TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Characteristics of a classic internet troll
What is an Internet Troll/ Forum Troll?
An "Internet troll" or "Forum Troll" is a person who posts outrageous message to bait people to answer. Forum Troll delights in sowing discord.
A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war.
A classic troll is trying to make us believe that he is a genuine skeptic with no hidden agenda.
He is divisive and argumentative with need-to-be-right attitude, "searching for the truth", flaming discussion, and sometimes insulting people or provoking people to insult him.
Troll is usually an expert in reusing the same words of its opponents and in turning it against them.
While sometimes, he may sound like a stupid, uninformed, ignorant poster, do not be deceived! Most trolls are highly intelligent people trying to hide behind a mask of stupidity and/or ignorance! They usually have an agenda. Very few trolls post out of pure skepticism.
A Troll is generally a person who is extremely skeptical of the subject. He is generally interested to make other forum members look stupid.
A troll will sometimes use insults to provoke other people to insult him. Then when the post turns into a flame war, the thread gets deleted and the subject is no longer available.
Sometimes, he is skeptical, trying to scare people, trying to plant fear in their hearts.
For many trolls, lack of hard evidence about any therapy equals "DANGER". He will try to scare people from even trying the therapy just because there is no hard evidence that therapy is more effective then placebo.
Sometimes, Internet troll is trying to spin conflicting information, is questioning in an insincere manner, flaming discussion, insulting people, turning people against each other, harassing forum members, ignoring warnings from forum moderators.
Trolling is a form of harassment that can take over a discussion. Well meaning defenders can create chaos by responding to trolls. The best response is to ignore it, or to report a message to a forum moderator.
Negative emotions stirred up by trolls leak over into other discussions. Normally affable people can become bitter after reading an angry interchange between a troll and his victims, and this can poison previously friendly interactions between long-time users.
Finally, trolls create a paranoid environment, such that a casual criticism by a new arrival can elicit a ferocious and inappropriate backlash.
When trolls are ignored they step up their attacks, desperately seeking the attention they crave. Their messages become more and more foul, and they post ever more of them.
Alternatively, they may protest that their right to free speech is being curtailed.
Perhaps the most difficult challenge for a webmaster is deciding whether to take steps against a troll that a few people find entertaining.
Some trolls do have a creative spark and have chosen to squander it on being disruptive. There is a certain perverse pleasure in watching some of them. Ultimately, though, the webmaster has to decide if the troll actually cares about putting on a good show for the regular participants, or is simply playing to an audience of one -- himself.
Next time you are on a message board and you see a post by somebody whom you think is a troll, and you feel you must reply, simply write a follow-up message entitled "Troll Alert" and type only this:
The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction and not to respond to trolling messages. It is well known that most people don't read messages that nobody responds to, while 99% of forum visitors first read the longest and the largest threads with the most answers.
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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I'm sure we've all had enough of this kind of "drama" in our personal lives. I know I have.
Thanks again for your words of wisdom!
Take care,
terri3boys
Posts: 268 | From Texas | Registered: Aug 2007
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Michelle M
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7200
posted
quote:Originally posted by TerryK: It is well known thatmost people don't read messages that nobody responds to, while 99% of forum visitors first read the longest and the largest threads with the most answers.
On the contrary, I make a point of looking for messages that no one is responding to and if I can help, bring them to the top!! Mainly, that's the reason I'm here.
Well, that plus occasionally grossing everyone out with close-up tick photographs...
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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Truthfinder
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8512
posted
TERRIFIC post, Terry! And exremely timely...
Boy, I had forgotten some of those key points... thanks very much for the reminder.
That's a good approach, Michelle. And keep those tick photos coming....
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
I've noticed that about you Michelle. We have a number of people here who are caring citizens whose purpose is to help others. The more the better.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
hmmmm, toliet trolling is not what this is about is it????
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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just don
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1129
posted
I cant ever get those 'flames' going cause my matches dont light!!!!
Does that mean my 'personal' fire went out???
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
randibear, not sure what you mean. The only reference I've seen to toilet trolling has to do with an alleged homosexual senator. What are you talking about?
I didn't write this definition, apparently this is common behavior and not something specific to only lymenet.
Thanks, Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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randibear
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11290
posted
ooopss, sorry about that. definitely not what i meant.
here where i live, toliet trolling is a person who constantly looks in the toliet to see the texture, how much, etc.
wow, i didn't even know there was another definition.. what a sheltered life i lead.....
but seriously, i've wondered about some of these posts myself and where these people come from...
-------------------- do not look back when the only course is forward Posts: 12262 | From texas | Registered: Mar 2007
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quote:Originally posted by randibear: here where i live, toliet trolling is a person who constantly looks in the toliet to see the texture, how much, etc.
wow, i didn't even know there was another definition.. what a sheltered life i lead.....
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
I'm going to troll this post which is about trolling. Hehe...
I hear people with Lyme don't have super powers. You guys got screwed. Spiderman got super powers.
Wait.... I have Lyme too. ****.... I WANT MY SUPER POWERS DAMNIT!
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
AliG
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9734
posted
Up for those who are asking what "trolls" are.
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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