 Troll sites
* 5 Usage
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links
o 8.1 Troll FAQs

[edit] Etymology
"Trolling for blue fish" lithograph by Currier & Ives, 1866.

The contemporary use of the term is alleged to have first appeared on the Internet in the late 1980s,[3] but the earliest known example is from 1991.[4] It is thought to be a truncation of the phrase trolling for suckers. That phrase is itself derived from the fishing technique of slowly dragging a lure or baited hook from a moving boat, waiting for fish to strike, a technique known as trolling.[5] The word also evokes the trolls portrayed in Scandinavian folklore and children's tales, as they are often creatures bent on mischief and wickedness. The verb "troll" originates from Old French "troller", a hunting term. The noun "troll", however, comes from the Old Norse word for a mythological monster.[6]
[edit] Early history

The most likely derivation of the word troll can be found in the phrase "trolling for newbies," popularized in the early 1990s in the Usenet group, alt.folklore.urban (AFU).[7][8] Commonly, what is meant is a relatively gentle inside joke by veteran users, presenting questions or topics that had been so overdone that only a new user would respond to them earnestly. For example, a veteran of the group might make a post on the common misconception that glass flows over time. Long-time readers would both recognize the poster's name and know that the topic had been done to death already, but new subscribers to the group would not realize, and would thus respond. These types of trolls served as a Shibboleth to identify group insiders. This definition of trolling, considerably narrower than the modern understanding of the term, was considered a positive contribution.[7][9] One of the most notorious AFU trollers, Snopes,[7] went on to create his eponymous urban folklore website.

By the late 1990s, alt.folklore.urban had such heavy traffic and participation that trolling of this sort was frowned upon. Others expanded the term to include the practice of playing a seriously misinformed or deluded user, even in newsgroups where one was not a regular; these were often attempts at humor rather than provocation. In such contexts, the noun troll usually referred to an act of trolling, rather than to the author.
[edit] In other languages

Most languages[specify] have adopted the English word "troll" to refer to Internet trolls.[citation needed] In Japanese, arashi (あらし) means "laying waste" and can also be used to refer to simple spamming[citation needed]. In Korean, nak-si (낚시) means "fishing", and is used to refer to Internet trolling attempts, as well as purposefully misleading post titles. A person who recognizes the troll after having responded (or, in case of a post title nak-si, having read the actual post) would often refer to himself as a caught fish. In Thai, the term "krean" (เกรียน) has been adopted to address internet trolls. The term literally refers to a closely cropped hairstyle worn by most school boys in Thailand, thus equating the emotional and egoistic immaturity of internet trolls to that of a school boy. The term "tob krean" (ตบเกรียน), or slapping a cropped head, refers to the act of posting intellectual replies to refute and make stupid the messages of internet trolls.

Okay, ANONONE you have correctly stated how to deal with a troll.

However, that is another topic proper.

What I am asking her is how do you DEFINE a troll?


Originally Posted by Fast Gunn

The first part of my answer defined what a troll is:

It is a term that has been around since the first bulletin boards were up and running on Commodore 64s. Essentially a troll is anyone that purposely cruises a board to disrupt the intention of the board, break up conversations, pick fights, or make outlandish posts just to get attention and stir up chaos.

The best way to fight them. . . Originally Posted by ANONONE

Fast Gunn, there is nothing new about the term. We were using it back in the eighties. It actually comes from Douglas Adams Hitchhiker books, a favorite of the early internet board folks.

I had heard the term bandied around indiscriminately to refer to unsavory types of people in general, but I had not heard a definition for the term as it refers to board traffic specifically.

I guess that was just a gap in my knowledge data base.

Thanks for the information. Trolls are a scourge that should be eliminated.

I wonder if trolls know that they are trolls?

It's a subjective term, but strange people do abound!

I had heard the term bandied around indiscriminately to refer to unsavory types of people in general, but I had not heard a definition for the term as it refers to board traffic specifically.

I guess that was just a gap in my knowledge data base.

Thanks for the information. Trolls are a scourge that should be eliminated.

I wonder if trolls know that they are trolls?

It's a subjective term, but strange people do abound!
Originally Posted by Fast Gunn

You bring up a good point. . .

Perhaps there is room for another term. If we stick to tradition, perhaps we call trolls the people that are aggravating and abrasive and just too stupid to be aware of their behavior, much less change their behavior.

Maybe we call people that know they do this and even attempt to train and enhance their ability to piss people off an Orc or something like that.

Most of you will find your alter egos here

It's funny how whenever someone gets a good solid internet bitch slap it is always from a "troll" and never because they posted something... incorrect or ill informed. Why is that?

Troll. One who purposely and deliberately (that purpose usually being self-amusement) starts an argument in a manner which attacks others on a forum without in any way listening to the arguments proposed by his or her peers. He will spark of such an argument via the use of ad hominem attacks (i.e. 'you're nothing but a fanboy' is a popular phrase) with no substance or relevence to back them up as well as straw man arguments, which he uses to simply avoid addressing the essence of the issue.

...and they live under bridges or something. I read that somewhere. In the 70's maybe.

Troll. One who purposely and deliberately (that purpose usually being self-amusement) starts an argument in a manner which attacks others on a forum without in any way listening to the arguments proposed by his or her peers. He will spark of such an argument via the use of ad hominem attacks (i.e. 'you're nothing but a fanboy' is a popular phrase) with no substance or relevence to back them up as well as straw man arguments, which he uses to simply avoid addressing the essence of the issue. Originally Posted by Reese McClain

Resse, Thank you! You hit the nail on the head.

I wonder what the population division between trolls, though.

I mean are there about 50% of the trolls who are men and about 50 % women?

Or is about 80% Men and 20% women or about there?

Hey, what does "ad hominem attacks" mean? For those of us rusty in our Latin might wonder.

By the ugliness that comes forth from their posts, those that obviously have their feet close to the ground, those that fly black brooms they think are the cat's meow and those that have backwater alligator swamp breath.

Ok, maybe those in denial too.

** Last time I checked, nobody spoke here since this is just a collection of electrons being rendered on your computer screen. Originally Posted by LonesomeDove

I have to say Lonesd, that ugliness is a relative term.

What may be ugly to you may be attractive to someone else.

I have seen it happen it shocked me at first, but there it is!

But, boy, the breath thing really tears it, doesn't it?

Hey, what does "ad hominem attacks" mean? For those of us rusty in our Latin might wonder. Originally Posted by Fast Gunn

Latin: "argument toward the person" or "argument against the person"

Would you like an example?